Referral Program Designer
Marketing skill, available on Zeplik
Referral Program Designer is a ready-to-run marketing skill on Zeplik. Not for paid acquisition (use paid-ads). Ask in plain language and Zeplik applies the skill's method for you inside the conversation, on whichever AI model you prefer.
The Referral Program Designer skill loads automatically when your request matches it, or you can invoke it directly by typing /referral-program in any chat. It works with attachments, connectors, and any model that supports the task, so you get the same expert method every time without setting anything up.
What the Referral Program Designer skill can do
- Design double-sided referral loops with trigger moments and share mechanisms
- Size incentive rewards against LTV, margin, and target CAC
- Build affiliate commission structures with tiered rates and cookie windows
- Diagnose low referral rates and weak conversion with targeted fixes
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How the Referral Program Designer skill works
/referral-program
Design and optimize referral and affiliate programs that turn customers into growth engines.
Usage
/referral-program $ARGUMENTS
What I Need From You
- Program type -- customer referral, affiliate, or both? B2B or B2C?
- Economics -- average customer LTV, gross margin, current CAC from other channels
- Current state -- existing program, referral rate, incentives tried
- Product fit -- is the product naturally shareable? Do customers already talk about it?
Referral vs Affiliate
- Customer referral: existing customers recommend to their network; motivated by rewards plus helping friends; one-time rewards; higher trust, lower volume.
- Affiliate: creators, bloggers, and partners who may not be customers; motivated by commission; ongoing relationship; higher volume, needs more management.
- Hybrid: simple small rewards for customers plus structured commissions for partners is a common winning setup.
Referral Program Design
The loop: trigger moment -> share action -> referred user converts -> reward -> repeat.
1. Trigger moments -- ask at high-intent points: right after the first "aha", after a milestone, after great support, after renewal or upgrade, or when the product produces something shareable.
2. Share mechanism (ranked by conversion): in-product sharing, personalized link, email invitation, social share, referral code. Offer several, lead with the strongest.
3. Incentive structure -- double-sided rewards (both parties) convert best and frame a win-win. Tiered rewards gamify ongoing referrals (Morning Brew: stickers at 3, shirt at 5, hoodie at 25).
Incentive sizing:
Max referral reward = (LTV x gross margin) - target CAC
Example: $1,200 LTV, 70% margin, $200 target CAC -> up to $640 headroom. Typical: B2C $10-50 or 10-25% of first purchase; B2B SaaS $50-500 or 1-3 free months.
Incentive types: cash/credit (universal but transactional), product credit (drives usage), free months (may attract freebie-seekers), feature unlocks (cheap for freemium), swag (memorable), charity donation (mission-driven brands).
Classic examples: Dropbox (give 500MB, get 500MB -- reward tied to product value, low friction); Uber ($10 give/$10 get at natural moments); Notion ($10 education credits spreading through teams).
Affiliate Program Design
Commission structures: 10-30% of first sale or first year; flat fee per qualified action ($5-500); recurring 10-25% of subscription revenue; tiered rates to motivate top performers. Cookie windows: 7-14 days e-commerce, 30 days SaaS, 60-90 days enterprise.
Recruit: customers who create content, niche bloggers and YouTubers, newsletter writers, complementary tool companies, consultants. Pitch a specific win-win referencing their actual content.
Enable affiliates with: tracking links, product overview, audience description, competitor comparisons, creative assets, sample copy, case studies, demo access, clear payment terms.
Measuring the Program
- K-factor = invitations x conversion rate. K > 1 is true viral growth; below 1 still amplifies other acquisition.
- Referral rate = referring customers / total customers. 10-25% is good, 25-50% great.
- ROI = (revenue from referred customers - rewards - tooling - management time) / program costs.
- Track referred customers as a cohort: they typically show 16-25% higher LTV, 18-37% lower churn, and refer at 2-3x the rate.
Optimization
Few customers referring: ask at better moments, simplify sharing to one click, test incentive types, make the program prominent, remind by email. Referrals not converting: improve the referred landing experience, strengthen the new-user incentive, make the referrer's endorsement visible, shorten time to value.
A/B tests worth running: reward amount and type, single vs double-sided, prompt placement and trigger timing, referral landing page copy.
Fraud Prevention
Watch for self-referrals, referral rings, coupon sites farming codes. Defenses: email verification, delayed payout until activation, minimum activity threshold before reward, per-period referral caps, clawback on refunds, paying in product credit, manual review of suspicious patterns.
Launch Checklist
- Goals and success metrics defined
- Incentive structure sized against LTV
- Referral landing page and email templates
- Tracking and attribution in place
- Fraud rules and terms of service
- Full flow tested end to end
- Announcement to existing customers plus in-app prompts
- 30-day review: funnel conversion, top referrers, friction fixes
How to use the Referral Program Designer skill
Sign in to Zeplik
Create a free Zeplik account or sign in. New accounts start with free credits, so you can try the Referral Program Designer skill right away.
Describe your marketing task
Ask in plain language, or type /referral-program to invoke the skill directly. Zeplik recognizes the Referral Program Designer skill and applies its method.
Review and refine the result
Zeplik returns a clear, structured answer. Ask follow-ups in the same chat to refine it or take the next step.
Source and credit
- Author
- davila7
- License
- MIT
Adapted from the open-source davila7/claude-code-templates project and tuned to run natively on Zeplik. View source on GitHub.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Referral Program Designer skill?
- Referral Program Designer is a ready-to-run marketing skill on Zeplik. Not for paid acquisition (use paid-ads). Ask in plain language and Zeplik applies the skill's method for you inside the conversation, on whichever AI model you prefer.
- How do I use Referral Program Designer on Zeplik?
- Sign in to Zeplik and ask in plain language, or type /referral-program in any chat to invoke it directly. The skill applies its method and returns a result you can refine in the same conversation.
- Which AI model does the Referral Program Designer skill use?
- Any model you choose. Zeplik works across every model in one chat, so the Referral Program Designer skill runs on your preferred model for the task.
- Where does the Referral Program Designer skill come from?
- The Referral Program Designer skill is adapted from the open-source davila7/claude-code-templates project (MIT) and tuned to run natively on Zeplik. The original source is linked on this page.
- How much does the Referral Program Designer skill cost?
- Using the skill is free to start. You only spend Zeplik credits when the assistant runs, and new accounts begin with free credits.
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More on Zeplik
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