How to Become a Brand Ambassador in 2023

You may have seen people promoting products on their social media accounts and thought, “I could do that.”

It’s true; becoming a brand ambassador can be a great way to make money with social media. But it’s not as easy as just posting a few photos and videos. There are some things you need to know before you start applying for ambassador programs.

In this article, we’ll outline how to become a brand ambassador. We’ll also give you tips on marketing yourself and your brand ambassadorships. So, if you’re ready to start making extra cash, keep reading!

What Is a Brand Ambassador?

A brand ambassador is someone who promotes a company’s products or services. They can be company employees, but they can also be independent contractors.

Brand ambassadors typically use their personal social media accounts to promote the company’s products. They may also attend events or even give speeches on behalf of the company.

As an ambassador, you’ll be expected to create content that shows off the products in a positive light. You’ll also need to interact with your followers, answering any questions they have about the products.

Why Do Companies Hire Brand Ambassadors?

Companies use this marketing strategy for a few reasons. First, it’s a great way to get word-of-mouth marketing. When people see their friends and family using a product, they’re more likely to try it themselves.

Second, companies know that social media is a powerful tool. By hiring ambassadors, they can tap into the hundreds of millions of people who use social media every day.

Finally, brand ambassadors can be less expensive than traditional advertising. Companies save money by partnering with ambassadors instead of buying ad space.

Brand Ambassador vs. Influencer. What’s the Difference?

It’s important to note that there’s a difference between brand ambassadors and social media influencers.

An influencer is someone with a large social media following who promotes products or services of various different companies to their audience. Influencers typically work with several different brands on small campaigns, and they may or may not have personal experience with these brands. The influencer may share a single social media post or a series of posts/messages.

A brand ambassador typically has a longer-term relationship with the brand (usually at least a few months), either as an employee or a contractor. The brand ambassador works exclusively with the brand and does not promote products or services from competitors. A brand ambassador also typically has first-hand experience with the company’s products or services, which isn’t always the case with influencer marketing.

Essentially, it’s a difference that involves an exclusive relationship (brand ambassador) vs. a non-exclusive relationship (influencer). That exclusive relationship doesn’t mean that a brand ambassador will be limited to working with a single company. Still, it does mean that they will not be able to work with multiple companies that compete with each other directly.

Brand Ambassador vs. Brand Advocate

Brand ambassadors and brand advocates are often confused because they sound similar. But there is a big difference between the two.

Brand advocates love a company’s products and tell their friends and family about them, but they’re not paid to do so. A brand advocate is usually a loyal customer of the company.

A brand ambassador is paid to promote the company’s products or services. They may be the company’s customers, but they’re not required to be.

Online vs. In-Person Brand Ambassador

Now that you know the basics of what a brand ambassador is, let’s talk about the different types. There are online ambassadors and in-person ambassadors.

Online brand ambassadors promote the brand online, typically through social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube.

As an online ambassador, you’ll be expected to create content that shows off the products in a positive light. You’ll also need to interact with your followers, answering any questions they have about the products.

An in-person ambassador represents the brand at events like trade shows, conventions, and festivals. As an in-person ambassador, you’ll be responsible for setting up and taking down the brand’s booth, interacting with customers, and answering any questions they have about the products.

Why Become a Brand Ambassador?

There are a few reasons you might want a brand ambassador job:

• You can make money: Most companies will pay you for your time and effort as an ambassador. This can be in the form of a salary, commission, or stipend.
• You can get free stuff: As an ambassador, you’ll often get free products to test out and keep. You may also get discounts on products from your favorite brand.
• You can build your resume: Brand ambassador experience looks great on a resume, especially if you’re looking to break into marketing, social media, or influencer marketing. Essentially, you’re also building your personal brand.
• It’s a fun way to interact with people: If you enjoy promoting products and talking to people online, becoming a brand ambassador might be a good fit for you.

How to Become a Brand Ambassador

Now that we’ve gone over what a brand ambassador is and why you might want to become one, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to become an ambassador.

Step 1: Choose Your Platform

The first step is to choose the social media platform you want to use. Some of the most popular platforms for brand ambassadors include Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Of course, you can use a few different platforms, but most people choose one that they focus on more than others.

Some brands may want you to use multiple platforms, but others just want you to focus on one or two. For example, if you’re promoting a fashion brand, Instagram might be the best platform. But if you’re promoting a gaming brand, Twitch might be a better option.

Hopefully, you already have a profile on some popular social networks, so you may want to consider your existing following. For example, if you already have a few thousand followers on Instagram, it would make sense to focus your efforts there.

Step 2: Create a Compelling Social Media Profile

The next step is to create a compelling social presence and will attract the attention of brands. This means creating a well-designed profile, filling out your bio, and posting high-quality content.

Photos and images are extremely important because:

1. Higher-quality images will help you to grow your following faster.
2. First impressions are important when a brand representative is looking at your profile.
3. Brands want to associate with people who will make them look good. Show them that you can do that.

If you don’t have the capabilities to create high-quality images or graphics for your profile or your posts, hire someone to help. Fiverr is a great resource for finding affordable designers and photographers.

Your profile should be branded with your name or handle and should reflect the type of products you want to promote. For example, if you’re an aspiring fashion influencer, your profile should reflect that.

As far as your bio goes, make sure it’s concise and tells people who you are and what you do. You might also want to include a link to your website or blog (if you have one).

Step 3: Build Your Following

The next step is to start building your following. This can be done several ways, but some of the most effective are:

• Engage with other users: Follow other users, like and comment on their posts, and join in on conversations.
• Post interesting and engaging content: Share photos, videos, stories, articles, etc. that will resonate with your target audience.
• Use relevant hashtags: Use hashtags that are popular and relevant to your niche. This will help you reach a wider audience.
• Run giveaways and contests: Hosting a giveaway is a great way to get people interested in following you. Just be sure to follow the rules of the platform you’re using.
• Collaborate with other influencers: Collaborating with other influencers in your niche is a great way to reach a new audience. You can do this by guest posting on each other’s blogs, doing social media takeovers, or even just sharing each other’s content.

Keep in mind that it’s not just about building a large audience. Having a high level of engagement is just as important as having a lot of followers. So, focus on quality over quantity and encourage your followers to comment and interact with you. Brands love it when they see a lot of engagement from followers.

Step 4: Find Brands to Work With

Now that you have a strong social media presence, it’s time to start finding brands to work with. There are a few different ways you can go about this:

• Reach out to brands you’re already using: If there’s a brand you love and regularly use, reach out and let them know you’re interested in working with them as an ambassador.
• Look for brands that work with ambassadors: For example, if you’re an aspiring fashion influencer, look for fashion brands that already have ambassadors. Once you’ve found a few brands you’re interested in working with, reach out and introduce yourself.
• Attend events and meet with brand representatives in person: Attending events is a great way to network with brands and get your foot in the door. If you’re meeting with someone from a brand in person, be sure to have your elevator pitch ready. This is a short, 1-2 minute summary of who you are and what you do.
• Apply to ambassador programs: Many companies have a brand ambassador program that you can apply for. These programs usually have specific requirements, so read the eligibility requirements before applying.
• Look for brands that are similar to ones you’ve worked with in the past: If you’ve done ambassador work for other brands in the past, look for other brands that are similar. For example, if you’ve promoted a skincare line in the past, look for other skincare lines that are looking for ambassadors.

Once you’ve found a few brands you’re interested in working with, it’s time to reach out and introduce yourself. The best way to do this is by emailing them or sending them a message through social media. Include your elevator pitch and links to your social media profiles. Attach a media kit if you have one.

A media kit is a document that includes your contact information, social media stats, and examples of your work. This is optional, but it’s a good way to give brands an overview of what you can do. You can find templates for media kits online, or you can hire a designer to create one for you.

Step 5: Post Share-Worthy Content

After reaching out to some brands, hopefully, you’re working for one of them as a brand ambassador. But if not, don’t get discouraged. It usually takes some time and effort to find your first opportunity.

Either way, you must continue growing your profile and building your following. If you’re already working with a brand, you’ll want to get results for them and open up more opportunities in the future. And if you’re not working with a brand yet, continuing to grow your following will help to increase your chances of getting hired as a brand ambassador in the near future.

With that in mind, it’s time to start posting share-worthy content. This is content your followers will want to engage with that will help promote the products or services you’re promoting.

Some ideas for share-worthy content include:

• Behind-the-scenes photos and videos
• Unboxing videos
• Product reviews
• Tutorials
• Q&As
• Giveaways

This is just a small sampling of ideas. Be creative and come up with content that will resonate with your followers. Remember, quality is more important than quantity. So, focus on creating a few pieces of really great content rather than a large volume of mediocre content.

You can also check the profiles of others to see what is working. Not only will this give you ideas for your own content, but it will also help you understand what the competition is doing.

When creating content, use relevant hashtags and tag the brands you’re working with. This will help people discover your content, and it may even lead to new opportunities.

Step 6: Encourage Engagement from Your Followers

If you want to be successful as a brand ambassador, you need to encourage engagement from your followers. The more engaged your followers are, the more valuable you are to brands.

There are a few ways to encourage engagement from your followers:

• Ask questions in your captions
• Respond to comments
• Collaborate with other influencers in your niche
• Share user-generated content

The key is to be active and engaging with your followers. If you’re not regularly interacting with them, they’re likely to lose interest. And if you’re not providing value, they won’t stick around for long.

By doing these things, you’ll not only increase engagement but you’ll also build relationships with your followers. And when people feel like they know, like, and trust you, they’re more likely to buy products you promote.

Step 7: Stay Consistently Active on Social Media

For long-term success as a brand ambassador, you must be active on social media. This means posting quality content regularly and interacting with your followers. By doing these things, you’ll build relationships, grow your following, and increase your value as an influencer.

The best way to do this is to create a content calendar. This document outlines the content you’ll be posting and when you’ll be posting it. Having a content calendar will help you stay organized and ensure that you’re regularly sharing fresh, relevant content.

There are several ways to create a content calendar. You can use an app, a Google Sheet, an Excel spreadsheet, or even a piece of paper. The important thing is that you have a system that works for you.

Once you have your content calendar set up, start filling it in with content ideas. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, refer back to the list in step 5. And don’t forget to schedule time for engaging with your followers.

Step 8: Reach Out to Brands

Connecting with brands is an ongoing task. And the best way to do that is to reach out and introduce yourself.

Many brands are always looking for new ambassadors, but they can’t hire everyone. So, it’s important that you stand out from the rest of the applicants.

When reaching out to brands, be sure to:

• Introduce yourself
• Explain why you’re a good fit for the brand
• Share your social media stats
• Include links to your blog or website (if applicable)
• Provide examples of your work

Be proactive!

Step 9: Make It Easy for Brands to Contact You

If you want to work with brands, you need to make it easy for them to contact you. If you have your own website or blog, which is highly recommended, be sure that the link to your site is easy to find in your social profiles. And once a visitor arrives at your site, it should be easy for them to find a contact page with a form they can fill out or an email address where they can reach you.

If you don’t have your own website or blog, list an email address in your social profiles where brands can reach you.

The bottom line is that you need to make it easy for brands to contact you if you want to work with them. If they have to search for your contact information, they’re likely to move on to someone else.

Although you’ll be reaching out to brands you think would be an ideal fit, you never know who will come across your social profile and want to reach out to you.

Step 10: Keep Networking

Even if you’ve landed a few brand ambassador gigs, it’s important to keep networking. Remember, the goal is to build relationships with both brands and followers. And the best way to do that is to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your industry.

One way to do this is by attending industry events. This could be a conference, meetup, or local happy hour. Whatever it is, attending these types of events is a great way to network and connect with other like-minded people.

Another way to keep networking is by connecting with people online. Join relevant Facebook groups, Twitter chats, and LinkedIn groups. These are all great places to interact with others in your industry and learn about new opportunities.

By networking, you’ll not only build relationships, but you’ll also stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your industry. And that will make you a more valuable brand ambassador.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts on How to Become a Brand Ambassador

Becoming a brand ambassador is a great way to build relationships with brands and followers. And it can also be a lot of fun.

If you’re interested in becoming a brand ambassador, follow the steps outlined in this article. Then, start reaching out to brands and networking with others in your industry.