When you think about influencers, you probably picture someone with a ring light, a killer skincare routine, and a highly curated grid. But what if your most influential brand champions are already on your payroll?
Welcome to the age of employee advocacy: where the people behind the brand become part of the brand story itself. More authentic than ads, more trusted than traditional influencers, and often, more effective than either.
Let’s talk about why employee advocacy belongs in your marketing mix, how brands are nailing it, and how you can do the same (without making your team cringe at the thought of “going viral”).
Why Employee Advocacy Works
Your employees aren’t just insiders, they are the brand. They know the behind-the-scenes. They live your mission every day. And when they choose to share their real experiences with your product, team, or company culture? That’s powerful.
Here’s how it wins:
Trust: Studies show that people are more likely to trust a regular employee over a CEO or ad. In fact, messages shared by employees get 561% more reach than the same message shared by a company channel.
Relatability: Employees don’t sound like brand copy. They sound like... well, people. And that’s what today’s audience wants!
Expertise: Who better to talk about your product than the people who make, sell, or support it?
It’s not just smart marketing, it’s smart business.
From HQ to FYP: Brands That Are Doing It Right
Some brands have realized that their secret marketing weapon is already clocking in Monday through Friday. Let’s take a look at a few doing it well:
LuxeGen
LuxeGen, the Gen Z-focused fashion and lifestyle platform under SheerLuxe, is a standout when it comes to employee-led content. Their TikTok is filled with “day in the life” vlogs, styling sessions, trend predictions, and office culture moments all led by the people behind the brand. It doesn’t feel scripted. It feels like a group chat you’ve been invited to (and want to be a part of).
By turning their own team into content creators, LuxeGen has made their brand feel more authentic, accessible, and community-driven. Audiences aren’t just engaging with the brand, they’re forming parasocial relationships with the individuals who work there. That kind of connection is marketing gold.
Sam Vicchiollo and Set Active
Sam Vicchiollo’s takeover of the Set Active TikTok account is another prime example of how employee advocacy can elevate a brand's social presence. Known for his vibrant personality and authenticity, Sam injected a fresh, relatable energy into the brand’s content — a perfect match for Set Active’s fitness and lifestyle-focused audience.
By creatively engaging with the brand’s activewear in a way that felt both fun and approachable, Sam was able to humanize the brand while increasing its appeal. Whether he was showing off new collections or sharing behind-the-scenes moments, his content showcased the products in a way that felt true to the brand’s mission of empowerment and confidence.
Check out one of Sam’s viral moments with Set Active.
Mejuri
Mejuri has long championed a modern, minimalist aesthetic, and their employees are central to delivering it. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, team members regularly share behind-the-scenes peeks into product drops, their favorite pieces styled IRL, and even snippets from Mejuri’s in-store events. It’s not just brand-led content, it’s team-led storytelling.
This approach doesn’t just build trust, it gives their marketing a sense of warmth and relatability that’s hard to manufacture. You’re not just seeing jewelry; you’re seeing how the people behind the brand wear it, love it, and live in it.
Poppi
Poppi has become a masterclass in playful, personality-driven branding, and their employees are all in. Whether they’re sharing taste tests, TikTok trends, or cheeky campaign teasers, the Poppi team plays an active role in the brand’s digital presence. It’s fun, it's unfiltered (kind of), and it works.
Their tone is consistent across the board, and the employee content fits right in. It’s not about pushing products. It’s about making the brand feel like a friend. That’s what keeps people coming back (and reposting).
What Makes Employee Content So Effective?
Employee content lives at the intersection of authenticity and expertise — two qualities consumers crave more than ever. When done right, it checks boxes across the marketing funnel:
Awareness → Human faces + voices cut through the brand noise
Consideration → Behind-the-scenes peeks + product walkthroughs boost credibility
Conversion → That final nudge often comes from someone we trust: like a real person who actually uses the product every day
And it doesn’t stop at social media. Employee advocacy can supercharge:
- Thought leadership on LinkedIn
- Guest blog contributions
- Internal culture videos
- Customer support with personality (ever DM’d a brand + loved the human on the other end? Exactly.)
But Wait — Is This Just “Influencer Marketing Lite”?
Not quite.
The difference between an influencer and an employee advocate? It’s ownership. Employees already believe in the mission (or they wouldn’t be there). They know the ins and outs. They live out the brand everyday, so who better to speak to its mission, values, and vision? But that also means it needs to be genuine, optional, and supported, not forced.
How to Build an Employee Advocacy Program (Without Making It Weird)
Start with culture
If your team isn’t proud of where they work or what they sell, that’ll show. Employee advocacy starts long before you brief a TikTok idea.
Empower — don’t mandate
Invite, don’t instruct. Offer guidelines, resources, and recognition, but let employees choose how (and if) they want to participate.
Highlight internal wins
Feature your team’s voices on your main channels! Create space for them to shine, whether that’s through blog posts, Instagram takeovers, or internal newsletters.
Keep it real
Avoid over-polishing or micromanaging employee content. The point is authenticity. Let their personality come through!
Measure what matters
Track engagement, reach, and sentiment, but also look at things like recruiting success, brand sentiment, and employee retention. Advocacy isn’t just a marketing win, it’s an HR and culture win, too.
The Bottom Line
In a world full of polished ads and perfect campaigns, people are craving something more real. Your employees can give them that!
Employee advocacy isn’t a trend, it’s a smart, scalable way to tell your story, build trust, and grow a brand from the inside out.
So go ahead, give your team the mic (or the camera). You might be surprised how much they have to say and how much your audience wants to hear it. 🤝
