Once your program, application form, and emails are all set up, it is worth running through the onboarding flow yourself as a test member before you launch publicly. This lets you see exactly what your real members will experience and catch any issues with content, links, or routing before they affect anyone real.
Two requirements before you start
Use a different email address: do not use the email tied to your brand's Buzzbassador account. The system will recognize you as the brand and the test will fail. Use a personal email or a dedicated test inbox.
Use an incognito or private browser window: if you are logged in to Buzzbassador as a brand in your normal browser, the form will redirect or error out. An incognito window prevents this.
[ LINK: Why do I get a 403 Error when I try to test my application form? ]
Step 1: Open your application form in a private browser
If you have multiple application forms, pick the one whose program routing matches the experience you want to test. For example, if you want to test the onboarding for your Creator Program, use the form that routes there.
To get the form's URL:
Go to Recruit > Application Form, find the form in the Active Forms list, and click the link icon on its row to copy the URL.
Or send yourself the "You're invited to apply" email by clicking Send Via Email in the form editor.
Open the URL in an incognito or private browser window.
[ LINK: How To Test Your Application Form ]
[ LINK: How To Send Your Application Form via Email ]
Step 2: Fill out and submit the form
Fill in the form fields using a test email different from your brand's account. When you reach the Referral Code field, type a code you want this test member to have (for example, "TestMember15"). Submit the form.
You will see the Success page you customized in your form editor. This is the furthest the applicant can go without being approved. If you have the "Your application was received" email turned on, you should also receive that email at this point.
Step 3: Approve the test applicant
Switch back to your brand account in your normal browser to approve the test applicant. You have two options:
Manual approval: go to Members > Applicants, find your test applicant in the list, select the checkbox on their row, click Approve, choose Use Automatic Program Routing or Choose Program Manually in the Confirm Approval dialog, and click Confirm.
Automatic approval: if you have Auto-approve All Applicants enabled, your test applicant is approved instantly when they submit the form. No action required on your end.
[ LINK: How To Review and Approve or Decline Your Applicants ]
[ LINK: How To Automatically Accept Applicants ]
Step 4: Check the inbox for welcome emails
Once approved, your test member's inbox should receive two emails:
Set Your Password: an email from Buzzbassador prompting the new member to finalize their account by setting a password. This email is not editable; it is sent automatically by the platform. Click the button in this email to log in to the test member's dashboard at buzzbassadorapp.com/member-login.
Your application was accepted: the customizable welcome email you set up in your email templates. Confirm the content, branding, and any links work the way you expect. If you used one of the pre-built templates, the call-to-action button should link to the member login portal.
Step 5: Walk through the member dashboard
After setting your password, you land in the test member's dashboard. Here you can see:
Their referral code (if the routed program has referral codes enabled)
Their affiliate link (if the routed program has affiliate links enabled, with the configured link type)
Their personal-use discount code (if the routed program has discount codes enabled)
Their rewards and sales tracking interface
What appears in the dashboard depends entirely on the routed program's settings. If the program you tested has, for example, BuzzLinks enabled and rewards disabled, the dashboard will reflect that exact configuration.
Test additional forms or programs
If your account uses multiple forms or multiple programs, run through this process once per form so you can verify each routing path works as expected. Use a different test email per run, or delete the previous test member from your Members page first to free up the email.
[ LINK: How to delete a member ]
Notes:
Once you are done testing, delete the test member from your Members page so they do not show up in your real reports or count toward your active members.
If you used the Auto-approve Customer Applicants option, that flow requires the test applicant to actually place an order with a discount code at checkout, which adds an extra step to the test compared to the manual or auto-approve-all flows.