Once a customer says yes to becoming an advocate, there is usually a gap between being excited about the idea and actually knowing what to do when the first conversation request arrives.

The [invitation](/blog/what-to-include-when-you-invite-customers-to-become-advocates/) should tell them what they are signing up for, but it does not need to explain every detail of the program. That is what the advocate handbook is for. It takes the expectations you set during recruitment and makes them specific enough that advocates can participate without having to ask for instructions every time something comes up.

I use the word "handbook" loosely. It does not need to be twenty pages long, beautifully designed, or finished before you invite your first advocate. A useful first version can be fairly simple.

## Remind them what the program is for

Start by explaining the advocate's role in plain language.

For most customer advocacy programs, the advocate is there to help prospective customers by sharing what they know from actually owning and using the product. They are not another salesperson, and they should not feel responsible for convincing someone to buy.

I would make that distinction clear because otherwise people naturally start looking for the "right" thing to say. What you really want is for them to talk honestly about what they have experienced firsthand.

That is also why I would avoid filling the handbook with scripts. Give advocates enough guidance to understand their role, but leave room for them to sound like themselves. We talk more about why that matters in [Why Real Conversations Beat Reviews for High-Ticket DTC Brands](/blog/why-real-conversations-beat-reviews-for-high-ticket-dtc/).

## Explain what happens when someone reaches out

The invitation may have told customers that they will occasionally hear from prospective buyers. The handbook should explain what "occasionally" looks like once they are actually in the program.

Tell them how a request arrives, what you would like them to do when one comes in, and whether there is a reasonable response window. If advocates can decline a request, pause their availability, or step back when life gets busy, explain that too.

This is where the promises made during recruitment need to match the experience afterward. If you told someone participation would be flexible, the handbook should not suddenly make it feel like they signed up for a schedule.

The goal is simple: when that first request arrives, they should know what happens next.

## Tell them where their role ends

Advocates should know what they can comfortably answer themselves and what belongs back with your team.

They may be able to talk for half an hour about how a product fits into their everyday life and still have no idea how to answer a warranty question, explain financing, troubleshoot a technical problem, or approve a discount. They should not have to.

If certain questions should always go back to the company, say so and make the handoff easy. If there are safety considerations or disclosures advocates need to know about, include those as well.

You do not need to anticipate every possible situation. Advocates just need enough guidance to know when they can answer from experience and when "I don't know, but the team can help with that" is exactly the right response.

## Make the rewards specific

If your invitation promises points, credits, discounts, commissions, gifts, or another reward, the handbook is where you explain how those rewards actually work.

Tell advocates what earns a reward, how much they earn, when it appears, and how they can use it. If something has to happen before a conversation counts, explain what that means. If points expire or certain activities have limits, include those details too.

"Earn rewards for participating" may be enough for an invitation. It is not enough once someone has joined.

The handbook should make the offer you made during recruitment clearer, not quietly change it.

## Give them somewhere to go when the handbook doesn't have the answer

No matter how thorough you are, someone will eventually ask something you did not think to include. Plan for that instead of trying to write a handbook that covers every possible situation.

Tell advocates who to contact when they are unsure about a conversation, have a question about a reward, need help with the product, or want to update their information or availability. Asking should be easier than guessing.

Those questions will also show you how to improve the handbook. If several advocates keep asking the same thing, add the answer. Your first version does not need to be perfect because the people using the program will show you where the gaps are.

## Your first handbook can be pretty small

If you are starting from scratch, I would build the first version around five questions:

**What is this program for? What will I actually be asked to do? What can I handle myself, and what belongs with the brand? What do I earn and when? Who do I ask when I'm not sure?**

If an advocate can find those answers and feel comfortable responding to their first conversation request, you have covered the important part.

You can add more detail as the program grows, but I would resist turning the handbook into a rulebook. The goal is to give advocates enough structure to participate confidently without taking away the experience and voice that made you want them as advocates in the first place.

If you already have a handbook, read it again from that perspective. Could a newly enrolled advocate understand what happens next without emailing you for instructions? If advocates are joining but not responding to requests or completing conversations, this is one of the first places I would look. You can also use the response and conversation metrics in [Measuring Advocacy Impact: Five Metrics That Actually Matter](/blog/measuring-advocacy-impact-five-metrics-that-actually-matter/) to see where participation may be breaking down.

If you're already using Stoked, this is a good time to review your [advocate onboarding](https://kb.stokedhq.com/changelog/2026/handbook-on-advocate-site/) and make sure the experience after sign-up matches what you promised when people joined.

If you're considering an advocate program and want to see how Stoked supports the experience from enrollment through real customer conversations, [book a 20-minute demo](/demo/).