Even more than a decade after the first recreational sales, navigating effective marketing and SEO strategies for fully licensed cannabis businesses remains a treacherous journey. Beyond the restrictive policies brands face on social media platforms, several other systemic hurdles persist across all state markets—even for the most compliant operators.

To provide a deeper look at the evolution of cannabis marketing and how to master its unique challenges, mycannabis.com sat down with Stella Morrison, Founder and Content Strategist at CannaContent.

What originally drew you to journalism and broadcasting? Did you originally aspire to work in news/media?

I decided I was going to be a journalist when I was 14 years old. I’ve always had an affinity for writing, but a not-insignificant reason I wanted to be a reporter is that I hate doing math. I secured my first newspaper internship and published my first byline when I was 16. I landed my first staff writer position when I was 18. That newspaper folded when I was 20. I lived the “joys” of the journalist’s career cycle before I was old enough to buy a drink (or a joint). I fell in love with radio in college, where I hosted a pop-punk/emo show, ran a local news segment, and managed the public affairs programming. By the time I graduated, though, there were barely any radio jobs available. I fell back into local print journalism. If podcasts were more of a thing at the time, I think there’s a good chance I would have been a podcast producer.

What were some of the most memorable stories/programs that you produced in those roles? And what were the most effective lessons in mass communication that you learned during those roles?

My early experiences in journalism taught me the power of words and the importance of not making assumptions about anyone or anything. Knowing that the public read my words, trusted them, and took them at face value reinforced how crucial this was. I’ll never forget the moment I walked into a town meeting about plans to redevelop an area that flooded during superstorm Sandy in 2012. Residents were furious because the plans would have ripped up trees planted in honor of soldiers killed in action in World War II. Hundreds of people in the room had a copy of my article in their hands, citing it as they spoke at the microphone against the redevelopment plan. For me, that illustrated the real power of mass communication: The community would not have known about this unless I wrote about it. The trees are still standing.

While working in the consumer electronics industry, which were some of the high-profile companies for which you wrote copy/brand language? And how did you have to change your writing style depending on which company or industry you were writing copy for?

In between working in journalism and opening an agency, I spent some time in the licensing industry. As a brand manager — a far cry from journalism — I got an incredibly deep behind-the-scenes look at how products are made and how brand deals are arranged. (I’m itching to leverage this experience in the cannabis industry.) Long story short, I ended up overseeing the copy on the product packaging and user manuals, too. The two most notable brands I wrote copy for in the catalog I managed were Polaroid and Sharper Image. Those two brands couldn’t be more different. Polaroid is fun and nostalgic; Sharper Image was tech-forward with an edge. It was nice to keep my creative muscles flexing while going through contracts and sourcing new licensing opportunities. 

After so many years in broadcasting and copywriting, what inspired you to create The Stellastra Effect? How would you say that your background in journalism better helps your clients and their needs?

I knew I needed to go back to writing, but I wasn’t going back to journalism. The pay was too low, the risks were too great, and the jobs were too few to continue reporting. Between journalism’s instability and the chaotic, misogynistic, and incredibly mismanaged work environment that was my time in licensing, I was burnt out. I decided I would never work for someone again — but what would I do? At the time — this was around 2015 — reports stated that half of the writing industry would go freelance by 2020. To me, this presented an opportunity: What would happen to the people who couldn’t afford an agency but had too much work for a freelancer? I set out to fill the gap and built a company that could scale faster than a freelancer, without the overhead of a full-blown marketing agency. I saw the biggest opportunity among marketers themselves. At the time, few small- to medium-sized agencies had the resources to offer content writing services to their clients. Said clients rarely submitted any content at all, let alone good content, which made it harder for web developers and other creatives to finish their work. Since I was a journalist who only hired former and formally trained journalists, we were a rare unicorn that could learn any subject and produce quality content about it. We knew what questions to ask. We knew the pressure of deadlines and the need to produce quality on a deadline. The model worked beautifully for many years.

When it comes to successful SEO and websites, are there some universally common rules and strategies that you follow across all business types? Or do you have to be flexible and go with the flow of whatever is best for the specific client?

Every business needs a solid foundation. With a good brand and a clear understanding of your target audience, you can build almost anything. With strong frameworks — clear brand guidelines, a fast and easy-to-navigate website, optimized content — growth is in reach. This is non-negotiable in any industry, but especially in cannabis, where too many people have their buddy make them a logo and give no other thought to the what or why of their existence.

From your experience, why was it so monumental that The Stellastra Effect won the Best Topic-Specific Blog award from the 2023 Content Marketing Awards? What all went into getting nominated and eventually winning that award?

The Content Marketing Awards was the first contest I ever submitted work to as an agency owner. The fact that I got first place in that category was validation that I did know what I was doing. We beat out some major household names in categories like insurance and banking in that category, so it was exhilarating that our work for an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) startup in California stood out to the judges. Then, I did it again the next year. In 2024, I took home first place in the same category. That time, though, it was with a cannabis client, The Travel Agency in New York City. To be a two-time winner back-to-back in this category reminded me that I’m doing OK.

What were the defining moments that led to the creation of CannaContent? What gaps in proper marketing/content-producing services for cannabis companies did you see prior to founding CannaContent?

I met my co-founder, Adam Uzialko, in the newsroom. He took over my beat when I moved on to the licensing industry, and we talked regularly over the years to exchange notes. When he left journalism to pursue a different editorial career, we kept in touch and freelanced together. Adam was eventually assigned to the cannabis business beat. His byline attracted folks in the cannabis industry who needed writing help; he would get cold emails from folks asking to hire him. He called me to ask for advice on how to handle these calls and what to charge. By the end of the conversation, it was clear that this was a business and not a one-off opportunity. Shortly after, Adam introduced me to our now Chief Creative Officer, Brie Brewer, and we were off to the races.

I got on a plane — a Southwest flight I won at a charity dinner — to see dispensaries in person in the Pacific Northwest and attend Seattle HempFest. I was always anti-Prohibition and against criminalization, but I was surprised to discover that cannabis was an and not just activism. There was nothing for me to compare it to. At the time, New Jersey and New York’s cannabis programs were medically-focused and quite small. (I’m from New Jersey and was living in New York at the time.) The blend of business and culture was something I didn’t know was possible until I saw it with my own eyes. This all went down in July 2017. Two months later, CannaContent had its first client.

Particularly with cannabis clients through CannaContent, what have been some creative and memorable ways that you’ve helped increase sales and store visits? And how have Meta and Google’s policies against cannabis advertising impacted the work of CannaContent? 

It’s the nature of digital marketing, and particularly SEO, that the goalposts often shift. One particularly monumental discovery for us was when we began implementing product reviews on retailers’ websites. Those performed (and continue to perform) incredibly well, even with major changes in search, such as AI Overviews and large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, on the scene. The advice I give to cannabis companies about Meta is the same advice I give to clients outside the industry. You don’t own your Instagram account, your TikTok account, or your YouTube account. They are incredibly important for your visibility, but if they get taken away tomorrow, you are left without your following. A customer or lead’s email address is your property. Build that, and you’re on a way more stable footing.

At a NECANN convention in Atlantic City in 2025, you hosted a panel discussion entitled “Dispensary Marketing Tactics That Aren’t Sales And Discounts.” What were the most useful topics and strategies for dispensaries that were mentioned during the panel that regularly prove to be successful?

There’s an almost knee-jerk instinct to offer discounts to bring customers in the door, but that falls flat after a while. Folks won’t come to your store without a coupon if you make it a regular habit. As prices go down and more competition opens, retailers will struggle to maintain their margins to keep up a discount-based model that’s familiar with their customer base. Where does that leave you if most of your shoppers only walk in for deals? I call it “Bed Bath & Beyond syndrome.” Did you go to that store without the 20% off coupon? Instead, our panel (myself, Sarah Nodes, and Lex Rivera) emphasized the importance of narrowing down your audience and not marketing to anyone 21+ with a wallet. We focused on community-building and creating physical and digital spaces to build a group of people who will stick it out with your shop through thick and thin. This topic struck a nerve. It was the first time I spoke to a completely full, standing-room-only audience. What an awesome feeling.

If cannabis were to be rescheduled on the federal level, how would that impact the operations of CannaContent and cannabis marketing in general?

In theory, it should let more marketing dollars flow. Many cannabis companies woefully underspend compared to retailers in other sectors; federal tax laws don’t allow plant-touching companies to write off marketing as a regular business expense. I sure hope that changes to federal policy eventually steer dispensaries to spend more freely on marketing. That being said, I don’t think the giants will be quick to respond to rescheduling or a federally legal environment. Meta’s policies reflect a global audience, and its content moderation policies around cannabis reflect that. It took Google many years just to pilot a Google Ads program in federally legal Canada. On top of that, existing state marketing laws that might restrict things like billboards, community sponsorships, or TV ads don’t disappear if federal legalization happens.