How should you compensate brand ambassadors: product, cash or commission?

Treat compensation as a mix, not an ideological choice. Product rewards genuine use value, a fixed fee pays for agreed work, and commission rewards measurable results. The right combination depends on product value, deliverables, rights, exclusivity and relationship length.

What each model does and does not pay for

Product. Appropriate when the athlete genuinely wants to use it and its value matches the assignment. A free product is not zero-cost work for the creator.

Fixed fee. Predictably pays for production, publication, briefing, feedback and any usage rights. It is the logical foundation when deliverables are fixed.

Commission. Works well as a bonus when tracking is reliable and the product can realistically convert. As the only payment, it shifts reach, pricing, stock and website problems entirely onto the creator.

Sunday Squad defines the exchange per round. That can be product plus a fee, optionally supplemented by an individual code or link. In recurring work, the mix may change because content becomes faster to produce, more rights are requested or the ambassador demonstrably sells.

Compare proposals on total value: workload, product value, cash, commission terms, rights and exclusivity. Looking only at a per-post amount hides where the risk actually sits. Why longer partnerships can be priced differently.