PaperclipOrg
Claude Agent Skill · by Coreyhaines31

Referral Program

Builds customer and affiliate referral programs from scratch or optimizes existing ones. Walks you through incentive structures, trigger moments, and attributio

Install
Terminal · npx
$npx skills add https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill referral-program
Works with Paperclip

How Referral Program fits into a Paperclip company.

Referral Program drops into any Paperclip agent that handles this kind of work. Assign it to a specialist inside a pre-configured PaperclipOrg company and the skill becomes available on every heartbeat — no prompt engineering, no tool wiring.

S
SaaS FactoryPaired

Pre-configured AI company — 18 agents, 18 skills, one-time purchase.

$27$59
Explore pack
Source file
SKILL.md257 lines
Expand
---name: referral-programdescription: "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--- # 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? --- ## 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 link3. Email invitation4. Social sharing5. 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 link2. Friend signs up3. 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) || **Introw** | Channel partner programs with tiers, deal registration, QBRs | [introw.md](../../tools/integrations/introw.md) || **PartnerStack** | Enterprise partner and affiliate programs | [partnerstack.md](../../tools/integrations/partnerstack.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