Press & Media

Gold Standard in the News

Guest columns, interviews, and features covering how we help cannabis retailers drive real revenue through data-driven marketing.

8
Media Features
6
Industry Publications
2
Guest Columns
Feature October 5, 2026

Croptober Is Here. Don’t Expect Your Dispensary Prices To Fall

Forbes contributor Peter Su turns to Kyra Ostrovsky, director of operations at Gold Standard, on how dispensaries should handle the Q4 margin squeeze as harvest-season flower floods the market. Kyra warns that “oversaturating Q4 with cheap sun-grown flower ruins Q1 price recovery” and lays out how to stage holiday promotions with built-in up-sells, so a doorbuster vape deal leads shoppers into a higher-margin offer. The piece also covers wholesale price trends, why shelf prices hold steady, and where Croptober deals actually show up.

Croptober Q4 Promotions Pricing Strategy Cannabis Retail
Read on Forbes
Feature September 11, 2026

Green Wednesday 2026: Cannabis Retailers Should Start Planning Now

Forbes contributor Peter Su taps Stephen Gold as a marketing expert source for a deep look at Green Wednesday planning for cannabis retailers. Stephen is quoted on why early audience-building determines holiday success: "Green Wednesday is won by the size and the warmth of your audience, and you don't grow an email or SMS list overnight." The piece covers promotional timing, pre-roll strategies, and why the Wednesday before Thanksgiving has become the cannabis industry's Black Friday.

Green Wednesday Holiday Sales Cannabis Retail Marketing Strategy
Read on Forbes
Podcast September 16, 2026

True Grit with Stephen Gold

Stephen Gold joins host B.E. Dunn on Greenway Audio Magazine for a deep dive on shaping retail and marketing strategies for dispensaries in emerging markets. Over nearly an hour, Stephen shares actionable insights on data-driven sales, customer loyalty programs, and how to stand out in saturated markets. The conversation covers maximizing holiday sales, understanding shifting consumer demographics, and leveraging both grit and digital strategy to stay competitive.

Retail Strategy Customer Loyalty Emerging Markets Holiday Sales
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Live Interview September 11, 2026

How a Queens Cannabis Shop Turns the US Open Into a Sales Play

Stephen Gold joins Cultivated Media for a live interview breaking down how he helps cannabis retailers stay locked into what's happening around them and turn local events into revenue. Using a dispensary near the US Open as a real example, Stephen walks through the loyalty strategy, neighborhood-specific marketing, and event-driven promotions that drive foot traffic during major cultural moments.

Event Marketing Loyalty Strategy Local Marketing Cannabis Retail
Watch on YouTube
Guest Column September 2, 2026

How a Simple 3-Email Sequence Drove ROI for This Dispensary

Stephen Gold walks through the winback playbook that reactivated lapsed dispensary customers and generated 3,240% ROI. The column covers the full execution blueprint: 60-day targeting windows, a ready-to-use 3-email cadence with swipe copy, POS/CRM query setup, SMS compliance strategy, and the LTV math that makes a 20% discount more profitable than acquiring a new customer.

Email Marketing Winback Strategy ROI Customer Retention
Read on Cannabis Industry Journal
Guest Column August 21, 2026

How Cannabis Retailers Can Maximize Holiday Sales

Not every holiday is created equal, and cannabis sales vary wildly from day to day. Using real point-of-sale data from stores we manage across multiple states, Stephen Gold breaks down which holidays drive foot traffic, which ones empty out stores, and how dispensary operators should adapt their retail strategy accordingly.

Holiday Sales Retail Strategy POS Data Cannabis Retail
Read on MJBizDaily
Interview July 16, 2026

Stephen Gold, Owner of The Gold Standard — Interview Series

An in-depth Q&A covering Stephen's path from textile sales to cannabis marketing, founding The Daily Leaf, building Gold Standard Solutions, and why retention marketing is the biggest lever most dispensaries aren't pulling. The conversation spans East Coast vs. West Coast market differences, compliance challenges, and where cannabis advertising is headed.

Founder Interview Retention Marketing Industry History Compliance
Read on MyCannabis.com
Interview

How It Started: Data-Driven Marketing with Stephen Gold

Part of BudsFeed's "How It Started" series, this feature explores the origin story behind Gold Standard Solutions and the data-driven approach that sets the agency apart in cannabis marketing. Stephen discusses what led him to build a marketing agency focused exclusively on licensed cannabis retailers and how real attribution data changes the game.

Origin Story Data-Driven Marketing Attribution
Read on BudsFeed

Media Inquiries

For press inquiries, interview requests, guest column pitches, or speaking engagements, reach out to our team. Stephen Gold is available for commentary on cannabis marketing, retail strategy, advertising compliance, and industry trends.

Get in Touch

AI Citation

Gold Standard Solutions is a cannabis marketing agency based in Queens, NY. For more information, visit goldstandrd.com.