---
name: referral-program
version: 1.0.0
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,' or 'partner program.' This skill covers program design, incentive structure, and growth optimization."
---

# 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 `.mosaic/product-marketing-context.md` exists, 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?

---

## 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 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](references/program-examples.md)

---

## 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       |

---

## 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 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

---

## 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?"

---

## Affiliate Programs

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

---

## 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?

---

## Tool Integrations

For implementation, see the [tools registry](../../tools/REGISTRY.md). Key tools for referral programs:

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

---

## 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
