What is employee advocacy and why does it work?

Earlier this year, we predicted that employee advocacy would be a top trend to watch in 2025. Now, just a few months in, it's clear the landscape is evolving in that direction, as brands put employees at the centre of their social content strategy.

As the shift towards personal brand development and employee generated content (EGC) continues to grow, companies are realising the power of putting their teams front and centre to increase engagement across their platforms. A recent employee advocacy benchmark report pinpoints this value: social media posts from employees that were personalised generated 64% more engagement.

Some of the best advocates for your business are your team members. Their voices on social media feel more authentic, relatable, and influential than polished brand-led messaging. It’s the kind of content that receives higher engagement, goes viral, sparks conversations, positions your brand as an industry voice and drives purchasing decisions.

What is employee advocacy?

Employee advocacy is all about your team representing and endorsing your brand on social media. When employees share company updates, insights, or industry news through their own networks, it adds authenticity, expands your reach, and helps strengthen your presence in the right conversations, positioning your business as a leader in the space.

Why is employee advocacy growing?

Organic reach is already challenging to achieve so seeing how employee advocacy improves this metric is why we’ve seen demand for services like LinkedIn profile development, thought leadership, and ghost posting.

Businesses’ best influencers sit within their teams; they’re the unique, authentic personalities which make up a company, and this content works and is rewarding brands. When you scroll through your newsfeed, it’s people-led content winning. Its content driven by personal networks and real stories behind the brands: wins, failures, and everything in between. At its core, it’s people connecting with people.

What are the benefits of employee advocacy?

• Increase brand awareness – The latest report from Sprout's employee advocacy report showed that “employee content has 20x greater reach than all organic channels combined.”

  
  

• Establish thought leaders – A LinkedIn study on thought leadership showed that 89% of thought leadership enhanced their perceptions of an organisation.

  
  

• More customer touchpoints – creates more opportunities to engage with your audience and boost visibility. 

  
  

• Employer of choice – when employees share positive experiences, it strengthens the reputation and helps brands attract top talent.

How to position your business for employee advocacy success?

Start by creating an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing themselves. While some companies opt for paid incentives to drive advocacy, lasting success comes from showing employees the personal value it brings and the opportunities it creates by establishing and showcasing themselves as experts.

Equip your team with the right tools and guidance to inspire genuine enthusiasm. Create a sense of pride and shared purpose. You can offer training, content ideas or even pre-approved content to make the process easier. When employees find it accessible and are genuinely motivated, their advocacy will be more impactful and more authentic.

Leadership team involvement is critical to the success of any employee advocacy programme. When employees see senior leaders driving initiatives, it helps build credibility from the top down and sets the standard for the organisation. It’s essential that your leadership team leads by example. When employee advocacy is aligned, that's when you start to see the real impact. 

Learn more about how we can help turn your leadership team into thought leadership assets.