How to Build Outdoor Brand Ambassadors
The Shift from Influencers to Ambassadors
What It Means for Outdoor Content
A few years ago, you could send an influencer a product, get a few glossy Instagram posts in return, and call it a campaign. But the outdoor industry has changed…and so have its audiences.
People are tired of one-off brand shoutouts and short-term hype. The new gold standard is creating long-term relationships with creators, athletes, and storytellers who actually live the lifestyle your brand represents. Welcome to the authentic ambassador era.
In this post, we’ll explore why brands are moving from influencers to ambassadors, what that shift means for outdoor content, and how to build trust with the people who represent your brand in a deeper, more meaningful way.
The Influencer Model Is Breaking Down
Let’s be honest: the traditional influencer model has started to feel stale. One-and-done posts, brand tags, static product shots are sadly still getting likes, but they rarely build community or loyalty. They seem to work analytically but not genuinely.
Outdoor consumers are savvy. They can tell when someone is doing it for the check versus when someone actually uses that tent, climbs in those shoes, or runs those trails. Engagement rates go down and trust gets harder to earn after a bad influencer collaboration. Also, the algorithms don’t favor the influencer drop-in like it used to.
That doesn’t mean social creators are irrelevant. It just means the way we work with them, and the stories we tell, need to evolve.
Why Ambassadors / Athletes Make More Sense for Outdoor Brands
The outdoor industry is not a transactional industry. The lifestyle, identity, and belonging is what brings us together. It’s what inspires us to get up early to support our friend’s trail running races, wait in traffic to go skiing and line up for Reel Rock when it comes through our town. That lifestyle is what makes the ambassador / athlete model such a good fit.
Ambassadors and athletes are in it for the long haul. They align with your brand values, not just your product line. That alignment translates into better content - trip diaries, race recaps, reflections, behind-the-scenes moments, and stories that your audience actually cares about.
Where influencers might disappear after a single post, ambassadors stick around. Their audience sees your brand again and again, and get embedded in the context of a real journey.
Instead of being handed a script, ambassadors co-author the narrative. They’re more invested in the outcome because it’s personal to them.
Where Athletes Fit Into All This
Athletes have always played a key role in outdoor marketing. But the role is evolving.
Today’s athletes are no longer just medal winners or adrenaline junkies - they’re also creators, community builders, and brand storytellers. They bring credibility, yes, but they also bring content. A ski mountaineer training for a big line. A climber recovering from injury. A trail runner navigating burnout.
When athletes become ambassadors, their story becomes part of your story. Not every post needs to be epic. Sometimes it’s about showing up to a community cleanup, filming a messy training day, or posting a vulnerable reflection will do wonders for brand building. Those are the moments that build trust and drive connection.
And unlike traditional influencers who might juggle multiple unrelated sponsorships, athlete-ambassadors are often brand loyalists. That consistency strengthens not just the partnership but the audience's trust in it.
How to Build Real Ambassador Relationships
This shift isn’t just about titles. It requires a different mindset. Here’s how to do it right:
Think partnership, not promotion. Invite your ambassadors into the creative process. Share the strategy. Let them shape the story.
Invest long-term. Don’t expect magic after one post. The best returns come from trust that’s built over time.
Support their story. Make it about them, not just your gear. When you amplify what matters to them, your brand earns relevance.
Choose for alignment, not reach. A smaller following doesn’t mean smaller impact. The right ambassador speaks directly to the people you want to reach.
This model works best when the relationship is reciprocal, when your ambassadors don’t just wear your logo, but help define what your brand stands for.
If the influencer model was built on reach, the ambassador model is built on relationship. Views are no longer important factor. We shouldn’t care who can get the most eyes in 24 hours. It matters more on who can carry your story for the next 24 months. That kind of trust doesn’t come from a contract alone. That trust is earned.
Here are a few more tactics brands are using to deepen these partnerships:
Treat your ambassadors like part of the team. Send them internal updates that may be relevant to them. Loop them into product development conversations. Let them test gear early and give feedback before it hits the market. That behind-the-scenes involvement makes them feel like stakeholders, not spokespeople.
Fund their creative ideas. Give them a budget, not just a brief. Some of the best ambassador content comes from the athlete or creator’s vision. Let them pitch a short film, a multi-day shoot, or a community event. Support their voice and you’ll earn a better story.
Build around shared values. If you’re working with an athlete who cares deeply about sustainability, help them tell that story in a way that includes your brand’s mission too. The best ambassador partnerships leverage their purpose. Performance is cool but purpose can be transformative.
Celebrate the small stuff. Not every story needs to be a viral banger. Celebrate messy training days, quiet sunrises, community events, and personal reflections. Real always wins in the long run.
How This Changes Your Content Strategy
With influencers, the strategy was simple: send product, get post, move on.
With ambassadors, the strategy is a bit more layered but way more powerful. You’re building a story arc, not just creating ads. That means thinking in chapters:
Chapter 1: A day in the life (intro to your ambassador and their values) - athlete profile videos do this well.
Chapter 2: Behind the scenes of training, travel, or community work
Chapter 3: The moment of impact (race day, trip success, film premiere)
Chapter 4: Reflection - what it meant, what they learned, what’s next
Each of those moments can be turned into short-form video, long-form blog posts, carousel photos, email newsletters, and more. And because it’s built on trust, your audience will want to follow along.
Also: don’t just repost ambassador content, collaborate on how it’s shaped. Get involved in scriptwriting, editing, and distribution planning. The more connected you are to the storytelling process, the stronger the end result will be.
This piece with professional adaptive athlete Cail Soria was connected, filmed and edited in 12 hours so sometimes athlete profiles don’t have to be the most elaborate pieces. Just get them connected to your community.
A Note on Metrics (Because We Still Have Jobs to Justify)
Yes, this approach takes more time and energy. But it also drives longer-term ROI.
Here’s what to measure instead of just likes or impressions:
Repeat engagement. Are people coming back to your ambassador’s content over time?
Story retention. Are viewers sticking around to watch the full video?
Community growth. Is your ambassador’s audience following your brand too?
Sentiment. Are people saying, “This feels real”? Are they commenting, not just liking?
Content lifespan. Is the story still getting views and shares months later?
Influencer campaigns might spike traffic—but ambassador campaigns build equity.
Brands Doing This Well (And What We Can Learn)
Here’s a deeper look at a few brands walking the walk:
La Sportiva
Instead of flashy gear drops, La Sportiva partnered with pro skier Davide Giardini to create a multi-episode backcountry series. Davide runs Boulder Ski Mo Club which is an incredibly grassroots organization that’s making waves in the ski mo community in Colorado. La Sportiva capitalized on this by not just showing ski touring but supporting an athlete dedicated to the culture of the sport. I created a “how to ski tour series” Each episode had supporting Reels, photo drops, and short blog recaps. It felt immersive, not transactional.
Takeaway: Series > one-offs. Let your ambassador live a whole arc, not just a highlight reel.
Yeti
Yeti’s storytelling engine is one of the strongest in the outdoor space. Their short films often follow athletes or community members—ranchers, climbers, anglers who live a story worth telling. The product takes a back seat to the narrative. These people are the brand. And when the film ends? There’s merch, Q&As, ambassador takeovers, and community comments ready to roll.
Takeaway: Make your ambassadors feel like co-authors, not extras.
Patagonia
They’ve been in the ambassador game long before it was a trend. What makes Patagonia different is their consistency. They work with athletes and activists for years not seasons. They don’t force gear into every frame. Their best content is about action, not product. From dam removals to fish hatcheries to alpine ascents, their stories show the brand’s values in motion.
Takeaway: Invest in people, not just content.
Tracksmith
Tracksmith’s ambassador program is built around storytelling and community. They don’t just highlight elite runners—they focus on the in-between moments: training through winter, struggling with injury, finding identity through sport. Their ambassadors often write essays, star in films, or host community events. They’re not “content creators.” They’re culture builders.
Takeaway: Go beyond giving your ambassadors a product, give them a platform.
Final Thoughts - Influence That Actually Means Something
So here we are. The outdoor space is crowded, attention spans are short, and trust is everything. Hopefully you learned in this article what can cut through.
It’s not always the person with the biggest following. It’s not the flashiest drone shot. It’s the consistent storyteller - the person who’s been showing up for seasons, not just product drops.
If you’re a brand, this is your moment to double down on meaningful partnerships. Get out of the influencer churn and into relationships that actually move the needle. If you’re a creator or athlete, this is your call to be more than a content machine. Build a story worth telling - and brands will follow.
We’re not in the influencer era anymore. We’re in the ambassador era. And that’s a good thing.
Why We Should Work Together…
When I’m not on this website rambling on about filmmaking, I’m actually out there making content in the outdoor industry. From crafting memorable branded documentaries to capturing stories and products that move people, I’ve got you covered. Need a filmmaker who can scale mountains, brave the surf, or just tell a dang good story? Let’s chat!
In case I haven’t convinced you, here are three reasons why it might be fun to work together…
I believe in stories that stick with you - like campfire smoke on your clothes. The kind that makes you laugh, cry, or immediately want to call your mom.
I’m just as comfortable at 14,000ft as I am in front of a timeline. You get me in the mountains, in the ocean and in the editing room, making sure the magic out there really shines in the final cut.
I’ve filmed in some pretty wild places, but the best stories are the ones that bring people together. It’s those shared moments -big or small - that remind me why I love what I do.
Let’s Connect
Roo is an Emmy nominated commercial/documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado but travels all around the world for his filmmaking career. He has directed documentaries for Patagonia in California, produced films for Outside Magazine throughout Europe and Africa, camera operated for Netflix in the Rocky Mountain West, photographed among indigenous communities in South America, and has received notable recognition in his hometown of Orcas Island in Washington State for his work telling uplifting stories in the outdoor space.