Referral program templates.
Pick what you want to do. Each template is a referral program that already worked for a brand you know, ready to make your own.
Campaigns run on these templates
What do you want to do?
Choose a goal to see the templates made for it. Each one shows the widget your customers would see.
Get more customers
Launch with a waitlist
Run a giveaway
Sell more on Shopify
Invite friends
Give 20% off, get $5
4 friends joined with your link
Jay joined. $5 for you, 20% off for Jay
Referral template · Combines every template
The Universal Referral
- Who gets rewarded
- Referrers, their friends, or both
- A referral counts when
- Sign-up, purchase, or any event you send
- Plan
- Plus and up
Invite friends
Give 1 month free, get 1 month free
3 friends joined with your link
Jay joined. 1 month free for you, 1 month free for Jay
Referral template · Inspired by Dropbox
Refer a Friend
- Who gets rewarded
- The referrer and the friend
- A referral counts when
- The friend signs up
- Plan
- Plus and up
Your rewards
3 friends joined
2 more to unlock exclusive content
- 10% off coupon1 friendUnlocked
- Brand T-shirt3 friendsUnlocked
- 5Exclusive content5 friends2 to go
- 10Official ambassador10 friends7 to go
Unlocked: Brand T-shirt
Referral template · Inspired by Harry’s
The Milestone Referral
- Who gets rewarded
- The referrer, at each milestone
- A referral counts when
- A friend signs up, or buys
- Plan
- Plus and up
Your rewards
3 friends joined
2 more to unlock online event
- Reader shout-out1 friendUnlocked
- Exclusive content3 friendsUnlocked
- 5Online event5 friends2 to go
- 10Merch pack10 friends7 to go
Unlocked: Exclusive content
Newsletter template · Inspired by Morning Brew
The Newsletter Referral
- Who gets rewarded
- The subscriber, at each milestone
- A referral counts when
- A friend subscribes
- Plan
- All plans
A gift from Maya
20% off your first order
Jay placed an order. Your 20% coupon on its way
Store template · Built for Shopify stores
Viral Loops for Shopify
- Who gets rewarded
- The friend and the customer
- A referral counts when
- The friend places an order
- Plan
- All plans, or the Shopify app
You’re on the list, Maya
Your place#1,204
2,318 people behind you. Every friend who joins moves you up.
Jay joined with your link. Every friend who joins moves you up.
Waitlist template · Inspired by Robinhood
The Startup Prelaunch
- Who gets rewarded
- The top of the waitlist
- A referral counts when
- A friend joins the waitlist
- Plan
- All plans
Your entries
Draw in 6 days6 entries
to win a festival weekend for two
- You entered1
- 5 friends entered+5
Jay entered with your link. +1 entry
Giveaway template · Inspired by Mailchimp
The Tempting Giveaway
- Who gets rewarded
- Winners drawn at random
- A referral counts when
- A friend enters the giveaway
- Plan
- All plans
Leaderboard
Ends in 6 daysThe top 10 win a free year
- 1LKLena K48
- 2OSOmar S41
- 3PNPriya N37
- 4MRMaya R (you)35
- 5TWTom W29
3 more referrals to pass Priya
Giveaway template · Inspired by Jet
The Leaderboard Giveaway
- Who gets rewarded
- The top referrers
- A referral counts when
- A friend joins
- Plan
- All plans
Stories from teams using these templates
Customer story · Milestone Referral
Growth Tribe went from idea to an online growth marketing summit in one month, with an ambassador program.A third of all registrations came from referrals
Customer story · Milestone Referral
JoeyWears built the email list for its Kickstarter launch with a milestone referral prelaunch.Every sign‑up brought 1.4 sign‑ups
Customer story · Tempting Giveaway
Mustard built a new audience for Camp Bestival Shropshire with a referral giveaway before the ticket pre-sale.30% more sign‑ups from referrals
Customer story · Milestone Referral
Prentus, a career platform, launched with a waiting list that unlocked rewards as people referred friends.20% referral rate
Customer story · Newsletter Referral
the DONUT, a daily news newsletter, was one of the first to run the Newsletter Referral, rewarding its readers.From zero to tens of thousands of subscribers
Customer story · Startup Prelaunchultimate.money, a DeFi wallet, opened its private beta with a referral waitlist people climbed by inviting friends.200,000 people in the first four weeks
Compare all 8 templates
The same four questions for every template: who it suits, who gets rewarded, what counts as a referral, and which plan includes it.
| Template | Best for | Who gets rewarded | A referral counts when | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Universal ReferralCombines every template | Programs that run all year | Referrers, their friends, or both | Sign-up, purchase, or any event you send | Plus and up |
| Refer a FriendInspired by Dropbox | More sign-ups, with a reward for both sides | The referrer and the friend | The friend signs up | Plus and up |
| The Milestone ReferralInspired by Harry’s | Ambassador and ongoing programs | The referrer, at each milestone | A friend signs up, or buys | Plus and up |
| The Newsletter ReferralInspired by Morning Brew | Newsletters that grow through readers | The subscriber, at each milestone | A friend subscribes | All plans |
| Viral Loops for ShopifyBuilt for Shopify stores | Shopify stores | The friend and the customer | The friend places an order | All plans, or the Shopify app |
| The Startup PrelaunchInspired by Robinhood | Launching with a waitlist | The top of the waitlist | A friend joins the waitlist | All plans |
| The Tempting GiveawayInspired by Mailchimp | Giveaways and pre-sales | Winners drawn at random | A friend enters the giveaway | All plans |
| The Leaderboard GiveawayInspired by Jet | Contests with prizes for the top | The top referrers | A friend joins | All plans |
- Referral programs made with Viral Loops
- 52,000+
- On Trustpilot, from 121 reviews
- 4.8
- On Capterra, from 137 reviews
- 4.6
Pick a template. Launch this week.
Plans start at $35 a month, billed annually. Try it free for 14 days, or talk to our team.