Influencer trips are dead and they’re killing your organic brand advocacy.

This episode is your permission slip to stop burning budget on one-off influencer posts and replace them with an advocacy engine that compounds over time and generates serious EMV.

In this advocacy masterclass, we break down a clear 3-step system to build organic brand advocates: the customers, creators, and community members who talk about you relentlessly without a pay cheque in sight. If you’re deep in your influencer strategy and unsure how to switch that to building real brand advocacy, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the traditional influencer marketing model is broken in 2026

• The 3 steps to building a customer-powered advocacy engine

• How to turn brand customers into high-impact brand ambassadors

• The difference between one-off “influencer trips” and scalable advocacy systems

• How to calculate EMV so you can prove ROI to your CMO, CFO, or board

If you want to build a brand that customers proudly talk about, this 3-step strategy is your new advocacy playbook.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why influencer marketing is broken

04:29 The problem with influencer trips & brand dinners

06:10 Building an organic advocacy engine: map your brand network

07:41 Activating advocates: channels, CRM, and ROI of marketing to fans

11:14 The 3-part framework: Who → Activities → Rewards (airline loyalty lessons)

14:13 Advocacy is a feeling: experiences, founder hustle, and early community building

16:43 From influencer pyramid to advocate segments (pro vs amateur vs semi-pro)

19:23 Measuring real brand advocacy: real EMV, revenue, and content value

24:05 The most untapped opportunity: employees & retail teams as advocates

26:36 90-second tactical recap + wrap-up

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