How to Maximize Your Cannabis Product Launch Media Marketing Campaign

By Gina Bowersox, Public Relations Account Manager, NisonCo

Launching and promoting a new product or service can be incredibly exciting and dramatically boost your company, especially in the fast-moving cannabis industry. However, many things need to happen to ensure that everything goes smoothly. 

In my time as a cannabis public relations specialist, I’ve helped many varied cannabrands bring new products to market. These are some of the biggest things I prioritize throughout the product launch media promotion process.

How to Prepare for Your Cannabis Product Launch

Predictably, the days, weeks, and months leading up to a product launch can be incredibly busy.

Adhere to a Consistent Media Marketing Timeline

First and foremost, you need to figure out when each step in the product release process will happen. Consider:

• When will the first marketing materials go out? 
• When will a press release be published? 
• When is the product itself going to launch?

Once you have a timeline laid out, you need to make sure all relevant parties have access to the plan — and that they follow it. Something as simple as accidentally pressing “send” too early on a social media post can throw the entire timeline into disarray. Though it might seem basic, ensuring everyone is on the same page with the schedule is the foundation of a successful product launch. 

Keep Cannabis Branding and Messaging Consistent

You should work to keep your company’s branding consistent all the time, and it’s essentially vital leading up to a new product launch. A consistent brand image helps build trust and identification with consumers, which is especially important if you are introducing a novel product that can shake up the cannabinoid industry. 

Creating internal and external style guides and marketing materials can help keep everything aesthetically, compliantly and ideologically consistent. Ensure you have high-quality product photographs and descriptions ready to use, too. 

Identify Your New Cannabis Product’s Spokesperson

It’s essential to identify who the primary source of information on your new product will be. Consider: 

• Who will provide media quotes? 
• Who will respond to questions and comments from the public? 
• Will you appoint someone from within the company, work with a professional PR agency, or both?

This spokesperson must be very familiar with the campaign’s timeline and goals. They will also need to be knowledgeable about the product and the company to provide accurate, helpful, compliant and trustworthy information to consumers and the media. 

Draft a Cannabis Product Press Release and Determine Distribution

As the release day approaches and you have the product details and impending launch ironed out, you can start drafting a press release. This piece will need to contain all of the relevant information in a format that’s easy to read. Optimizing your press release using SEO best practices can be helpful, too, though it is vital to prioritize the human readers and journalists who will pick it up for distribution. 

Before you begin crafting your cannabis press release, begin thinking about how you will distribute it. Consider:

• Will you submit it to local news sources? 
• Which newswire will you distribute it on in hopes of syndication? 
• Many publications specialize in publishing press releases, usually for a fee. 

A cannabis PR firm well-versed in writing and distributing press releases can help you submit your press release to the best distribution centers and pitch it to other publications. 

Create Cannabis Media Marketing Buzz

Once you’ve created a timeline and style guidelines, appointed a spokesperson, and finished your press release, it’s time to focus on generating buzz around your new product. There are countless ways to promote your product and get customers excited for it to launch. Creative strategies are often very effective, so the sky is the limit as long as you prioritize compliance. 

Consider posting teasers to your social media profiles to interest and excite consumers, keeping in mind social media guidelines that restrict cannabis profiles. To drum up attention in the media world, you can offer exclusives or testers to prominent cannabis reporters and journalists in the industry.

 

What to Do the Day of Your Cannabrand’s Product Launch

With everything to take care of leading up to your product’s wide release, launch day usually arrives before you know it. 

Entice Buyers with Special Limited Launch Offers 

If you’ve created enough media buzz, consumers will likely already be excited to be among the first to try your new product. To entice early adopters even more, you can employ fun marketing strategies like limited-time launch discounts, exclusive bundles, and free shipping. 

Maintain Open Lines of Communication for Smooth Takeoff

Hopefully, your launch will go over without a hitch, but last-minute issues sometimes arise. These could include high demand causing temporary stock limitations or website slowness due to increased traffic. While these scenarios present positive signs of customer interest, they are problems you will need to deal with as quickly as possible. On launch day, be ready to continue working with your PR firm and cannabis website manager to ensure everything runs smoothly.

 

How to Keep Media Momentum Going After Launching Your Latest Cannabis Product

So you’ve launched the hottest new cannabis product. What next?

Continue the Cannabis Conversation on Social Media

After launch, it is a great time to connect with consumers more personally. Keep the conversation going on social media! Encourage customers to post reviews, share photos of the new product in use, and answer any questions that early adopters may have. Don’t forget to take the time to congratulate your team on a successful launch, too.

 

 

Ensure a Smooth Launch with the Help of a Cannabis PR Firm

Managing all facets of a successful product launch can be overwhelming, especially when you have day-to-day business operations to deal with, too. Partnering with a cannabis public relations professional can help ensure everything goes according to plan. 

Check out the NisonCo blog for more helpful tips on cannabis PR and media marketing, or contact us directly for more information about how we can help your next product launch succeed.

 

 

 

Author

About Gina Bowersox:

Gina Bowersox is a seasoned Public Relations Account Manager at NisonCo, the oldest cannabis PR firm in the nation. With a focus on cannabis, CBD, and psychedelics, Gina leverages her expertise to enhance brand visibility through strategic messaging and relationship building, ultimately securing impactful media coverage for her clients.

Drawing from over a decade of experience in event production, Gina has honed her logistical expertise to ensure the seamless execution of PR strategies. Her diverse background in media marketing has sharpened her storytelling skills and cultivated strong media relations.

Connect with Gina Bowersox on LinkedIn here.

About NisonCo: NisonCo is a media, internet and content marketing agency deeply rooted in advocacy. NisonCo is America’s oldest cannabis PR firm and was established in 2013 with an emphasis on harm reduction and cannabis legislation. As leaders in public relations for the emerging cannabis, CBD, and hemp space, NisonCo’s team is passionate about creating and maintaining a positive image for the industry. Access NisonCo’s free, resource-rich blog here and connect with them here.

 

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