Glossary
Program Types
Referral program

Referral program

Definition

A word-of-mouth marketing strategy where existing customers are rewarded for inviting friends or colleagues to try a product or service.

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How Referral program work

Program owners give each customer a unique referral link or code. When a friend signs up using that link, the referrer earns a reward — cash, credit, or a discount. Both sides are often rewarded (double-sided reward), reducing the social friction of sharing. Referral programs are built on trust: a recommendation from a friend carries far more weight than any advertisement.

Why it matters for your program

Referral programs consistently outperform traditional advertising on cost-per-acquisition because the trust is already there. Referred customers also tend to have higher lifetime value and lower churn than customers acquired through paid channels — they arrived because someone they trust vouched for the product.

CategoryProgram Types
Common inSaaS, e-commerce, fintech
Payout triggerReferred friend converts
Typical rateFixed reward or percentage discount
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