💊 How Charlotte's Web Got Their Educational Content on Facebook Despite CBD Restrictions

Charlotte’s Web was almost banned from Meta ads until they found a few loopholes.

Before that, they were in the same place as other CBD companies: they couldn’t advertise their products on Meta’s platforms (Facebook and Instagram) because of their rules.

But we all know the thing about rules - they only matter if you don’t know their workarounds.

Charlotte’s Web didn’t just find a loophole.

They built a scalable playbook other brands can learn from if they’re willing to rewrite their funnel.

Here are the tactics Charlotte’s Web used to get customers from these previously inaccessible platforms:

Tactic #1: Run Educational Ads Instead of Straight “Buy Now” Ads

Meta’s ad policy around CBD has one exception: you can run ads that "educate, advocate or give public-service announcements related to CBD."

That’s exactly what Charlotte’s Web did.

They ran ads that promoted their educational content, like blog posts and guides that talked about the benefits and science behind CBD without promoting it directly.

The results: We don’t have exact numbers, but this strategy has helped Charlotte’s Web drive brand awareness on a platform that most of its competitors shy away from. We know that the company’s educational approach has helped them build brand affinity - they ranked #1 for brand metrics like consideration and loyalty.

How you can apply it to your business: Starting in 2025, Meta disallows health and wellness ads that optimize for events like “Purchase” or “Add to Cart, " meaning you need to create top-of-funnel ads for Meta to drive traffic.

Once people land on your landing page or site, make sure you capture their emails, so you can run email marketing campaigns.

Tactic #2: Avoid Using “Trigger Words” In Your Ads and Landing Pages

Charlotte’s Web didn’t use any words on its landing pages and ads, which could have stopped its campaigns.

Facebook’s automated review system is pretty savvy, so the company avoided using words like:

• CBD

• Oil

• Gummy

• Treat

• Relieve

Instead, they used words and phrases like “hemp extract,” “plant-based,” “botanical blend,” and “sleep support.”

The result: Charlotte’s Web could advertise on Facebook and Instagram without getting 10s of ad creatives rejected.

How you can apply it to your business: Most ad platforms have higher sensitivity to certain topics. If you want to take advantage of any platform’s distribution, you need to figure out the keywords that the platform has banned that are related to your industry. Then, you need to avoid them like the plague when posting content and ads on the platforms.

Tactic #3: Avoid Using “Trigger Words” In Your Ads and Landing Pages

Getting your ad account restricted by Meta’s ad policy rules could hurt the reputation of your main social account.

As a result, you could get shadow-banned and have way less reach than before.

That’s why Charlotte’s Web created a separate Instagram account that they use only for paid traffic.

Once that was set up, they also created a mirror website that never mentioned the word “CBD” to which to send traffic.

The result: Charlotte’s Web protected its main social media accounts while using its second account and site to drive sales.

How you can apply it to your business: A social media account tied to a business is worth 100x to 1000x more than an account not tied to a business. That’s why you need to protect your social media accounts from getting shadow-banned or even deleted.

Having a second account that is designed for ads and content makes a ton of sense because it creates an extra layer of security and protection for your business.

Charlotte’s Web is an excellent example of how effective you can be in building a brand on the Meta platforms when you have a compliant ad strategy.

By the way, are you advertising in a restricted market?

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