Earning Links From Cannabis News Outlets

Map the outlets before pitching any of them

The cannabis press splits into tiers that want different things. MJBizDaily is the trade paper: markets, money, regulation, operators with numbers. Ganjapreneur covers industry news with room for smaller stories. High Times is culture and consumer-facing, useful for brand visibility more than business coverage. Below the nationals sit state-level outlets and the cannabis reporters at regular metro papers, who are often the easiest to reach and the most durable relationships. Match the story to the tier, because a culture pitch to a trade desk dies unread.

Journalist request platforms do half the work

You do not have to guess what reporters need. On Qwoted and Connectively, the platform that replaced HARO, journalists post source requests daily and wait for answers. Set up a profile that states your license type, market, and years operating, then watch for queries on cannabis, retail, small business, and your state. The requests tell you the exact angle, the outlet, and the deadline. This is the lowest-friction entry into cannabis press coverage that exists.

Answer like an operator, not a marketer

Reporters quote sources who sound like they run something. Give a specific number from your own operation, one plain-language opinion, and a one-line credential. Cut anything that reads like ad copy, because it gets cut anyway and takes your credibility with it. Two hundred words, on the record, with your name and title exactly as you want them printed.

A worked example: the 4/20 staffing query

A typical Qwoted request, every April: how do dispensaries prepare for 4/20? The response that gets quoted looks like this. A store owner replies within two hours: we double the floor staff, pre-roll inventory goes up roughly forty percent over a normal week based on last year's register data, and the queue system opens an hour early. Then one sentence of opinion about what most shops get wrong. That answer is concrete, attributable, and needs no editing, so it lands in the piece with the owner's name and, in most outlets, a link to the store.

Keep the relationship after the story runs

The quote is the introduction, not the payoff. Thank the reporter briefly, share the piece, and tell them what you can speak to next time: pricing, hiring, a regulation taking effect in your state. Reporters keep private source lists, and cannabis reporters have short ones. Being the operator who answers fast and says quotable things puts you on that list, and the second and third links arrive without a platform in between.

Frequently asked questions

Do cannabis news outlets actually link to sources?

Usually they name the person and the company, and often link the company site. It is editorial discretion, so no single quote guarantees a link. Even unlinked, a named mention in trade press builds the brand-search and entity signals that support everything else.

What are Qwoted and Connectively?

Platforms where journalists post requests for sources and experts respond. Connectively is the successor to HARO. You create a profile, watch for cannabis and retail queries, and answer the ones you can speak to with authority.

Do I need a publicist to get trade coverage?

No. Trade reporters want operators, not intermediaries. A publicist helps at volume or for national consumer press, but an owner who answers source requests quickly with real numbers gets quoted without one.

How fast do I need to respond to a source request?

Same day, ideally within a few hours. Most queries close within 24 to 48 hours and reporters take the first usable answers, not the best possible ones. A short, quotable response beats a long one sent tomorrow.