/iblai-marketing-referral-program

Design and optimize programs that turn customers into growth engines. Covers customer referrals and affiliate programs.

Step 0: Context Check

Read .agents/product-marketing-context.md (or .claude/product-marketing-context.md on older setups) first. Only ask for what isn't there.

Pull this context:

1. Program Type

• Customer referral, affiliate, or both?
• B2B or B2C?
• Average customer LTV
• Current CAC from other channels

2. Current State

• Existing referral/affiliate program?
• Current referral rate (% who refer)?
• Incentives tried so far

3. Product Fit

• Is your product shareable?
• Network effects?
• Do customers naturally talk about it?

4. Resources

• Tools/platforms in use or under consideration
• Budget for referral incentives

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

Referral Program Design

The Referral Loop

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

Step 1: Identify Trigger Moments

High-intent moments:

• Right after the first aha moment
• After hitting a milestone
• After exceptional support
• After renewal or upgrade

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 the referral process, drives engagement.

Examples and incentive sizing: [references/program-examples.md](references/program-examples.md).

Program Optimization

Improving Referral Rate

Few customers referring:

• Ask at better moments
• Simplify the sharing process
• Test different incentive types
• Make referral prominent in the product

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

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

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 the 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
• Reminder emails to non-referrers

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 the 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?"

Affiliate Programs

Detailed affiliate program design, commission structures, recruitment, and tools: [references/affiliate-programs.md](references/affiliate-programs.md).

Task-Specific Questions

1. Program type — referral, affiliate, or both?
2. Customer LTV and current CAC?
3. Existing program or starting from scratch?
4. Tools/platforms you're considering?
5. Budget for rewards/commissions?
6. Is the product naturally shareable?

Tool Integrations

See the [tools registry](../../tools/REGISTRY.md). Key referral tools:

Related Skills

• iblai-marketing-launch-strategy: Launching a referral program effectively
• iblai-marketing-email-sequence: Referral nurture campaigns
• iblai-marketing-psychology: Referral motivation
• iblai-marketing-analytics-tracking: Referral attribution