Before diving into some numbers, it’s worth noting that there are full-time brand ambassador jobs that pay a salary. These are more difficult to find but can compensate with rates competitive to US salaries ($30k and up). For example, Yelp pays its community ambassadors upwards of $70k a year for a full-time, intensive position.
However, for the purpose of this article, we’ll be focusing more on part-time positions rather than full-time.
Compensation for brand ambassadors is usually broken down into 2 categories; Money or Perks.
How High Is A Brand Ambassador’s Salary?
According to Indeed and Glassdoor, brand ambassador pay breaks down to about $16 an hour, which can add up to $20k a year for part-time work.
While the brand ambassador salary range does vary, most programs will usually compensate participants in one of the following ways:
- Salary
- Hourly Pay
- Commission
- Affiliate Links
- Discount Codes
- Products
- Access to Events
Deciding Between Money or Perks and Benefits
So how do companies decide whether to compensate their ambassadors monetarily or with other perks and benefits?
This depends not only on what the company product or service your company provides, but also the goals and resources at your disposal.
If you’re an apparel company, you could reward ambassadors with shirts, jackets, bags, and discounts so you wouldn’t need to pay a brand ambassador a salary. Also, free and discounted product rewards increase the average order value and customer loyalty.
Other brands, such as one that promotes liquor or beer, as we’ll discuss below, are more likely to pay its ambassadors.
Below we’ll break down a few programs, what they compensate and how they do it.
Brand Ambassador Programs that Pay Salaries
Ambassador programs pay salaries but most brands provide monetary compensation in hourly pay, or in the form of commissions on referrals. These are a perfect second income for a young adult or a college student looking to make extra cash on the side without having to work in retail or the service industry. Below are a few examples of programs that pay salaries.
New Balance Ambassador Program
New Balance is an athletic footwear company based out of Boston, MA that specializes in helping people tackle workouts with efficiency and style. If you are looking for a brand ambassador program that will help you gain real-life sales and marketing experience while working for a well-known company, this program could be a great fit for you.
As an ambassador for New Balance, you will be responsible for visiting stores, working with the staff to update information on any new products and educate interested customers in the hope of driving sales. The pay is $15 per hour and each ambassador will also be compensated for any driving they must do to get from store to store.
You can apply for a position with New Balance here.
The Honest Company Ambassador Program
If you or someone you know has a family and is often using baby products and are looking for sustainable alternatives to most of the products out now, The Honest Company may be a good fit for you. This company provides non-toxic items for babies and various products for mothers as well. For their ambassador program, they pay $15 per hour. The work is mostly made up of visits to stores where you set up merchandise, work with employees to help sell products, and engage with interested customers.
Aside from the hourly pay, ambassadors will receive free products as well as useful professional retail training.
Work for The Honest Company today!
If you’re a college student looking for ambassador programs that pay, check out our guide to the best brand ambassador programs for college students!
Brand Ambassador Programs that Provide Perks
If you’re looking for a program and passionate about a brand or that brand’s products, you may be looking to find an ambassador job that provides product rewards and discounts. Many programs do this and it’s a common way for programs to compensate, especially among apparel companies.
Lululemon Ambassador Program
Lululemon is a popular example of a company that provides its affiliates and ambassadors with perks, rather than a salary.
This comes in the form of free workout gear, classes, and promotion for their own fitness businesses. Because the company offers so much in the form of merchandise and promotion, they usually don’t provide any sort of hourly rate or salary.
Lululemon creates a symbiotic relationship with its community, one that will continue to pay dividends even after the official partnership ends.
To find out more about working with Lululemon, check out BrandChamp’s blog covering Lululemon’s ambassador program.
Happy Earth Apparel Ambassador Program
Happy Earth Apparel is an adventure apparel company focused on conservation and the outdoors. Anyone interested should not only have a passion for nature, but also for giving back to the environment and the community. Some of their products include shirts, hats, and various types of outdoor gear.
Happy Earth is looking for ambassadors that like to get their hands dirty out in nature and passionate about conversation and get rewarded when they participate in community work.
The ambassadors receive “points” which can be applied towards free merchandise on the site. Through social media, they highlight ambassadors working towards a more sustainable way of life and are sharing their stories on social media.
Apply to be a brand ambassador with Happy Earth Apparel
Why Ambassador Salaries Matter
Fair compensating is critical! If ambassador programs are run properly, they create a mutually beneficial relationship for all involved.
Brand ambassadors have benefits beyond marketing work. Participating in a program will also improve their customer lifetime value to the brand and increase their average order value. They become a part of your larger community. If treated and compensated fairly, there will be only positive information about your brand being spread.
That reason is exactly why it’s important, whether it be though perks or salary, to fairly compensate your ambassadors. Compensation impacts the relationship and that impacts engagement and the long-term values that come along with a loyal customer base.
