Mmcp.market

referrals skill

by coreyhaines31·coreyhaines31/marketingskills·52k stars·MIT

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.

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Install the referrals skill

A skill is a folder. Copy it into your agent's skills folder and the agent loads it when the task matches its description. 

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills.git /tmp/marketingskills
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/marketingskills/skills/referrals ~/.claude/skills/referrals
available in every project

In the Claude apps, zip the folder and upload it from the Skills settings. The folder on GitHub

The instructions your agent would load

SKILL.md as published, without the frontmatter. Read it on GitHub

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.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, 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?

Should You Engineer Virality First?

Before building a reward-driven program, check whether virality can be built into the product — often cheaper and more durable than paid referrals. But don't force virality where it doesn't naturally fit.

Place the product on the Viral Potential Spectrum:

  • Natural (build for it): collaboration tools, communication tools, user-facing outputs — every use exposes the product to non-users.
  • Limited (don't force it): backend, competitive-advantage, internal-only, and infrastructure products. Invest in referral programs, content, and partnerships instead.

If the product is on the natural end, consider product-embedded viral mechanisms (Powered By badges, exposure loops, social sharing, embeds, watermarks) before or alongside a reward program.

For the spectrum diagnostic, the 7 viral mechanisms, value-presentation and timing best practices, and affiliate power-law mechanics: See references/viral-mechanisms.md

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

Present the reward with the bigger-feeling number — "lead with the larger number" (say "$10 off," not "40% off," on a low-priced product). Reward at the aha moment or milestone, not signup. Reduce friction: one-click share, pre-written messages.

For examples and incentive sizing: See references/program-examples.md

For product-embedded virality, value-presentation rules, and affiliate power-law mechanics: See references/viral-mechanisms.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

Measuring Success

Key Metrics

Program health:

More skills from coreyhaines31/marketingskills

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