Earnest’s premium swag strategy improves company culture
How a remote-first fintech company turned swag into a strategic culture tool
About Earnest
Earnest operates with employees spread across more than 25 states and only a few office hubs. As the company expanded remotely, leadership realized the old approach of frequent giveaways of generic items was no longer optimal. They needed a scalable way to build and reinforce culture for employees who do not regularly step into an office, which led them to rethink the entire swag strategy.
Rewarding employees with purpose, not volume
Earnest moved from low-cost giveaways to a high-impact, low-frequency strategy: fewer, higher-quality items with clearer alignment to company values. The team now focuses on premium bi-annual swag drops, milestone-based onboarding gifts, and targeted gifts for ERGs and employee recognition. Employees are invited to opt in before major releases, which reduced waste and ensured staff actually wanted the gifts.
“After focusing on larger, more impactful items once or twice a year, we found that people got more value out of them than knicknacks,” says Internal Operations Director Tyler Yates.
Earning employee loyalty through onboarding
New hires receive a curated welcome journey: a welcome box delivered before their start date, a follow-up milestone gift around the 60- and 90-day mark, and personalized notes that define the company culture. The program grew out of a recruiting challenge: in competitive markets, some candidates accepted offers but disengaged before day one, and thoughtful onboarding gifts built excitement before new employees even logged in.
“It makes you feel good that you’re working for a company that values and rewards their employees,” Tyler says. “You feel like a part of the team before you even start.”
Hear it straight from Tyler
Finding the right swag partner at the right time
A more intentional program needed a more robust platform. Tyler first met Swag Pro at an industry conference while looking for ways to modernize sourcing and distribution, and it stood out for its wide catalog, intuitive UI, and hands-on guidance. He now works with a dedicated account manager and merch manager to source product ideas, generate reports and insights, and refine the program over time.
Even small tips, like walking through reporting features, helped the team get up to speed quickly. “[Our account manager] has been a great dedicated resource—anytime we have questions she knows exactly where to point us,” he says. “She often shows us a different way to approach things.”
Scalable initiatives without operational burden
For a remote-first company, swag logistics can quickly become overwhelming. With Swag Pro, Earnest launches onboarding kits without manual packing, runs company-wide swag drops efficiently, supports opt-in gifting workflows, and sees inventory in one place, a big improvement over bulk-ordering items and housing them in the office.
Design moves quickly too. With a standardized brand system and a lean design team, Earnest shares concepts and use cases, reviews curated options, iterates with little back-and-forth, and launches. “We have in-house design but they don’t always have time to support,” Tyler says. “[Swag Pro’s] design process was really quick and easy.”
The business impact
For Earnest, swag is no longer about distributing merchandise but about designing experiences. From onboarding to milestone moments, every shipment is tied to a broader employee experience strategy that supports remote culture, reduces waste, and delivers measurable value.
- Stronger employee engagement. Survey satisfaction rates after team offsites and events exceeded 80%.
- Higher perceived value. Fewer, more meaningful gifts that employees actually use.
- Reduced waste and smarter budgeting. The opt-in model eliminated excessive ordering.
- Operational time savings. Programs launch with minimal internal lift instead of vendor coordination and manual fulfillment.
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