Overview
We partnered with a UK-based cannabis dispensary operating within the legal, regulated framework to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and position the brand as a trusted, educational voice in the space.
Because cannabis remains a sensitive and highly regulated topic, our strategy focused on credible influencer partnerships, compliance-conscious messaging, and education-first storytelling rather than direct product promotion.
Objectives
- Build trust around legal cannabis access in the UK
- Reach new, relevant audiences beyond the brand’s existing followers
- Drive meaningful engagement through conversation and DMs
- Position the dispensary as a safe, informative authority rather than a sales-led account
Our Approach
Strategic Influencer Sourcing
Instead of chasing large, generic lifestyle creators, we focused on:
- Authentic voices with lived experience or credibility in wellness, recovery, or alternative health conversations
- Creators who were comfortable speaking on education and regulation, not just product hype
- Influencers with high engagement communities, even if their follower count was moderate
We vetted creators based on:
- Audience demographics and alignment
- Comment quality (real conversation vs. passive likes)
- Tone and values to ensure responsible, stigma-reducing messaging
This resulted in partnerships with creators who could speak naturally about legal access, safety, and peace of mind, rather than pushing products.
Education-First Content Framework
We guided influencers to frame their content around:
- “You don’t have to hide anymore”
- Understanding what’s legal vs. illegal
- Accessing cannabis in a regulated, compliant way
- Removing fear, secrecy, and misinformation
This shifted the narrative from promotion to public education, which:
- Increased trust
- Reduced platform risk
- Encouraged followers to reach out privately for more information
Key Results
- Reached nearly 250K views on a single educational influencer video
- Drove discovery with over 92% of viewers being non-followers
- Generated high conversation-led engagement (465 comments)
- Increased brand credibility through trusted third-party voices
- Created a scalable model for compliant influencer marketing in a restricted industry
Short-Form Video for Reach
We prioritised short-form vertical video (Reels) to maximise discoverability and algorithmic reach.
Top-performing influencer Reel performance:
- Total Views: 248,878
- Instagram: 30,402
- Facebook: 218,476
- Accounts Reached: 19,468
- Watch Time: 1 day, 16 hours, 34 minutes
This showed strong cross-platform distribution, with Facebook significantly extending reach beyond Instagram alone.
Audience Growth & Discovery
- New Followers Generated: 126
- Viewers from Non-Followers: 92.2%
- Viewers from Followers: 7.8%
This indicates the content was primarily reaching new audiences, not just warming up existing ones. A key goal for brand expansion and awareness in an emerging market.
Engagement Performance
- Likes: 1,506
- Comments: 465
- Shares: 6
- Saves: 19
The high comment volume relative to views shows that the topic resonated deeply and encouraged people to engage publicly- especially important in a category where many people previously stayed silent.
Comments frequently led to direct messages, creating a private pathway for education and compliant customer journeys.
Traffic Sources
Top sources of views:
- Feed: 64.2%
- Profile: 16.0%
- Reels Tab: 13.4%
- Stories: 3.9%
- Explore: 1.0%
Strong feed and Reels tab performance shows the content worked both with existing audiences and algorithmic distribution, while profile visits indicate growing interest in the brand behind the message.
Why This Worked
- Education over promotion built trust in a cautious audience
- Relatable influencers reduced stigma and made the topic feel safe
- Short, direct messaging kept complex legal topics digestible
- Conversation-driven content encouraged DMs and deeper interest
Ongoing Strategy
We continue to:
- Source credible, values-aligned influencers
- Refine messaging around legality, safety, and regulation
- Use performance data to guide future creator selection and content angles
- Balance public education content with compliant private conversion pathways
Want support in influencer campaigns? View our page or get in touch.
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