“I’m not mad, just disappointed” 😔
It’s always a shame to see it.
It’s taken weeks.
Months.
Sometimes longer to get to this point.
You did all that research to select a vendor.
You put in all that effort to launch your employee advocacy program.
And worked so hard to get buy-in from your leadership team.
But then, for some reason…
Things don’t go according to plan 🤔
Your employee advocacy program starts to lose traction.
Sign-ups slow down.
The buzz dies.
And overall performance suffers.
We’ve seen it too many times to count.
And 9 times out of 10, there’s a perfectly good explanation!
Something happened (or didn’t happen) along the way.
And that something has been detrimental to the program’s success.
But fear not! 🙌
All is not lost.
We just need to put that band-aid on.
Make some repairs.
And get your employee advocacy program back in shape!
Oh, and if you haven’t launched your program yet…
Stick around!
There’s plenty to learn.
And I’ll include some free resources to help you get set up for success 💪
And tips on how to avoid the most common mistakes companies make with advocacy.
So, without further ado…
Let’s get stuck in!
#1 Not Updating Your Social Media Policy
Okay, so before you even consider selecting a technology partner…
Updating your social media policy should be at the top of your list.
Hear me out…
For years now.
Employees have been told:
“Don’t talk about the company on social media”
(Or something to that effect)
Or else they’ll get in trouble 🤷♂️
So, naturally, when you launch an employee advocacy program.
There will be hesitancy without clear instruction.
Sure, the emerging workforce might have a different attitude…
But the majority of your employees will, by default, have reservations about using social media for work purposes.
You HAVE to update your policy before you get started 🙏
Don’t burden them with an all-text 10+ page document that they’ll never read.
It should be clear and concise, and it should ENCOURAGE social media use.
Don’t prohibit it 🙅♂️
Fortunately, we’ve done most of the heavy lifting for you.
Grab your free and fully customizable social media policy template.
#2 Only Inviting VIPs
That little pyramid?
It’s called The Pyramid of Employee Influence 🔥
It highlights the influence of ALL employees.
No matter their department of seniority.
When it comes to inviting VIPs only…
The most common examples we see are:
- Inviting marketing teams only.
- Inviting specific certified/qualified individuals only.
- Inviting the C-Suite/leadership teams only.
This is a self-imposed limitation.
And one that can seriously hold your program back 🙅♂️
“Why?”
Every employee’s network has potential.
So, why limit your possibilities?
There’s so much that your wider workforce can contribute to your program.
And the thing is: employees want to participate.
94% of employee advocates said that posting on LinkedIn benefits their careers in the 2026 Employee Advocacy Benchmark Report.
So why not give them a chance?
#3 Everyone Shares the Same Thing
I’m putting this high on the list because it is the most visible way to kill your program’s credibility.
Imagine you’re scrolling LinkedIn and you see a post from an HR pro at a company.
Let’s call them “Banana.” They’re sharing a new product launch. It looks polished, professional, and… a little too enthusiastic.
You do a double-take. You copy the opening line of their post, paste it into the search bar, and BOOM.
You’re looking at 20+ identical posts from 20 different employees.
The result? Your audience immediately thinks: “Oh, someone told them to say that.” Or worse, they think the accounts aren’t even real.
In one click, you’ve traded your hard-earned brand trust for a few low-quality impressions.
Why Most Platforms Fail Here
Most advocacy tools make this mistake by default. They allow you to upload one title, one image, and one pre-approved caption.
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Employees are notified.
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They log in and hit “Share.”
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Within the hour, your brand has committed an advocacy disaster.
Even though your employees have different networks, there is more overlap on LinkedIn than you think.
It only takes seeing one duplicate post for a connection to realize they aren’t hearing from you.
How to Do It Right (The Jedi Method)
Great employee advocacy is an art form, but it doesn’t require a copywriting degree. You just need the right tools to ensure your team looks like a group of unique Jedi Knights rather than an army of identical Stormtroopers.
To fix the “Copy-Paste” trap, your platform needs these three features:
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Multiple Pre-Approved Captions: Don’t just give them one option. Provide 5+ variations. A senior executive might want a formal tone, while a junior dev might want something emoji-heavy and casual.
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Dynamic Image & Title Rotation: This is the real game-changer. If you have 20 employees sharing with 5 different captions, you’ll still get duplicates. But if you also cycle through 3 different preview images and 3 different titles? The math is on your side. Each post looks like a unique piece of content.
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Localized Context: If you have a team in Argentina, give them Spanish captions!
The Pro Move: Encourage “The Remix”
The elite level of advocacy is encouraging employees to create or suggest their own content. What’s more unique than an employee posting a behind-the-scenes photo they took themselves?
When you provide the tools for “remixing” content, you stop being a corporate broadcaster and start being a facilitator of real human stories.
To make this as easy as possible, use DSMN8’s Personal Voice feature with our AI Content Assistant.
#4 Only Sharing Company Content
I can understand the temptation here.
You’ve realised that your employees can reach a much wider audience.
And you’ve seen the amount of website traffic they’re generating.
Traffic to YOUR website 😍
Why would you want to direct their networks’ attention elsewhere?!
Well, we have to look at the bigger picture.
The best employee advocacy programs are centred around authenticity.
Employees’ personal brand building should be at the heart of it.
After all, if they build trust and rapport with their networks…
They’re more likely to generate engagement on YOUR content in the future.
Your colleagues’ networks will quickly spot inauthentic posting.
Especially if all they’re seeing is your organization’s ads.
Think content that screams “download this” and “free download” that.
There’s nothing wrong with this type of content.
But remember to keep it varied!
Pro tip: Keep a mix of these 3 content types in your platform at all times:
- Company-centric content
- Third-party/thought leadership content
- Employee-centric content
Employee-centric content adds a splash of authenticity.
(Plus it’s great for your employer brand!) 👏
While sharing third-party content allows employees to demonstrate thought leadership.
#5 Too Much Emphasis on Rewards
We speak about this a lot.
And it’s a hotly debated topic!
Should employees be rewarded for employee advocacy participation?
There’s no denying that it can be a big help.
It can seriously increase program adoption rates within your company.
Gamifying your employee advocacy program typically involves leaderboards within your platform.
These will rank users and teams by metrics such as the number of shares or the highest number of clicks.
For example:
You could also create competitions with a time duration.
(e.g., most clicks for the month of June)
And then offer a prize for the employee who comes out on top.
The problem is that it creates an expectation that rewards will always be there.
And activity will drop off when there aren’t any up for grabs.
The program then becomes more of an exchange between the employee and the company.
We discuss this in a short podcast episode:
While occasional rewards or competitions do work, we recommend focusing on the employee benefits to increase participation long-term.
Highlight how an employee advocacy program can benefit employees.
Here are just a few examples:
- Building their personal brand.
- Growing their professional network.
- Improving operational transparency.
- Increasing lead generation and conversations – particularly crucial for sales teams!
- Showcasing company culture to fill open job roles with suitable talent.
Remember, the best-performing programs are centred on authenticity.
And what could be more authentic than employees who share because they want to?
Because they understand why they should and know what’s in it for them 🙌
How to Set Up for Success
Now, of course.
We wouldn’t just tell you all the things to avoid without telling you how it should be done.
And providing you with a step-by-step guide to success! 📚
Whether you’ve just decided you want to explore employee advocacy.
Or you’ve already started a program.
It literally pays to know how to do this right.
Getting up and running can be a walk in the park.
And most programs see ROI within the first month!
But it doesn’t hurt to have a killer tried-and-tested game plan.
After all, you’re here because you don’t just want results…
You want to max this thing out! 🔥
Grab our free set-up guide.
Ready to get started with employee advocacy?
Additional Resources:
More tips for employee advocacy success 👇
Lewis Gray
Senior Marketing Manager at DSMN8. Lewis runs DSMN8's own employee advocacy program, putting the platform into practice from the inside, hosts The Employee Advocacy Podcast, and launched the Employee Advocacy Certification Course. His background in sales informs his approach to demand generation and B2B content strategy.
