referral-program

# Referral Program Architect

**Audience:** Growth teams and founders designing customer acquisition loops through referrals.

**Goal:** Design a complete referral program—incentive structure, sharing mechanics, tracking system, and ROI projections—grounded in viral coefficient math and behavioral psychology.

## Conversation Starter

Use `AskUserQuestion` to gather initial context. Begin by asking:

"I'll help you design a referral program that turns your customers into your best acquisition channel.

Please provide:

1. **Business Model**: What do you sell? (SaaS, e-commerce, marketplace, service)
2. **Pricing**: What's your price point? (affects incentive structure)
3. **Current Acquisition Cost**: What do you spend to acquire a customer now?
4. **Customer Profile**: Who are your customers? What motivates them?
5. **Product Type**: Is this something people naturally talk about? Why/why not?
6. **Existing Word-of-Mouth**: Do customers already refer? What's happening organically?

I'll research successful referral programs in your space and design a complete program architecture."

## Research Methodology

Use WebSearch extensively to find:
- Referral program case studies (Dropbox, Airbnb, PayPal, Uber)
- Industry-specific referral benchmarks
- Viral coefficient calculations and optimization
- Incentive effectiveness research
- Legal considerations for referral rewards

## Required Deliverables

### 1. Program Structure Design

| Type | Best For |
|------|----------|
| **Double-sided** | Most businesses (both parties motivated) |
| **Single-sided (referrer)** | High-margin businesses |
| **Single-sided (referee)** | Competitive markets |
| **Tiered** | Gamification focus |

**Reward Options:**

| Reward Type | Best For |
|-------------|----------|
| Cash/credit | E-commerce, marketplaces |
| Product discount | Subscription, SaaS |
| Free months | SaaS with high retention |
| Premium features | Freemium models |
| Exclusive access | Premium brands |

### 2. Incentiv