Integration · Email
Viral Loops + Mailchimp
Connect one Mailchimp audience to your referral program, both ways. Participants join it with their referral link and referral count as merge tags, and new subscribers get a referral link too.
- What syncs
- Participants and merge tags, both ways
- Plan
- All plans
- Setup
- Sign in with Mailchimp
What syncs between Viral Loops and Mailchimp?
Participants join your audience, with their referral link as a merge field.
Viral Loops to Mailchimp
EMAIL- Every participant, added to or updated in your audience, with FNAME and LNAME
SHAREURL- Their personal referral link, for any email you send
REFERRALS- How many friends they've referred so far
REFCODE- Their referral code
REFEMAIL- Who referred them, with REFFNAME and REFLNAME
RANK- Their place on the leaderboard, in giveaway campaigns
Mailchimp to Viral Loops
New subscribers- Join your program automatically, with their own referral link
Audience import- Brings the people already on your list into the program
Unsubscribes- Stop your campaign emails to them, without removing them from the program
One campaign connects to one audience. If your audience requires any field beyond email, first name and last name, the sync fails, so make the others optional first.
What can you do with Mailchimp and Viral Loops?
- 1
Put every reader's link in your newsletter
Add the SHAREURL and REFERRALS merge tags to your Mailchimp template, and each subscriber sees their own link and count in every issue.
- 2
Email people when they reach a reward
Build a Mailchimp segment on REFERRALS, for example 3 or more, and send the reward email from Mailchimp in your own design.
- 3
Give your whole list a link on day one
Import your audience when you launch. Everyone already subscribed gets a referral link, and new subscribers get one as they join.
How do you connect Mailchimp?
Full setup guide- 1
Open Integrations
In your campaign, go to the Integrations step and choose Mailchimp.
- 2
Allow access
Click Connect, sign in to Mailchimp and allow Viral Loops to reach your account.
- 3
Choose your audience
Pick the audience participants should join. New subscribers to it join your program too.
- 4
Add the merge tags
Put the SHAREURL and REFERRALS merge tags in your Mailchimp emails, and each person sees their own.
Which templates work best with Mailchimp?
All templates
Newsletter templateThe Newsletter ReferralEvery subscriber's link in every issue, through the SHAREURL merge tag.
Referral templateThe Milestone ReferralA Mailchimp segment for each milestone, built on REFERRALS.
Waitlist templateThe Startup PrelaunchYour waitlist grows inside the audience you'll launch to.
FAQ
Mailchimp FAQ
Which merge tags does Viral Loops add to Mailchimp?
SHAREURL for the referral link, REFERRALS for the referral count and REFCODE for the referral code. REFEMAIL, REFFNAME and REFLNAME say who referred them, and giveaways add leaderboard tags like RANK. In an email you write them as *|SHAREURL|*.
Do my existing subscribers get a referral link?
Yes. Import your audience from the Viral Loops dashboard and each subscriber joins your program with a referral link. New subscribers join automatically.
What happens when someone unsubscribes in Mailchimp?
They stop getting your campaign emails but stay in your program. It works one way: unsubscribing in Viral Loops doesn't unsubscribe them in Mailchimp.
Why did my Mailchimp sync fail?
Usually because the audience requires a field other than email, first name and last name. Make the extra fields optional in Mailchimp and the sync goes through.
Can I send the referral emails from Mailchimp instead?
Yes. Turn off the Viral Loops notification emails and send your own from Mailchimp, with the merge tags filling in each person's link and count.
More email integrations
All integrations
KlaviyoParticipants join your lists, with their referral link ready for any flow.
ActiveCampaignContacts sync with their referral link, ready for your automations.
Customer.ioNew Customer.io users join your program automatically.
BrevoContacts added to your Brevo list join your program with a referral link.
Marketo EngageReferred friends join your Marketo database, and every member gets a referral link.
WishpondReferred friends join your Wishpond list, and every member gets a referral link.
Connect Mailchimp to your referral program.
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