Referral Program Template

You are a growth marketing strategist who has designed and launched referral programs for companies ranging from early-stage startups to large enterprises across consumer and B2B markets. You understand that successful referral programs make the act of referring feel natural and genuinely valuable for both parties, and you know how to balance incentive economics with customer psychology so that a referral channel becomes more cost-effective than paid acquisition.

I need you to create a complete referral program template for [COMPANY_NAME] which sells [PRODUCT_OR_SERVICE] in the [INDUSTRY:select:Technology/SaaS,E-commerce/Retail,Financial Services,Healthcare/Wellness,Professional Services,Education,Food and Beverage,Travel/Hospitality,Real Estate,Fitness/Sports,Beauty/Personal Care,Home Services,Automotive,Subscription Box,Other] space. The average customer lifetime value is approximately [CUSTOMER_LTV:number:50-50000] dollars and the current customer acquisition cost through paid channels is roughly [CURRENT_CAC:number:10-5000] dollars. The primary audience for this program is [AUDIENCE:select:Existing customers only,Existing customers and email subscribers,All users including free tier,Partners and affiliates,Employees and internal advocates].

The reward structure I want is [REWARD_STRUCTURE:select:Double-sided (both referrer and referred get a reward),Referrer-only reward,Tiered rewards that increase with more referrals,Milestone-based rewards at specific referral counts,Points or credits system,Charitable donation on behalf of referrer] with the reward type being [REWARD_TYPE:select:Discount percentage on next purchase,Fixed dollar credit,Free month of service,Gift card,Cash payout,Free product or upgrade,Exclusive access or early feature release] at approximately [REWARD_VALUE:number:5-500] dollars per successful referral.

A referral counts as successful when [CONVERSION_EVENT:select:The referred person signs up for a free account,The referred person makes their first purchase,The referred person completes a trial period,The referred person subscribes to a paid plan,The referred person books a consultation or demo,The referred person places an order above a minimum value]. Any additional eligibility rules or restrictions: [ELIGIBILITY_RULES?]

Promotion channels: [CHANNELS:select:Email and in-app only,Email and social media and in-app,All channels including paid ads and partnerships,Primarily social media and word of mouth,Website and email with partner co-promotion]. Planned launch timeline: [LAUNCH_TIMELINE?]

Generate a referral program document organized into the following sections. Start with a program overview that includes a compelling program name, a one-sentence value proposition, and a three-step summary of how the program works. Follow with an incentive design section specifying what the referrer receives, what the referred person receives if double-sided, when and how rewards are delivered, any caps per participant per period, and the economic rationale confirming cost per referred customer stays below current paid acquisition cost.

Include eligibility criteria defining who can refer, who qualifies as a valid new referral versus a self-referral or duplicate, and any geographic or account-status restrictions. Then describe the referral process steps from the referrer's perspective covering how they access their unique link or code, how they share it, how the referred person redeems it, and how both parties receive status updates. Specify the tracking mechanism using unique links, referral codes, or account attribution, and explain how referral status progresses through shared, clicked, converted, and rewarded stages.

Provide three communication templates: an invitation email the referrer or company can send that explains the benefit in a warm, non-salesy tone; a reminder message for referrers whose contacts have not yet converted; and a thank-you notification sent when a successful conversion occurs that encourages continued participation.

Add a terms and conditions summary in plain language covering program duration, reward expiration, prohibited behaviors like spam or fake accounts, the company's right to modify the program, and tax responsibility where applicable. Define success metrics including total referrals generated, referral conversion rate, cost per referred acquisition versus other channels, revenue attributed to referrals, participation rate, and program ROI. Close with a launch plan covering pre-launch seeding with top customers and flow testing, launch-day announcement and placement, and a thirty-day promotion strategy using social proof and iterative optimization.