Referral Program

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name: referral-program description: "When the user wants to create, optimize, or analyze a referral program, affiliate program, or word-of-mouth strategy. Also use when the user mentions 'referral,' 'affiliate,' 'ambassador,' 'word of mouth,' 'viral loop,' 'refer a friend,' 'partner program,' 'referral incentive,' 'how to get referrals,' 'customers referring customers,' or 'affiliate payout.' Use this whenever someone wants existing users or partners to bring in new customers. For launch-specific virality, see launch-strategy." metadata: version: 1.1.0

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Referral & Affiliate Programs

You are an expert in viral growth and referral marketing. Your goal is to help design and optimize programs that turn customers into growth engines.

Before Starting

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product-marketing-context.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing-context.md in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Program Type

Customer referral program, affiliate program, or both?

B2B or B2C?

What's the average customer LTV?

What's your current CAC from other channels?

2. Current State

Existing referral/affiliate program?

Current referral rate (% who refer)?

What incentives have you tried?

3. Product Fit

Is your product shareable?

Does it have network effects?

Do customers naturally talk about it?

4. Resources

Tools/platforms you use or consider?

Budget for referral incentives?

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Referral vs. Affiliate

Customer Referral Programs

Best for:

Existing customers recommending to their network

Products with natural word-of-mouth

Lower-ticket or self-serve products

Characteristics:

Referrer is an existing customer

One-time or limited rewards

Higher trust, lower volume

Affiliate Programs

Best for:

Reaching audiences you don't have access to

Content creators, influencers, bloggers

Higher-ticket products that justify commissions

Characteristics:

Affiliates may not be customers

Ongoing commission relationship

Higher volume, variable trust

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Referral Program Design

The Referral Loop

Trigger Moment → Share Action → Convert Referred → Reward → (Loop)

Step 1: Identify Trigger Moments

High-intent moments:

Right after first "aha" moment

After achieving a milestone

After exceptional support

After renewing or upgrading

Step 2: Design Share Mechanism

Ranked by effectiveness: 1. In-product sharing (highest conversion) 2. Personalized link 3. Email invitation 4. Social sharing 5. Referral code (works offline)

Step 3: Choose Incentive Structure

Single-sided rewards (referrer only): Simpler, works for high-value products

Double-sided rewards (both parties): Higher conversion, win-win framing

Tiered rewards: Gamifies referral process, increases engagement

For examples and incentive sizing: See references/program-examples.md

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Program Optimization

Improving Referral Rate

If few customers are referring:

Ask at better moments

Simplify sharing process

Test different incentive types

Make referral prominent in product

If referrals aren't converting:

Improve landing experience for referred users

Strengthen incentive for new users

Ensure referrer's endorsement is visible

A/B Tests to Run

Incentive tests: Amount, type, single vs. double-sided, timing

Messaging tests: Program description, CTA copy, landing page copy

Placement tests: Where and when the referral prompt appears

Common Problems & Fixes

| Problem | Fix | |---------|-----| | Low awareness | Add prominent in-app prompts | | Low share rate | Simplify to one click | | Low conversion | Optimize referred user experience | | Fraud/abuse | Add verification, limits | | One-time referrers | Add tiered/gamified rewards |

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Measuring Success

Key Metrics

Program health:

Active referrers (referred someone in last 30 days)

Referral conversion rate

Rewards earned/paid

Business impact:

% of new customers from referrals

CAC via referral vs. other channels

LTV of referred customers

Referral program ROI

Typical Findings

Referred customers have 16-25% higher LTV

Referred customers have 18-37% lower churn

Referred customers refer others at 2-3x rate

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Launch Checklist

Before Launch

[ ] Define program goals and success metrics

[ ] Design incentive structure

[ ] Build or configure referral tool

[ ] Create referral landing page

[ ] Set up tracking and attribution

[ ] Define fraud prevention rules

[ ] Create terms and conditions

[ ] Test complete referral flow

Launch

[ ] Announce to existing customers

[ ] Add in-app referral prompts

[ ] Update website with program details

[ ] Brief support team

Post-Launch (First 30 Days)

[ ] Review conversion funnel

[ ] Identify top referrers

[ ] Gather feedback

[ ] Fix friction points

[ ] Send reminder emails to non-referrers

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Email Sequences

Referral Program Launch

Subject: You can now earn [reward] for sharing [Product]
We just launched our referral program!
Share [Product] with friends and earn [reward] for each signup.
They get [their reward] too.
[Unique referral link]
1. Share your link
2. Friend signs up
3. You both get [reward]

Referral Nurture Sequence

Day 7: Remind about referral program

Day 30: "Know anyone who'd benefit?"

Day 60: Success story + referral prompt

After milestone: "You achieved [X]—know others who'd want this?"

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Affiliate Programs

For detailed affiliate program design, commission structures, recruitment, and tools: See references/affiliate-programs.md

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Task-Specific Questions

1. What type of program (referral, affiliate, or both)? 2. What's your customer LTV and current CAC? 3. Existing program or starting from scratch? 4. What tools/platforms are you considering? 5. What's your budget for rewards/commissions? 6. Is your product naturally shareable?

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Tool Integrations

For implementation, see the tools registry. Key tools for referral programs:

| Tool | Best For | Guide | |------|----------|-------| | Rewardful | Stripe-native affiliate programs | rewardful.md | | Tolt | SaaS affiliate programs | tolt.md | | Mention Me | Enterprise referral programs | mention-me.md | | Dub.co | Link tracking and attribution | dub-co.md | | Stripe | Payment processing (for commission tracking) | stripe.md |

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Related Skills

launch-strategy: For launching referral program effectively

email-sequence: For referral nurture campaigns

marketing-psychology: For understanding referral motivation

analytics-tracking: For tracking referral attribution