Referral Program

Production-grade referral and affiliate program framework covering the 4-stage referral loop, incentive design methodology, trigger moment optimization, share mechanics, viral coefficient modeling, affiliate program architecture, and systematic optimization playbook. Designed to build programs that compound, not collect dust.

Use when

• The user asks to "design a referral program", "launch an affiliate program", or "improve viral growth"
• The decision between customer referral vs affiliate program needs to be made
• An existing referral program has stalled (K-factor <1, low share rate, low referred-user conversion)
• Reward structure needs sizing against CAC, margin, or LTV
• Trigger moments need to be identified (when to ask, which in-product events, which lifecycle emails)
• The user says "word-of-mouth isn't working" or "we want to add a refer-a-friend flow"

Table of Contents

• Referral vs Affiliate Decision
• The 4-Stage Referral Loop
• Incentive Design