22 CBD Writer Tips for Creating Content that Ranks and Resonates

You have your unique reasons for becoming a CBD writer. Maybe you enjoy CBD products and want the rest of the world to know what they’re missing. Or, maybe it’s the job the Fates handed you. Regardless of the reason, you’ve hit a goldmine because in this guide, I’ll show you how to be even better at what you do – cannabis/CBD writing.

Pulling on 7+ years of experience in the content writing game and recommendations from other top CBD writers, I’ve compiled valuable tips on how to be better at CBD writing. Applying these tips will help you create content that resonates with individuals who enjoy or are curious about cannabis products. It’ll also reveal techniques for impressing search engines like Google to get higher rankings in SERPs.

So enough foreplay, let’s jump right into it.

1.     Speak the Lingo

The hallmark of a pro CBD writer is communicating with audiences in a language and tone that resonates. You achieve this with relatable and engaging writing. Or better yet, with a K.I.S.S (KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID).

Keeping it simple requires avoiding technical jargon and overly complicated sentences. Instead, deliver value and get your point across smoothly and simply with easy to understand words and sentences.

More importantly, speak the lingo by using terms from the cannabis world. Using cannabis terms and slang will help distinguish you as a cannabis/CBD writer because no one will mistake you for a finance or medical writer. It will also make your content more relatable for audiences within the cannabis space.

Another benefit of adding cannabis slang to CBD writing is it can help a search engine like Google better understand what your content is about. If the search engine sees you as an expert, it may lead to a topical authority boost.

Are you a hatchling CBD writer? If so, below are some cannabis terms worth adding to your lexicon.

2.     Target High-Volume, Low-Competition Keywords

As a CBD writer, you can’t write about just anything. You have to write about topics relevant to the cannabis industry. But that’s not enough. Your articles should cover topics your target audience is actually interested in. You can find such topics through keyword research that reveals the cannabis-related search queries your target audience enters into Google and other search engines.

You can find such cannabis keywords or search queries with the help of tools like the Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator or the Semrush Keyword Magic Tool. When you enter a primary keyword into these tools, they’ll give you a list of keyword suggestions that you can turn into content ideas.

Check out this video on how to do keyword research like a pro.

If you’re a CBD writer creating content for a new website with a low domain authority, I suggest choosing only low-competition keywords. Low-competition or low-difficulty means very few websites have created content that ranks for that keyword. Content built for such a keyword has a fighting chance of ranking highly in SERPs.

However, it’s not enough for the keyword to be low-competition. It should also have some search volume. A search volume of 1,000 means people enter that query into search engines at least 1,000 times monthly.

If you choose a keyword with a search volume of less than 50, it means very few people use that keyword. Creating content for such a keyword means even if the content ranks number one in SERPs, it won’t drive a significant amount of organic traffic to your website.

So, get results as a CBD writer by starting off creating content with low-competition, high-volume keywords. As your website’s domain authority grows (above 50), you can risk targeting higher difficulty keywords and publishing content that can rank for them.

3.     Don’t Overlook User Intent

Your keyword research as a CBD writer doesn’t stop at search volume and difficulty. You also need to consider search user intent. User intent is the driving force, the motivator that leads a Googler to perform a search. The said motivator may be to find the best product for their needs or learn more about a specific topic or situation.

We have primarily four types of search intent.

Google uses search intent to determine the webpage types to provide in search result pages (SERPs). For example, if the search intent behind a keyword is informational, Google will provide mostly informational webpages in the SERP.

So, if the search intent behind a keyword is transactional or commercial, and you create informational content, it likely won’t rank. Avoid such an outcome and wasted resources by verifying a keyword’s search intent before creating content. Learn more about identifying and implementing search user intent here.

4.     Speed Up Your Website

A webpage’s loading speed greatly affects its performance in search result pages. This is because Google wants to recommend only the best pages to its users. Since slow loading negatively impacts user experience, Google won’t be keen on recommending pages plagued with such issues.

So, how does a CBD writer with no web design or development experience speed up a website? You can speed up your entire website in minutes with one free tool, and I’m not talking about tedious pieces of shit like WP Optimizer and AMP.

The only tool you need to speed up your WordPress website is Seraphinite Accelerator. This plugin will supercharge your website’s mobile and desktop loading speed, and requires zero expertise to use. Even better it requires only a few minutes to implement.

Below is a PageSpeed Insights screenshot showing how Seraphinite Accelerator improved my website.

Some of the things the plugin does to improve page loading speed include automating lazy loading, image optimization, caching, Gzip compressing, minification, and more. Here’s a YouTube video on how to install and use Seraphinite Accelerator for your website.

5.     Make Your Content Ready to EEAT

EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. As we’ve mentioned, Google wants to recommend only the best webpages to its users.

How can a CBD writer convince the search engine that they have the best content? There’s no 100% proven formula for convincing Google of your expertise, especially if you’re posting on a new or low domain authority website. However, there are things you can do as a CBD writer to satisfy Google’s EEAT requirements.

First and foremost, you need to show you know what you’re talking about. You can accomplish this by sharing your personal experiences and connecting them with your content.

For example, let’s say your article is “Using CBD for Focus and Creativity.” You can share your personal experience or the experiences of others using CBD for these purposes. Alternatively, share quotes from medical experts or other reputable individuals working in the cannabis industry.

Such quotes or experiences will lend credibility to your article by showcasing experience and expertise that makes your writing trustworthy and authoritative. More things you can do to satisfy Google’s EEAT requirements are:

• Share case studies and personal insights relevant to your topic
• Share detailed descriptions, photos, or videos of personal interactions with the subject matter
• Include author bios with credentials and relevant experience
• Ensure content is well-researched, accurate, and comprehensive
• Get endorsements or links from other authoritative websites
• Foster a strong online reputation through reviews, testimonials, and user feedback
• Contribute to reputable publications or collaborate with well-known industry figures
• Ensure your website has a secure connection (HTTPS)
• Provide transparent information about your business, including contact details and physical address
• Avoid misleading or sensationalist content; aim for honesty and transparency
• Link to reputable sources, studies, and references within your content
• Ensure all claims are backed by evidence from trustworthy entities
• Proofread for grammatical errors and ensure clarity and coherence
• Respond to comments and feedback on your content

6.     Don’t Skip On-Page SEO

Succeeding as a CBD writer requires more than writing engaging and insightful cannabis content. Give your content a chance of ranking for its primary keyword and triumphing in SERPs by executing on-page SEO.

On-page SEO is like prepping your website for a talent show where search engines are the judges and users are the audience. You’re fine-tuning every detail—from your performance (high-quality content) to your costume (keyword optimization)—to stand out and impress. The higher you rank, the louder the applause (organic traffic) and the better your chance of stealing the spotlight (dominating the SERPs).

Without on-page SEO, search engines will have a harder time understanding your cannabis content, reducing your chances of being ranked highly in SERPs. Here are the things you must do to fully implement on-page SEO during CBD writing.

• Keyword Placement: Strategically and organically insert your primary and secondary keywords in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and throughout the content. While keyword density is no longer a ranking factor, your primary keyword should still appear as often as possible throughout your content. However, avoid keyword stuffing and shoehorning exact keywords into sentences. If adding a keyword to a sentence will negatively impact readability and engagement, don’t do it.
• Content Quality: Your content should provide relevant and valuable information that directly and comprehensively answers the question posed by the primary keyword. Your CBD content should also be well-written (engaging and free of grammatical errors).
• Content Length: Google often gives priority to longer content because it gives a CBD writer room to cover the topic more comprehensively. But that doesn’t mean a 5,000-word article will outperform shorter articles simply because it’s longer. Quality reigns supreme, so focus more on providing high-quality, informative, and engaging content that answers search queries.
• SEO-Friendly Titles: Your CBD writing should feature clear, descriptive, and keyword-rich titles and subheadings. Use header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to differentiate your subheadings and titles and create a clear, hierarchical structure in your content. Search engines have an easier time crawling and understanding such content for ranking purposes. Properly used header tags also improve user experience, making your content easier to scan.

• Meta Descriptions: A meta description is the article snippet you see in SERPs for each webpage. It gives Googlers an idea of what each page is about. If you don’t provide a meta description, Google will automatically provide one by stealing a line from your content. However, it’s better if you provide one that’s concise, persuasive, and keyword-rich.
• Clean URL or Slug: Provide a short and descriptive URL for each CBD content you publish. Ideally, the URL should contain your primary keyword.
• Image Optimization: Add your keyword to the alt text and file name of images so search engines can easily understand the content of the images.
• Internal Linking: Link each piece you create to other relevant CBD pages on your website. Internal links helps visitors find more pages on your website to visit. Also, linking your pages helps search engines crawl your website more effectively because crawlers can follow the links to find new pages. However, internal linking works best when the anchor text is a relevant keyword for the page you’re linking to. For example, if linking to an article on best newsletters or influencer marketing, insert the hyperlink into exact keywords or key phrases.
• External Links: Linking to pages on other websites is just as important as internal linking. As a CBD writer you should link to credible websites where you sourced information to create your content. This will show Google you got your info from trustworthy sources.

7.     Educate Your Audience

Keeping your CBD writing fun and engaging will help capture your readers’ attention. However, do not prioritize fun over useful, relevant information. As a CBD writer, your primary goal should be to educate your readers, not tickle them. So, when you write, provide detailed and informative content that will help your readers make well-informed decisions.

Your writing should answer the questions posed by your content’s primary keyword. With a tool like Google Keyword Planner, you can identify relevant queries and turn them into subheadings. Directly answer each query/subheading with your writing.

Alternatively, find related relevant queries in the “People also ask” section in the SERP for your keyword.

Answering these questions will help you address searcher concerns, leading to a more comprehensive and valuable article. It will also help boost your content’s trustworthiness and establish you as an authoritative CBD writer.

8.     Elaborate on Health Benefits and Therapeutic Effects

Most people searching CBD and cannabis content want to know if using hemp-derived products can improve their health or quality of life. Your job as a CBD writer is to help these people find the information they need by discussing cannabidiol’s health and therapeutic benefits in your content.

Help searchers understand the potential benefits of CBD for pain relief, anxiety management, and other health-related concerns. Make your content believable and trustworthy by backing up what you say about CBD with medical proof from credible sources. For example, CBD-related articles and studies posted by medical, research, news, and education websites.

Examples of such websites include:

• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• www.health.harvard.edu
• www.consumerreports.org
• nida.nih.gov
• jamanetwork.com
• www.aap.org
• www.mayoclinic.org

Just to clarify, let’s say you’re reviewing the best CBD products for focus. It’s not enough to list products and state their price and distinctive features. Distinguish each product by discussing the unique benefits of each option. For example, CBD gummies will make for a fun snack, while a CBD tincture will work faster and deliver more cannabidiol into the reader’s bloodstream due to its higher bioavailability.

9.     Avoid Making Medical Claims

I know this sounds contradictory to my last tip but hear me out. You’re a CBD writer. Not a doctor.

Now, even if you were a medical professional or some other science nerd who specializes in cannabis, have your CBD beliefs or claims been verified by the FDA? If no, it’s best to ease up on making medical claims.

If you’re going to make a claim about CBD’s healing powers, back it up with a legitimate study or report and link to the published proof. The proof should be provided by a reputable source, such as one of the websites or institutions we mentioned earlier.

Here’s an excerpt that supports its claim with a study on CBD’s potency for alleviating pain and inflammation.

In summary, while several studies prove CBD’s potential therapeutic benefits, you shouldn’t make unsubstantiated medical claims in your content. Instead, present available scientific evidence to back up your claim and encourage readers to consult with healthcare professionals for personalized advice.

10. Keep It Legal

Yes, you love CBD, and you want the world to know and love it too. But don’t go about achieving that goal by telling white lies or untruths of other shades. As a cannabis and CBD writer, it’s your duty to accurately represent hemp-derived products without exaggeration or deception.

Your content must address readers’ health concerns and interests with evidence-based information. Supporting your statements with scientific proof will boost your content’s credibility and trustworthiness.

Avoid claims that you can’t substantiate with existing evidence and don’t imply that your product can diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases without FDA approval. Also, if providing copy for a CBD product page, the FDA requires that you properly display all required label information. The label must state the product’s identity, net quantity of contents, name and place of business, and ingredient declaration.

11. Be Cautious with Terminology

I did say speak the lingo, but don’t do it to the point your writing becomes confusing to cannabis newbies. If a word can be easily misconstrued, either ditch it or explain it.

Also, avoid outrightly saying CBD or hemp will heal X problem. Be more cautious and instead say something along the lines of “CBD may have the potential to heal X problem.”

In short, use accurate and appropriate terminology when discussing cannabis or CBD. Avoid misleading terms or statements that suggest medical benefits without scientific evidence. Lastly, clearly distinguish between CBD facts and your personal opinions (which you’re of course allowed to have).

12. Be Transparent and Balanced

Don’t be the CBD writer who overhypes or exaggerates the benefits of hemp-derived products. Instead, present CBD information in a responsible and balanced manner. After stating the potential benefits, don’t shy away from highlighting the potential risks, side effects, and limitations. Doing so gives readers a full picture, allowing them to make well-informed decisions. It also showcases you as a trustworthy CBD writer.

13. Disclose Affiliate Relationships

Are you promoting CBD products as an affiliate writer? If so, let your readers know. Receiving compensation for affiliate marketing or endorsements isn’t a sin or crime. But informing readers about your position helps foster transparency and trust with your audience.

On the other hand, hiding this information may paint you as a shady salesman trying to profit of tricking readers into buying CBD products. Once skepticism sneaks into readers’ minds, they will take your content with a pinch of salt, even when you’re being totally honest.

14. Copycat Top Competitors

I’ve shared a myriad of CBD writer tips but here’s a simple hack that rolls all these tips into one surefire tactic – Copy the Best. Find the cannabis, hemp, or CBD websites with the best blog posts and content and copy them. Identify their posts that get the most traffic or simply pick the ones that resonate with you. Then, make your version of those posts and make them better than the originals.

For example, if your top competitor has an article on “CBD content writing,” run a Google search to find similar content. Gather ideas and details from the other top-ranking posts and use those ideas to embellish the original post. This will help you create a super post that’s more informative than anything else that exists on the internet.

However, use this tactic with care. Don’t neglect to respect copyrights and trademarks, and don’t plagiarize by reproducing substantial portions of another website’s content. Instead, read their posts to understand their points, then rewrite their content in your own words and from your point of view. Of course, don’t neglect to back up statements with scientific evidence.

15. Strive for Evergreen Content

Evergreen content stays relevant for years, driving a reliable stream of organic traffic to your website. However, crafting evergreen content as a CBD writer can be tricky because the cannabis ecosystem, especially laws, keeps evolving.

You can circumvent this by writing on cannabis/hemp topics that won’t be affected by changing laws or opinions. For example, topics that define or discuss the benefits, components, or potential uses of hemp plants or compounds.

Here’s a screenshot of evergreen hemp content ideas:

16. Use Visuals

Yes, a CBD writer writes, but the best CBD content writers go a step further by incorporating engaging visuals into their writing. Doing so helps enhance their content’s readability, engagement, and appeal.

Content that’s just a wall of text is boring and hard to read, causing readers to lose interest. Make your CBD content more appealing and easy to scan by breaking up your text with images that illustrate, support, or simply break up the monotony of written content.

More ways you can make your CBD content easy to scan and digest include writing short sentence and paragraphs. Also, use subheadings to break up your text into sensible chunks so complex information is easier to grasp. This is especially useful when creating long-form articles like this one.

17. Include User-Generated Content (UGC)

UGC is content created by customers or neutral individuals who have experience using the product that’s the subject of your writing. The content shares the creator’s personal experience using the product, such as if the product was good, amazing, or crap. Examples of such content are customer reviews and testimonials.

If creating CBD content like product reviews, comparisons, descriptions, or compilations, you can back up your points with UGC. The customer-created content will back up your points, providing credibility signals and social proof that supports your statements. It also provides opportunities to break the monotony of your written content by adding images like UGC screenshots or quotes.

18. Stay Up-to-Date

The CBD industry is constantly evolving, with new research, regulations, and trends emerging regularly. As a CBD writer, you must stay informed about the latest developments in the industry and update your content accordingly to maintain relevance and accuracy. Otherwise, you risk creating content that endangers readers and damages your website’s reputation.

For example, in 2023, Alaska passed a law banning the sale and consumption of cannabis products containing delta-9-THC, THCa, and HHC. A CBD writer who, unaware of this legal change, recommends HHC products to Alaskans would be doing their readers a disservice.

19. Learn to Promote and Distribute Your Content

Your job as a CBD writer doesn’t stop at writing and publishing content. You have to go a step further by promoting your content. Otherwise, it may never reach the eyes of your intended audience.

So, don’t wait for Google to rank your content at the top of SERPs and grant the gift of organic traffic. Instead, generate traffic yourself by distributing and promoting your content on social media platforms. Do this by posting eye-catching snippets of your content on social platforms and a link that readers can follow to view the full content on your website.

You can promote your valuable CBD content with various channels, such as social media, email newsletters, influencer partnerships, and industry forums. For example, LinkedIn, Medium, X, Facebook, Reddit, Pinterest, and more. Also, encourage engagement and sharing to increase your promotion’s visibility and reach.

20. Add Disclaimer

A CBD writer who adds a disclaimer at the end of their article has effectively covered their ass. Adding a disclaimer protects you legally and ensures readers are accurately informed.

The disclaimer clarifies that the information you’ve provided isn’t medical advice and serves only an educational purpose. This helps mitigate the risk of legal issues arising from readers misinterpreting the content as professional health guidance. It also underscores that readers should consult healthcare professionals for personalized medical advice and treatment.

Lastly, adding a disclaimer to your CBD content enhances its credibility and transparency by showing your commitment to providing honest, responsible information. This is particularly important given the ongoing research and evolving regulations related to CBD products.

Here’s an example of a disclaimer for your CBD posts.

21. Don’t Overpromise or Make Guarantees

A professional and honest CBD writer never promises that a cannabis product is 100% safe or effective. This is because everyone reacts to hemp-derived products differently, and outcomes can be difficult to prove. Instead of making promises or guarantees regarding results, stick to general descriptions and let users know results may vary.

22. Monitor and Analyze Performance

Writing CBD content without monitoring the performance of your published articles is like shooting in the dark – you have no idea if you’re hitting or missing your target.

With analytical tools like Google Analytics or Semrush, you can discover how many people have viewed or interacted with your posts. You can know your visitors’ location, the keywords you’re ranking for, click-through rate, and more.

With these insights, you can improve as a CBD writer and create content that performs better than your previous articles. The insights are also useful for identifying underperforming content so you can tweak them to deliver better results.

And Those Are My CBD Writer Tips

Based on anecdotal and personal experience, CBD writers can make anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 monthly. Of course, you’ll also find gigs that offer $3,000 monthly for cannabis writing. However, if you follow the CBD writer tips I’ve shared here today, you can distinguish yourself from mid CBD writers. This will help you catch the eyes of hemp brands with pockets deep enough to pay your desired rate.

Hey there cannabis lover! Do you need help with cannabis, hemp, THC, or CBD content writing? Tobi Moyela @ HypeHelper has you covered. Let me write you articles just like this one to boost your brand’s search visibility and organic traffic. If you’re interested, send me a direct message to schedule a free discovery call.