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:
- In-product sharing (highest conversion)
- Personalized link
- Email invitation
- Social sharing
- 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.
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
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Low awareness | Prominent in-app prompts |
| Low share rate | Simplify to one click |
| Low conversion | Optimize referred user experience |
| Fraud/abuse | Verification, limits |
| One-time referrers | 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 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.
Task-Specific Questions
- Program type — referral, affiliate, or both?
- Customer LTV and current CAC?
- Existing program or starting from scratch?
- Tools/platforms you're considering?
- Budget for rewards/commissions?
- Is the product naturally shareable?
Tool Integrations
See the tools registry. Key referral tools:
| 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 |
| Introw | Channel partner programs with tiers, deal registration, QBRs | introw.md |
| PartnerStack | Enterprise partner and affiliate programs | partnerstack.md |
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