· Venturi Code
Your happiest users are your cheapest marketing channel. A referral program turns them into one, if sharing is easy and the reward feels worth it on both sides.
1. Choose the reward
- Give-get (both sides get something) usually works best: the friend has a reason to sign up, and the referrer doesn’t feel like they’re selling.
- Account credit or free months cost you less than cash and keep people using the product.
- Cash commissions suit affiliates and creators who promote you regularly. Treat that as a separate affiliate program.
2. Give every user a unique link
Generate a short code per user, show the link in their account with a copy button, and pre-write a share message. When someone visits through a link, store the code in a cookie so the signup is attributed even if they come back later.
3. Reward on payment, not on signup
Credit the referrer when the friend becomes a paying customer, ideally after your refund window. Rewarding signups invites fake accounts.
4. Basic fraud checks
- No reward for referring yourself (same payment method or same email domain on a free mail provider is a hint)
- One reward per new customer
- Reverse the reward if the payment is refunded or disputed
- A cap per referrer per month, reviewed by hand above it
5. Ask at the right moment
Ask after a success: when a user finishes a project, hits a milestone or leaves a good rating. A referral prompt on day one rarely works.
The shortcut
Venturi Pro includes a referral widget, a share modal and an affiliate program kit for Next.js, so you don’t have to build the tracking yourself. Add them with npx venturi-dev add referral-widget share-modal.