A mission is a task a brand asks community members to complete in exchange for a reward, such as posting a photo, sharing on social media, or writing a review. Each mission has clear instructions, a reward, and a way for the brand to confirm the task was done. Missions give members a concrete and specific way to take part in a community.
The brand creates a mission with a short brief that explains what to do, what the reward is, and any rules that apply. Common mission types include uploading a photo, posting or sharing on a social network such as Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, submitting a product review, and filling in a custom form.
When a member accepts a mission, they agree to the brand's terms for that mission, which set out how the brand may use what they submit. The member then completes the task and submits it. Some submissions can be confirmed automatically, while others, such as custom uploads or YouTube posts, are reviewed by someone at the brand before the reward is released.
Brands rarely send every mission to every member. Missions can be aimed at specific groups, for example members in a certain region, members who have reached a certain point balance, or members who have already completed earlier missions.
Missions replace a vague hope that customers will talk about the brand with a specific request and a clear payoff. Most enthusiastic customers are willing to help, but they need to know what the brand wants and how to do it, and a well-written mission tells them.
Missions also give the brand a steady flow of content and feedback it can actually use. Photos, posts, and reviews arrive under terms the member has already agreed to, and the brand knows which member submitted each one. Custom forms give the brand direct answers from people who care enough to respond.
Finally, missions give a community a rhythm. A new mission is a reason for members to come back, and a sequence of missions can guide a new member from a first easy task toward deeper involvement over time.
A coffee brand launches a mission asking fan club members to post a photo of their morning cup on Instagram with the brand tagged. Members who complete it earn points toward rewards. A second mission, targeted only to members who finished the first, asks them to write a review of their favorite blend. The brand ends up with a set of social posts from real customers and a batch of reviews from people it already knows are engaged.
Asking for too much too soon. A first mission that asks a new member to film a video or write a long review will get few takers. Brands get better results by starting with a quick, easy task and building toward larger ones, so members gain confidence and the brand learns who is willing to do more.
Where TrueLoyal fits: Fan Club™ runs missions with task types including photo uploads, posts and shares on networks such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest, reviews submitted to Bazaarvoice or PowerReviews, and custom uploads and forms. Brands can target missions to member groups, and members agree to the brand's own terms when they accept a mission.
Missions commonly include photo uploads, posts and shares on social networks, product reviews, and custom forms or uploads. The right mix depends on whether the brand most needs content, feedback, or reviews.
Most brands award points that members can redeem in the brand's loyalty or community program. The reward should match the effort involved, so a quick share earns less than a detailed review or a video.
That depends on the terms the member agrees to when they accept the mission. Brands should make those terms clear and easy to find, so members know how their photos and posts may be used.
No. In the United States, a brand can reward members for writing a review, but it cannot make the reward depend on the review being positive, and incentivized reviews must be disclosed.
A brand fan club is a membership program built for a brand's most enthusiastic customers, where the focus is on participation and belonging. Members join to get closer to the brand, connect with other fans, and take part in activities such as sharing content, answering surveys, and joining discussions. It often runs alongside a traditional loyalty program that rewards purchases.
A brand community is a space where a brand's most engaged customers connect with the brand directly, contribute, and get recognized for it, through missions, challenges, discussions, content, and surveys. It is a different thing from a loyalty program, and the difference matters.
User-generated content, usually shortened to UGC, is content made by customers rather than by the brand. That includes photographs, videos, written reviews, social posts, and questions and answers. The brand did not commission it, did not art-direct it, and does not automatically own it.
Review solicitation is asking customers to write a review. Almost all reviews are solicited. The share of customers who write one unprompted is small enough that a brand relying on it will have a thin product page indefinitely.
Creator seeding is sending product to creators with no obligation attached. There is no contract, no brief, and no guarantee of a post. The brand gives the product away and accepts that some recipients will post, most will not, and what gets posted is outside its control.
Community moderation is the work of reviewing and managing what members post in a brand's community so the space stays useful, safe, and on topic. It covers setting rules, approving or removing content, responding to problems, and encouraging the kind of conversation the brand wants. Good moderation is mostly invisible to members, who simply experience a community that feels well run.
The platform for consumer brands serious about earning loyalty. Rewards to shape behavior. Fan Club™ to nurture your brand's super fans.
