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#

text

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#

ProblemFixLow awarenessAdd prominent in-app promptsLow share rateSimplify to one clickLow conversionOptimize referred user experienceFraud/abuseAdd verification, limitsOne-time referrersAdd 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#

text

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:

ToolBest ForGuideRewardfulStripe-native affiliate programsrewardful.mdToltSaaS affiliate programstolt.mdMention MeEnterprise referral programsmention-me.mdDub.coLink tracking and attributiondub-co.mdStripePayment 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