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If you love spending your time testing out new beauty products and makeup looks then becoming a brand ambassador and repping your fave cosmetics online might be the perfect fit for you. 

More and more makeup brands are launching brand ambassador programs and opting for more authentic engagements over conventional influencer marketing. 

Here’s how you can get in on the action and become a makeup brand ambassador.

[Unsplash]

What is a Makeup Ambassador

A makeup brand ambassador is a content creator or influencer who has been contracted by a brand to spread awareness to their audiences. Makeup brand ambassadors can generate awareness by creating content and talking about the brand’s products with their followers.

A lot of the time companies find brand ambassadors by social listening and finding influencers and content creators who are already sharing the products online without a prior agreement. This is because a brand ambassador’s main role is to represent the company, and this becomes easier and more authentic if the individual is already in love with the products. 

Authenticity really is the key to a successful makeup brand ambassadorship. According to Brandbassador, only 4% of people say they trust influencer marketing, meaning that the once lucrative and extremely popular strategy is slowly dying. This is mainly due to Gen Z who are way more internet savvy than millennials and aren’t falling for the age-old tricks. 

So, the whole reason for brand ambassadors is to create a buzz, trust, and authentic interest online. And who better to do that than someone who genuinely loves makeup?! 

You don’t have to have thousands of followers to become a makeup brand ambassador, you just need to have a passion for the brand you’re pitching!

Benefits of Becoming a Makeup Ambassador

Because brands have different types of makeup brand ambassador programs there really isn’t a right or wrong answer to what the benefits might be.

For instance, some brands will hire A-list celebrities as brand ambassadors, offering a paid contract with deliverables, timelines, and requirements. Whereas for other makeup companies, becoming a brand ambassador is not considered a massive commitment on either party’s side, with micro-influencers and small content creators often receiving free products in exchange for an honest review online and some UGC content. 

So you see, there’s not really a defined scope when it comes to who and what qualifies as a makeup brand ambassador, let alone the benefits. But, some popular perks include:

Free Products: Seriously, who doesn’t love free products? Especially if you’re already a massive fan of the brand! Which is technically where you should stand if you’ve applied for brand ambassadorship. Either way, makeup brands are known to send out free products to both influencers and ambassadors. 

This type of strategy is a win-win for everyone involved. You get free products that you love, and the brand gets its much-desired user-generated content. UGC is like gold because it offers higher conversation rates online – because people enjoy being able to connect with a brand’s messaging.

Paid Posts: Probably the most popular of all the benefits is paid posts. This is when a brand offers a budget for the engagement and makeup brand ambassadorship. Meaning you would not only receive the free products to create the content but also be paid a fixed fee per post. 

Event Invites: This perk is normally reserved for high-level ambassadors. But you never know! Brands are known to invite influencers and makeup brand ambassadors to VIP events, product launches, trips, etc. 

Exposure: A lot of the time brands are known to use or even share user-generated content from their makeup ambassadors. If you have a small following then this sort of interaction can be amazing for your engagement and exposure. 

Affiliate Marketing: Nowadays influencer marketing and brand ambassadorships are often confused. An affiliate marketing program is normally open to the general public and anyone can sign up. Whereas with a makeup brand ambassadorship you will have been vetted by the brand and agreed on what your engagement will look like. 

Makeup brand ambassadors are able to also sign up for a brand’s affiliate marketing program which helps them offer their followers a percentage off their shop when they’re promoting the products online. Lots of beauty brands have been investing more time and energy into their affiliate marketing strategies over the last couple of years. 

The payment is normally structured offering affiliates a percentage of sales they generate. This is a great way to increase your income while posting about products that you love!

How to Become a Makeup Ambassador

Becoming a makeup brand ambassador doesn’t need to be complicated. If  you have a passion for makeup then you’re pretty much halfway there!

Follow these steps to become a popular makeup ambassador:

  • Research compatible makeup brands: Look for brands that align with your overall vision. Brands you admire and products you already love using are a good place to start.
  • Build a personal brand: Start taking social media seriously. If you want to land makeup brand ambassadorships then you’ll need to establish your online brand image. Make sure you stay consistent on all platforms.
  • Grow your following and engagement: If you don’t have a large following already there’s no need to worry. Allocate an hour daily to engage with your audience and create content, this will help you grow organically over time, which is what you want.
  • Pitch makeup companies: Send companies a DM or pitch them via email. The best way to pitch brands is to formally introduce yourself and explain why you’re reaching out. Make sure to send them your media kit!

Famous Makeup Brand Ambassadors

Let’s take a quick look at some of the most famous makeup brand ambassadors on social media!

Huda Kattan

Huda is considered the most famous makeup influencer on social media. And yes, I know we’re discussing brand ambassadors, but hear me out. 

Huda has a whopping 2.6 million followers on Instagram alone. Due to her large audience, she was able to launch her own makeup brand, Huda Beauty, alongside her two sisters.  

A post shared by Huda (@huda)

So even though she’s not a brand ambassador per se, she sure is repping her own products on her personal Instagram. 

Makeupshayla

Shayla is a makeup influencer who shares content in the beauty niche. She also posts glam makeup tutorials on her Youtube channel. 

Shayla has a following of 3.1 million on Instagram alone, and she’s a brand ambassador for Estee Lauder and ColourPop Cosmetics. 

Her recent holiday post promoting Estee Lauder focuses on providing her audience with actionable information in the form of a tutorial.

A post shared by SHAYLA (@makeupshayla)

Kiitana

Kiitan is a Nigerian-born beauty influencer living in Los Angeles with over 769K followers. In the past, she worked as a brand ambassador for Armani and more recently became a brand partner for Sephora, where she shares different product hauls and brands with her audience on Instagram stories and TikTok videos.

Thuy Le

Thuy Le is a London-based beauty influencer that rose to popularity while working for MAC cosmetics as a part-time makeup artist. She has 1.9 million followers on Instagram and 449k subscribers on Youtube, where she shares makeup tutorials.

A post shared by Kiitan A. (@kiitana)

In the past, she’s worked as a brand ambassador for Agora World, who later partnered with the influencer to launch The Thuyle X Agora Edit. 

A post shared by Thuy Le (@xthuyle)

Where Can I Find Opportunities for Makeup Brand Ambassadorships?

The best strategy you can use is to approach brands directly. But, hold on! Before you send your fave makeup brands a pitch via email or DM make sure to check their websites. A lot of brands have a brand ambassador link on their site where you can apply directly. 

The following are makeup companies that offer brand ambassador programs: 

  • Urban Decay
  • Versed
  • Pixi Beauty
  • Beauty Bakerie
  • Lash Factory
  • Maybelline

And if you’re not a fan of reaching out and pitching brands yourself then the other option is to sign up for an influencer agency. A lot of the time brands will search for makeup brand ambassadors through agencies. There are soo many influencer platforms and agencies nowadays, and some of the more popular ones include:

  • Social Publi
  • Izea
  • Influencity
  • Brandbassador

These platforms are a good place to start!

Lastly, some awesome makeup brand affiliate programs that you can check out include Tula and Winky Lux.

Conclusion

If you’re a fan of a specific makeup brand, own their products already, love creating content, and sharing your authentic opinion with your audience then you should apply to their brand ambassador program. 

Don’t let your follower count hold you back! As we’ve seen in this article, brands aren’t looking at that, they’re searching for authenticity and aligned vision.

Makeup brand ambassador programs are a great way to establish a long-term collaboration with a brand you already love. So, what are you waiting for?

Karina Gandola was born and raised outside the city of Charleston, in the beautiful mountain state of West Virginia. Karina loves writing about the influencer marketing space and an area she is passionate about. She considers her faith and family to be most important to her. If she isn’t spending time with her friends and family, you can almost always find her around her sweet yellow Labrador retriever, Poshna.

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