Holbrook Pickleball’s Secret to an 86% Sales Boost with UpPromote

Holbrook Pickleball started as a family project. Brothers Breygan and Kasen and their father, Brody, spent countless hours in their garage developing better pickleball paddles and gear.

After many late nights and lots of testing, they succeeded. Their paddles became popular for both performance and looks, appealing to players of all skill levels.

Even with that early success, the Holbrook family saw there was still room to grow.

What led Holbrook Pickleball to launch an ambassador program?

Recognizing the potential of affiliate marketing, Holbrook Pickleball wanted to launch an ambassador program open to affiliates, brand advocates, and influencers.

To run it smoothly, the brand chose UpPromote as the main tool and it became a central part of their marketing, helping build a network of supporters and speed up acquisition.

The program welcomes pickleball enthusiasts as ambassadors. Once accepted, each receives a unique discount code, and earns a 15% store credit kickback whenever someone uses it — which fuels repeat purchases and brand loyalty.

Store credit processing is easy, and payouts go smoothly within the app. The support team is super helpful. I can’t praise them enough for their promptness and expertise.

Olivia, Marketing Manager at Holbrook Pickleball

By the end of 2023, that ambassador campaign drove an 87% increase in orders and the strategy behind it is worth a closer look.

How does Holbrook Pickleball motivate and manage their ambassadors?

Holbrook’s approach rests on three things: motivating ambassadors, managing them by group, and building real relationships.

Monthly contests and daily analytics

Holbrook motivates ambassadors with monthly sales contests. Each month they sets a sales goal, and any ambassador who reaches it earns rewards like product prizes or bonuses.

The team also keeps a close eye on performance through UpPromote’s analytics dashboard.

We look at the analytics section all the time, like every single day. It’s really useful and helps us a lot in making insightful decisions about what to do next.

Olivia, Marketing Manager at Holbrook Pickleball

When someone stands out, Holbrook surprises top performers with gift packages — a heartfelt thank-you for their dedication.

Separate programs for different partner groups

Managing every partner the same way would be overwhelming, so Holbrook set up multiple programs in UpPromote.

There’s a default program for regular ambassadors — recreational players, coaches, and brand fans — plus a separate program for professionally sponsored athletes and another for YouTube influencers.

By keeping the groups distinct, Holbrook can set the right commission rates, rewards, and details for each type of partner.

Building community through events and webinars

Holbrook also attends pickleball events nationwide, meeting ambassadors in person and building real relationships. Putting faces to names strengthens the sense of community and loyalty.

For ambassadors who can’t attend, the brand hosts online training webinars, including sharing updates and best practices, answering questions, and letting ambassadors interact with the team and each other.

That mix of in-person and online touchpoints keeps the whole community engaged.

What results has Holbrook Pickleball achieved with their program?

Holbrook’s products and fan base, combined with UpPromote, grew their network of ambassadors, affiliates, and influencers who genuinely love the brand.

By the end of 2023, the program delivered an 87% increase in orders, brought in 173 new ambassadors, and grew affiliate revenue by 86% in just one year.

Looking ahead, Holbrook plans to use UpPromote’s referral features to convert more customers into affiliates, and to add multi-level marketing capabilities so ambassadors can recruit others.

With that roadmap in place, Holbrook’s ambassador program is set to grow stronger.