[DeLa Doll] Ambassador Scams: How to Spot Them
Recently, I wrote about how to identify bad brand deals as part of my “Free Tips & Tools for Content Creators” series. Keeping up with that theme, I’m back to tell you all about ambassador scams. If you’re relatively active on Instagram, there’s a strong possibility that some random account belonging to a brand you’ve likely never even heard of has commented on your post
“DM for collab! <3”
“Model for us! DM for info <3”
“Seeking brand ambassadors! DM for promo <3”
While it can seem like a flattering and legitimate proposal of sorts, the reality is that it’s a scam. Here’s why…
A brand or other entity seeking to work with you would not post a generic comment asking you to contact them. Unless your messages are turned off and there’s no other contact information available, there’s no reason why they can’t just reach out to you privately and directly. The “DM for promo!” comments are often just indiscriminately copy/pasted onto a massive number of accounts that all happened to use the same hashtag or meet some other criteria. For example, a sketchy cosmetic company might comment “DM for promo! <3” on all the recent posts under the #MakeUp tag.
What would these brands get out of mass commenting the same fake promo/brand ambassador offers? Unwitting potential customers. If they happen to lure anyone into their inbox, the next step is to offer unsuspecting hopefuls an “exclusive ambassador discount code.” It’s just a coupon code. They want you to buy things. And that’s it. No legitimate ambassador program or partnership will require you to spend your own money to promote their products. At a minimum, you should be compensated for your time with “free” (meaning the brand covers the cost of whatever products they want you to promote) product. Ideally, you should be given both the product(s) they want you to promote, as well as financial compensation for your time and effort. Creating promotional material for a brand is work. You deserve to be properly compensated for your labor. Any brand demanding that you pay them to produce work for them is just tricking you into not only being a customer, but also getting free labor out of you. That’s objectively scummy.
Here’s an example of an illegitimate “brand ambassador” scam that I came across recently.
I’ve seen a few acquaintances post about becoming Brute Impact “Brand Ambassadors” and decided to look into it for myself. As it turns out, their “Ambassador Program” is exactly the type of scam described above. Notice how they ask ambassadors to purchase items to promote. That alone is enough to dismiss it as a customer acquisition and free promo scam. They offer the chance to earn commission via an affiliate code, but state that it will take at least 5 weeks to be paid, and that’s if you actually generate any sales. I personally don’t trust a brand that has to trick people into becoming customers to be honest and timely concerning commission payments.
In addition to those bright red flags, a quick look at their Instagram account suggests a massive number of inactive or fake followers. At the time of writing, they have 241k followers; however, their average engagement rates (likes and comments) don’t reflect this at all.
Using the data above, obtained via Phlanx.com’s free Instagram engagement calculator, let’s break down the discrepancies between Brute Impact’s following and their rate of engagement:
- Despite a relatively large number of followers, Brute Impact only averages around 313 likes and 4 comments per post.
- Their overall engagement rate is .12%, meaning only .12% of their following actually interacts with their posts.
- As shown in the chart above, the typical Instagram engagement rate for accounts of Brute Impact’s size is 2.05%, so .12% is abysmally, suspiciously low.
Given that Brute Impact makes a point to boast about how they feature “ambassadors” on their account as the main selling point, you’d think that would actually provide something of value, but it doesn’t. Their rate of engagement indicates that the bulk of their following doesn’t consist of legitimate and active accounts, and so a “feature” on it is essentially worthless for someone wanting to go that route in an effort to grow their own following. Unfortunately, there are “brands” that artificially and unethically inflate their following in order to make the promise of a “feature” post on their account seem more appealing as a way to get potential “ambassadors” to overlook the red flags.
This is why it’s important to do your research before deciding to work with (and do work for) any brand, and to be aware of the signs of a bad or sketchy offer. Speaking of research. a quick Google search revealed, multiple videos, Reddit posts, and Trust Pilot reviews further indicating that Brute Impact’s ambassador program is nothing more than a scam.
Although I used Brute Impact’s ambassador scam as an example, there’s no shortage of brands using similar tactics to fool hopeful creators and aspiring models into becoming customers and providing free advertisement with no valuable or legitimate compensation. Despite this, there are brands that offer legitimate ambassador programs, but any brand that requires you to pay them to be a part of their “program” is not one of them. Recognize the red flags so you can make informed decisions and avoid being scammed.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to successfully navigate being an online content creator, check out my series on the subject:
Part 1 – Recognizing Your Strengths & Social Media Analytics
Part 2 – Setting & Tracking Goals
Part 3 – The Anatomy of a Bad Brand Deal
Otherwise, that’s all for this post! Thanks so much for reading, and feel free to check me out all over social media if you’re into artsy nerd shit like cosplay, 3D printing, and makeup. I’m currently posting behinds the scenes looks at my cosplay and content creation adventures for free over on OnlyFans.
~DeLa Doll
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DeLa Doll is a culture writer, cosplayer, and artist based in Florida. She has been writing professionally since 2016, with some of her work being featured on sites like HuffPo and /Film. She is an advocate for meaningful diversity and representation in media, a gamer, a mom, and an avid user of DIY hair dye.
