Influencers in Cannabis: Who They Are and How They Can Jumpstart Your Marketing Strategy with Jared Mirsky

Key Insights

• Micro influencers - those with 1,000 to 5,000 followers - are more effective for most cannabis brands than macro influencers because their follower bases are largely composed of personal connections, which means a product recommendation from a micro influencer registers as a peer referral rather than a paid advertisement, producing higher trust and conversion than a larger but more transactional influencer relationship.
• The right cannabis influencer strategy depends on brand type and geographic reach: local cannabis brands and dispensaries get the most return from micro influencers with concentrated local audiences, while CBD brands, national products, and ancillary cannabis services can justify the investment in influencers with broader national reach who amplify awareness across a larger geographic footprint.
• Personal brand building is a legitimate and measurable business development strategy for cannabis companies and agency founders: Jared Mursky built his personal presence alongside Wick and Mortar specifically to accelerate trust-building with prospective clients and close deals faster - the same principle applies to cannabis executives, operators, and consultants who want to convert awareness into business relationships more efficiently.
• Trust is the foundational value in cannabis influencer marketing and cannabis business development broadly: because the industry emerged from an illicit market and still carries cultural stigma in many markets, professional credibility and personal trust function as accelerants - deals move faster, referrals convert better, and partnerships are more durable when the trust foundation is built before the sales conversation begins.
• Full-scale cannabis brand development - including brand identity, packaging design, website, sales collateral, and go-to-market strategy - is a $100,000 to $200,000 investment, which is why trust in the agency partner and influencer relationships that validate that agency's work are so critical: at that investment level, credibility is not a nice-to-have but a prerequisite for getting the business.

Webinar Highlights

00:00 – Rebranding Cannabis: Jared Mursky's Mission and Background

Guillermo Bravo introduces Jared Mursky, founder of award-winning cannabis branding and marketing agency Wick and Mortar, active in cannabis since 2009 and featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur Media, National Geographic, Wired, and CNN Money. Jared's stated mission is rebranding cannabis - helping the industry move past stigma by developing professional, credible brand identities that open doors with mainstream consumers and business partners. The conversation is grounded in over a decade of hands-on cannabis branding experience.

06:00 – Why Trust Is the Core Value in Cannabis Influencer Marketing

The webinar opens its core argument early: trust is the foundational currency in cannabis marketing, and it is also what makes influencer relationships valuable. Jared frames this in the context of cannabis's history as an illicit market - in an industry still navigating stigma and regulatory complexity, a recommendation from a trusted voice carries more weight than almost any other form of marketing. The influencer's credibility, when it is genuine, transfers to the brand.

12:00 – Personal Brand as a Business Development Tool

Jared shares the reasoning behind building his own personal brand alongside Wick and Mortar: the agency conducts deals in the $100,000 to $200,000 range, and at that investment level, prospective clients need to trust the people they are hiring, not just the agency's portfolio. By being visible, accessible, and credible as an individual - on social media, in media features, and in the cannabis community - Jared was able to compress the trust-building timeline and close business faster. Cannabis founders and executives can apply the same logic.

18:00 – Micro vs. Macro Influencers: Why Small Often Wins in Cannabis

The webinar makes a specific and counterintuitive case for micro influencers over macro influencers for most cannabis brands. Micro influencers - defined as those with roughly 1,000 to 5,000 followers - typically have audiences that are largely composed of personal connections: friends, family, and community members who already trust them. When a micro influencer shares a cannabis product, the post functions more like a personal recommendation than an advertisement, generating engagement and trust that a macro influencer's larger but more anonymous audience cannot replicate.

24:00 – Matching Influencer Strategy to Brand Type

The conversation gets practical about which influencer strategy fits which type of cannabis brand. Local dispensaries and regional cannabis brands get the highest return from micro influencers with concentrated geographic audiences - followers who are actually within the delivery or shopping radius. CBD brands, nationally distributed products, and ancillary cannabis services are better positioned to use influencers with national audiences, where reach across a broader geography justifies the higher cost of macro influencer partnerships.

30:00 – What Full Cannabis Brand Development Actually Costs

Jared closes with a frank discussion of what professional cannabis brand development costs: a full engagement covering brand identity, packaging design, website, sales collateral, and go-to-market strategy runs $100,000 to $200,000 depending on scope. At that investment level, credibility - of the agency, of the recommendations that led to the hire, and of the influencers who validate the brand once it launches - is not optional. The conversation frames trust as both the product of good influencer marketing and the prerequisite for the business relationships that make serious cannabis brand investment worthwhile.

Frequently Asked Questions

[ {Who are cannabis influencers?}

Cannabis influencers are content creators on social media - primarily Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok - who build audiences around cannabis culture, education, product reviews, lifestyle content, or cannabis advocacy. They range from micro influencers with 1,000 to 5,000 highly engaged followers (often personal connections) to macro influencers with tens of thousands of followers and broader but less personal audience relationships. For cannabis brands, the most valuable influencers are those whose audience trust is genuine - where a product recommendation reads as a personal endorsement rather than a paid placement.

{Why are micro influencers more effective for cannabis brands?}

Micro influencers with 1,000 to 5,000 followers are typically more effective for cannabis brands than macro influencers because their audiences are largely composed of personal connections - friends, family, and community members who follow them because of a real relationship. When a micro influencer recommends a cannabis product, followers receive it as a peer referral rather than an advertisement. This translates into higher engagement rates, more genuine product trial, and stronger conversion behavior than the same message delivered to a larger but more anonymous audience.

{What cannabis brands should use macro influencers instead of micro influencers?}

Cannabis brands that benefit most from macro influencers are those with national distribution, broad geographic reach, or products that appeal to a wide consumer base rather than a specific local market. CBD brands, nationally available cannabis products, and ancillary cannabis services - software, accessories, media - are strong candidates for macro influencer partnerships because their target audience is distributed across the country and national reach actually adds value. Local dispensaries and regional cannabis brands typically get better ROI from micro influencers with concentrated audiences in their specific market.

{Why is personal brand important for cannabis marketing professionals?}

In cannabis, where significant deals - brand development, agency partnerships, major campaigns - require high levels of trust before they close, a visible and credible personal brand compresses the trust-building timeline. A cannabis founder, agency owner, or marketing executive who is consistently visible in the industry - through content, media coverage, and community participation - arrives at business conversations with pre-established credibility that makes prospective clients more likely to engage and faster to commit. Personal brand is not a vanity project in cannabis; it is a sales efficiency tool.

{How much does cannabis brand development cost?}

Professional cannabis brand development - covering brand identity design, packaging, website, sales collateral, and go-to-market strategy - typically costs between $100,000 and $200,000 depending on scope and the agency involved. This investment level reflects the complexity of developing a brand that must navigate regulatory requirements, overcome category stigma, stand out on dispensary shelves, and resonate with a consumer base that spans from first-time wellness seekers to experienced cannabis enthusiasts. At this price point, trust in the agency and in the brand's influencer relationships is a critical factor in both the decision to invest and the likelihood of a successful outcome. ]