The cannabis industry is no stranger to getting iced out of social media platforms. It’s a burden we’ve borne ever since Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok notoriously began blocking or banning cannabis content. This prohibition on cannabis content stems from its Schedule 1 status, which social platforms use to justify their censorship. A befuddling conundrum, considering that the majority of cannabis accounts are legally operating businesses, or creators sharing content from legal states. As the cannabis community continues to navigate these obstacles, we’ve taken solace in the one platform that appears to be generally cannabis-friendly: LinkedIn.

Linkedin is the cannabis industry’s online port in the storm. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the platform soared. LinkedIn’s revenue increased 43% in 2021 alone, according to Social App Reports. The cannabis industry finally found a platform where we could share news, network with other industry insiders, and conduct business freely. LinkedIn was mine and many other’s bridge into the cannabis industry. I found my voice, made valuable connections, and even landed a few gigs. As a freelancer, it’s the main source of leads for my business, making it an invaluable resource to which my livelihood is directly connected.

The Infamous Shadowban

After years of slowly cultivating a presence on the platform, I discovered that my engagement suddenly and significantly dropped. My profile views were down nearly 60 percent and my posts went from averaging thousands of impressions to the single digits. I tried writing posts using popular hashtags at peak hours but despite my best efforts, engagement still lagged. I froze. 

Am I being shadowbanned?

Shadowbanning occurs when a social platform bans content without notifying the user. Users can still post and engage with others, but barely anyone will see it…hence, we become social media phantoms. According to LinkedIn, the platform does not shadowban accounts. However, online research suggests otherwise. Neil Patel, a New York Times bestselling author and influencer extraordinaire, states on his website that most social media platforms use shadowban to some extent, including LinkedIn. These same platforms claim they don’t shadowban, but they do effectively reduce the reach of posts by certain users. LinkedIn’s own Professional Community Policies states the following, “Violating our community policies can result in action against your account or content…Depending on the severity of violation, we may limit the visibility of certain content, label it, or remove it entirely.” 

After trying various methods to increase engagement, I reached out to LinkedIn customer service. They assured me that nothing in my posts or on my profile went against community guidelines. Still, I was suspicious. I messaged the Fat Nugs Magazine Slack to see if any of my fellow contributors were having similar experiences. Immediately, the community acknowledged that they too were experiencing drastic, sudden reductions in engagement.

“My impressions have been cut in half the past couple of days.” 

“I've got close to 3,000 followers and have 13 impressions on my last [post].” 

One community member even lamented, “Linkedin was supposed to be our ONE safe haven. Guess that’s over…” 

Is it? Has our greatest social media ally turned on us? We sincerely hope not.

Are We Experiencing Some Kind of Mass Shadowban? 

If so, what prompted it?

There are many reasons why content gets reduced engagement. The most common reasons for this include posts that are deemed repetitive, include no calls to action, are overly promotional, or simply posting at the wrong time like from 10PM to 6AM when most users are asleep. Reasons why we may experience a ban include overuse or use of banned hashtags, being suspected of using AI post scheduling apps, getting a post or comment reported, or discussing topics that go against these community guidelines. These reasons still don’t explain why numerous cannabis professionals are experiencing drops in engagement at the same time.

I have my own theory. Last week, President Biden announced that he will be pardoning 6,500 individuals of simple possession charges. The cannabis community responded en masse. Myself, a skeptic of all things political, took to LinkedIn with my thoughts. Could it be that those of us who engaged in the political conversation managed to get ourselves in trouble with the algorithm? Is it coincidental that merely days after the conversation began, many of us started experiencing steep reductions in engagement? 

If our reach is being reduced due to posting about politics (potentially in a negative fashion), it wouldn’t be the first time that outspoken individuals experienced censorship on social media. However, this is simply my own personal theory based on conjecture alone.

What to Do if You Believe Your Account is Experiencing a Shadowban

If you are seeing rapid reductions in engagement, or you believe that your profile has been pushed into the Linkedin netherworld, don’t panic! There are steps you can take to regain your footing.

1. Take a break from posting for a few days. Engage with other members instead. Commenting increases your visibility on Linkedin.

2. Avoid using potentially “controversial” hashtags for a while. If you do use hashtags, include them strategically in the body of your post rather than listing them at the bottom.

3. Use the downtime to spruce up your profile and connect with more members.

4. Ask your community to engage with your posts. If you’re still not having any luck increasing your engagement, ask your friends to like and comment. We all understand the social media grind. 

5. Don’t “post and ghost.” Once you’ve created a post, try to respond to every comment in a timely manner.

6. Contact LinkedIn. If you’ve waited a few days and tried all aforementioned best practices with no results, check with LinkedIn to make sure nothing odd is going on behind the scenes, or ask if any of your comments or posts were reported.

In our increasingly technological age, social media is a playing field which, to some extent, we all must master. Algorithms are tricky at best and have taken down even the strongest, most engaged profiles. It’s important to remain calm and make sure you are following community guidelines to the best of your ability. Afterall, this is just one of many hurdles we face every day in the cannabis industry. Don’t let it get you down. Roll yourself a joint and use these tips to make your content even better than it was before.