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Tools · Marketing

Referral Program

Describe an offering — get a referral/word-of-mouth program design.

How it works

Corpus-grounded (referral/viral loops + incentives via the marketing cluster). Recommends the program type, a sustainable incentive structure aligned to a real value moment, the mechanics, the ask triggers, the messaging, success metrics, and the risks (gaming, cannibalization) — with the riskiest assumptions.

You bring

{ offering, cluster? }

You get

{ offering_summary, program_type, incentive_structure, mechanics[], triggers[], messaging[], success_metrics[], risks[], riskiest_assumptions[], grounded_in, provenance }

Use it for

See it work

example output

Offering: a $29/month consumer budgeting app whose most-loved moment is the user's first "you under-spent this month" win.

Referral Program — Budgeting app ($29/mo consumer)

Offering: A personal-finance app; customers are budget-conscious individuals, and the standout value moment is the first month they finish under budget.

Two-sided refer-a-friend. Trust transfers naturally for a money app, and a two-sided reward beats one-sided because the advocate isn't asking a friend to do them a favor for nothing.

Incentive structure

  • Referrer: one month free per friend who reaches their first completed budget month (not just sign-up).
  • Friend: first month free.
  • Why it's sustainable: the reward is granted product (near-zero marginal cost), gated on an activated friend — so you only pay out when a real, retained user lands. Cap free months earned per year to blunt abuse.

Mechanics

  1. In-app share sheet generates a unique referral link/code.
  2. Friend installs, subscribes, and completes their first budget month.
  3. System verifies activation, then credits both sides automatically.

Ask triggers (the moments)

  • Right after the first "you came in under budget" win — peak goodwill.
  • After a streak milestone (3 on-budget months).
  • At an in-app positive-sentiment / high-rating moment.

Messaging

  • Lead with the shared identity: "Know someone who's trying to get a grip on their money? Give them their first month — get yours."
  • Make the friend's benefit the headline, the referrer's the kicker.

Success metrics

  • Referral participation rate (% of activated users who share).
  • K-factor (invites sent × conversion).
  • Activation-qualified referrals, not raw sign-ups.
  • Retention of referred vs. organic users.

Risks to manage

  • Gaming: self-referrals / throwaway accounts — gate on completed-budget-month + payment.
  • Cannibalization: rewarding users who'd have referred anyway — watch incremental lift.
  • Low-quality referrals: chasing the reward, not fit — tie payout to retention.

Riskiest assumptions

  • That the "under budget" win is emotionally shareable (some users treat finances as private).
  • That a free month is motivating enough at a $29 price without eroding margin.

Grounded in: marketing cluster · constructs: two-sided incentives, value-moment timing, viral loops / K-factor, fraud control · sources: Hooked (Eyal), referral-loop / growth literature.

Run it now

Design a referral program

Get a word-of-mouth program: the program type, a sustainable incentive structure, the mechanics, the ask triggers, messaging, success metrics, and the risks to manage.

Prefer code? Call it over the API or hand it to your AI agent via MCP — POST /api/bicycle/referral-program · design_referral_program. API & agent access →

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