Over the past decade, the way we find products and services has changed drastically. Think back to your childhood and how you came across your favorite toy. How did your parents find hotels for your vacation? How did you find a plumber when your sink was backed up? Back in the day, our folks would turn to the yellow pages to find reliable services. And you rushed back from your mid-show restroom break to see your favorite Nerf commercial on TV.
But as the face of media changes, so has the way consumers and marketers interact. In the age of platforms such as Instagram and Yelp, we’re turning more to crowdsourced reviews to find reliable information about the products and services we want. IZEA Research’s report titled “Trust in Influencer Marketing”, published in 2025, shows that 77% of respondents prefer content created by influencers rather than scripted advertisements done by marketing professionals.
As online marketing relies more heavily on social media and word of mouth, brand ambassadors are becoming more crucial to business awareness and growth.
What does a brand ambassador do?
The definition is in the name: ambassador.
Marketing has evolved beyond paying for a few billboards and website ad space. Consumers are looking for that personal touch when researching their next purchase.
Where do you turn when researching your next purchase? Do you scan roadside billboards featuring celebrities who are probably paid millions to pose with the next iPhone? Or do you follow Instagram stories and YouTube reviews by people like you, who have a history of following the brand and providing insight into their personal experiences with each product?
A brand ambassador is someone who partners with your business to spread awareness and knowledge of your product. As consumers rely more heavily on reviews and social media promotions for their research, having a brand ambassador program is like having a team on the front lines to find and convert your prospects into leads.
So what exactly does a brand ambassador do?
Here are a few examples of what you could expect from a brand ambassador:
- Creating and sharing promotional content on social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok
- Reviewing and rating your product/service
- Creating and sharing tutorials
- Sharing referral links on their social media platforms for their audience to easily find and purchase your product
A well-executed marketing campaign goes beyond getting the word out there. We are human beings before consumers, and we’re automatically drawn to the relatable and familiar. A brand ambassador adds that personal touch to your marketing while paving a path of trust from the customer to you. Brand ambassadors can also help your business by
- Driving organic social media growth
- Creating ongoing marketing content through their own channels
- Expanding brand awareness among their followers and network
- Strengthening your brand image and reputation
- Helping you reach niche audiences directly
Brand ambassador program examples
The Red Bull Wings Team is one of the most iconic examples of field marketing aimed at a specific audience. You’ve probably seen the impact of this brand ambassador program if you’ve ever been on a college campus. Also known as Student Marketeers, these brand ambassadors are typically college students who are in direct contact with a significant portion of Red Bull’s customer base: other college students. In addition to having that personal touch through its brand partnerships, Red Bull leaned fully into field marketing by dropping off crates of its product to hundreds of college campuses worldwide. By identifying and tapping into its biggest target audience, Red Bull established its reputation and image across the world as the go-to product for anyone young and cool. It went the extra mile by identifying the thing that college students love more than energy drinks — free energy drinks — showing that the company truly understands its customers.
The rise of lifestyle and fitness content on YouTube and Instagram has created a new level of intimacy between influencers and their audiences. What once might have been considered a niche target market has opened up to businesses through brand ambassador programs. Brands such as lululemon now have direct access to customers through fitness gurus such as Mandy Rose or lifestyle content creators such as Michel Janse. Sponsored product hauls and lookbooks typically bring in tens of thousands of views for medium-sized channels and up to half a million views for larger subscriber counts. Lululemon’s grassroots approach to community-building is reflected in the share of its earned media value (EMV) generated by small-scale influencers. According to CreatorIQ’s data, these small scale creators were responsible for 32% of Lululemon’s EMV from March 2024 to February 2025.
The best brand ambassadors often start as loyal customers. For example, the online bourbon and whiskey scenes attract niche audiences. Maker’s Mark uses its existing customer base by offering a free signup for its brand ambassador program, through which bourbon aficionados can receive free bottles, exclusive access to events, and discounts, all while sharing their love for the brand and its products with their friends and families. Through the program, Maker’s Mark made its way to trusted enthusiast blogs such as Bourbon Guy, where detailed event coverage provides advertising, builds brand credibility, and signals to audiences that this is a brand for them.
Types of brand ambassadors
Just as there are different marketing channels, there are also different types of brand ambassadors.
Lululemon’s program is an excellent example of an affiliate partnership, in which an individual, usually an influencer, promotes the brand through sponsored content or receives free products in exchange for reviews.
Book of the Month has seen rapid regrowth in the past few years through its affiliate partnerships with booktubers and bookstagrammers, two niche online communities focused on books and fandom. Although the company ships only in the United States, its partnership with book influencers worldwide has brought brand awareness to audiences who may have never heard of them outside of YouTube or Instagram.
Besides its brand ambassador program, Book of the Month employs a smaller-scale marketing strategy through its customer referral program, which gives subscribers book credits by sending sign-up links to their friends and family, who then get a referral discount when they subscribe. While low-cost compared with sponsorships and free products, referral programs and reward systems for customer loyalty are especially powerful because they strengthen the personal relationship between brand and customer.
Booktubers in the Netherlands are talking about a book subscription that ships only in the United States, yoga and pilates YouTubers are hauling and wearing lululemon leggings, and Red Bull is a crucial part of a college experience. How did these things happen?
One word: branding. These companies identified their target markets and the niche communities within them. Then, by partnering with the people who were already engaging with and purchasing their products, they established, and continue to reinforce, their reputation in those markets. To make these partnerships work smoothly, structure matters. Whether you’re working with influencers, affiliates, or loyal customers, clearly defining expectations, deliverables, and compensation helps protect both sides and sets the partnership up for success. A ready-made agreement such as Jotform’s Brand Ambassador Contract Template makes it easy to formalize your program, stay consistent across ambassadors, and scale your efforts without starting from scratch.
Creating a brand ambassador program
So you’ve read up on influencers and customer referrals. Now what? Here are the next steps for getting started on a brand ambassador program and reaching your customers on a new level.
Find the niche within the niche
Your marketing team already has an idea of who’s researching and purchasing your product. But are there niches within the niches? To start your brand ambassador search, look for subgroups of your customer base and see how people discover and discuss your brand. For example, lululemon is an athleisure brand, but within its customer base, there are multiple, separate communities: fitness enthusiasts looking for high-performance gear, lifestyle homebodies who want comfy loungewear, and yoga and pilates devotees who need a reliable stretch, among others.
Once you identify these subgroups, take a look at the influencers bringing in the most likes and views in their community. To make sure they’re a good match for your brand, browse their content to see how regularly they post and how their audience responds to them. More comments and likes mean more engagement, and more engagement means more eyes on your brand and products.
Plan your brand ambassador programs
Now that you know who you want to partner with, it’s time to plan the best brand ambassador programs for your brand. Here at Jotform, we’ve introduced a new affiliate program that lets customers receive a 30 percent commission for one year for every user they send our way. This allows us to reward our valued community while encouraging them to spread the word about us.
Likewise, a customer referral program is a reliable way to get leads and increase your customer base without resorting to email chains that may end up in your prospects’ spam folders. You’re constantly building relationships with new and old customers, and their networks are an excellent channel for continued growth. Our online templates offer a quick, easy way to set up a customer referral program that reinforces your brand image and reputation.
Set goals and expectations
As with any marketing venture, it’s essential to set goals and expectations for you and your brand ambassadors. What do you want from this partnership? To track the effectiveness of your brand ambassador program, keep an eye on solid ROIs such as
- Social media presence and engagement (subscribers, hashtags, views, comments)
- Revenue from affiliate links
- Sustained community growth (referrals who became regular customers, reviews, and tutorials that credit or mention the brand ambassador)
Be transparent about your expectations and what your partner will receive from you, and lay everything out in a contract agreement with potential brand ambassadors. This way, everyone knows their role and can look forward to what the partnership will bring.
Keep in touch
Your brand ambassadors are out there, spreading the word and engaging with prospects and leads. As your customer base grows, keep offering incentives to your brand ambassadors and potential partners through rewards and point systems so they stay excited about working with you and spreading the good news. Promo codes and paid affiliate links are low-cost alternatives to what you could be shelling out for TV ads and billboards, so make sure your brand ambassadors know they’re valued and well taken care of.You can also engage with your community by keeping an eye on product reviews and responding quickly and honestly. No one is perfect, and we all get bad reviews on occasion. A less-than-perfect review is an excellent opportunity for you to engage directly with the community and show that you value your customers.
Now what?
You’ve read about the wings, the books, the leggings, and how communities are being built around them. Are you ready to forge lasting relationships with your customer base and drive growth? Contact us or check out our list of super-easy templates you can use to build your brand ambassador programs.
FAQs about brand ambassadors
It depends on the brand and the structure of the program. Some brand ambassadors are paid a fixed fee, commission, or recurring affiliate income, while others get perks such as free products, exclusive access to events, or discounts. In many programs, compensation is tied to performance metrics such as referrals, content reach, or sales generated.
Successful brand ambassadors typically have strong communication skills, an authentic online or offline presence, and the ability to engage with an audience. Other important skills include content creation, social media literacy, consistency, and a genuine enthusiasm for the brand. Trustworthiness and alignment with the brand’s values are often more important than having a massive following.
It can be, especially for individuals looking to grow their personal brand, expand professional opportunities, or break into marketing, content creation, or influencer work. For businesses, brand ambassadors are a big deal because they create credible, word-of-mouth marketing that’s often more effective than traditional ads. For ambassadors, the role can range from a casual side opportunity to a long-term professional partnership.
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