Optimize skill files for AI agent use with progressive disclosure
- Fix marketplace.json: add 2 missing skills (content-strategy, product-marketing-context) - Refactor 10 skills over 500 lines to use references/ folders: - email-sequence: 926 → 291 lines - social-content: 809 → 276 lines - competitor-alternatives: 750 → 253 lines - pricing-strategy: 712 → 226 lines - programmatic-seo: 628 → 235 lines - referral-program: 604 → 239 lines - schema-markup: 598 → 175 lines - free-tool-strategy: 576 → 176 lines - paywall-upgrade-cro: 572 → 224 lines - marketing-ideas: 566 → 165 lines Each skill now has core workflow in SKILL.md (<500 lines) with detailed content in references/ folder for progressive disclosure. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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skills/referral-program/references/affiliate-programs.md
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skills/referral-program/references/affiliate-programs.md
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# Affiliate Program Design
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Detailed guidance for building and managing affiliate programs.
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## Commission Structures
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**Percentage of sale:**
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- Standard: 10-30% of first sale or first year
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- Works for: E-commerce, SaaS with clear pricing
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- Example: "Earn 25% of every sale you refer"
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**Flat fee per action:**
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- Standard: $5-500 depending on value
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- Works for: Lead gen, trials, freemium
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- Example: "$50 for every qualified demo"
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**Recurring commission:**
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- Standard: 10-25% of recurring revenue
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- Works for: Subscription products
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- Example: "20% of subscription for 12 months"
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**Tiered commission:**
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- Works for: Motivating high performers
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- Example: "20% for 1-10 sales, 25% for 11-25, 30% for 26+"
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---
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## Cookie Duration
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How long after click does affiliate get credit?
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| Duration | Use Case |
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|----------|----------|
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| 24 hours | High-volume, low-consideration purchases |
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| 7-14 days | Standard e-commerce |
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| 30 days | Standard SaaS/B2B |
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| 60-90 days | Long sales cycles, enterprise |
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| Lifetime | Premium affiliate relationships |
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---
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## Affiliate Recruitment
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### Where to find affiliates:
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- Existing customers who create content
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- Industry bloggers and reviewers
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- YouTubers in your niche
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- Newsletter writers
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- Complementary tool companies
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- Consultants and agencies
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### Outreach template:
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```
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Subject: Partnership opportunity — [Your Product]
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Hi [Name],
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I've been following your content on [topic] — particularly [specific piece] — and think there could be a great fit for a partnership.
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[Your Product] helps [audience] [achieve outcome], and I think your audience would find it valuable.
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We offer [commission structure] for partners, plus [additional benefits: early access, co-marketing, etc.].
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Would you be open to learning more?
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[Your name]
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```
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---
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## Affiliate Enablement
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Provide affiliates with:
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- [ ] Unique tracking links/codes
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- [ ] Product overview and key benefits
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- [ ] Target audience description
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- [ ] Comparison to competitors
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- [ ] Creative assets (logos, banners, images)
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- [ ] Sample copy and talking points
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- [ ] Case studies and testimonials
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- [ ] Demo access or free account
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- [ ] FAQ and objection handling
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- [ ] Payment terms and schedule
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---
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## Tools & Platforms
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### Referral Program Tools
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**Full-featured platforms:**
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- ReferralCandy — E-commerce focused
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- Ambassador — Enterprise referral programs
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- Friendbuy — E-commerce and subscription
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- GrowSurf — SaaS and tech companies
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- Viral Loops — Template-based campaigns
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**Built-in options:**
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- Stripe (basic referral tracking)
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- HubSpot (CRM-integrated)
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- Segment (tracking and analytics)
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### Affiliate Program Tools
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**Affiliate networks:**
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- ShareASale — Large merchant network
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- Impact — Enterprise partnerships
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- PartnerStack — SaaS focused
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- Tapfiliate — Simple SaaS affiliate tracking
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- FirstPromoter — SaaS affiliate management
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**Self-hosted:**
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- Rewardful — Stripe-integrated affiliates
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- Refersion — E-commerce affiliates
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### Choosing a Tool
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Consider:
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- Integration with your payment system
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- Fraud detection capabilities
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- Payout management
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- Reporting and analytics
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- Customization options
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- Price vs. program scale
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---
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## Fraud Prevention
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### Common Referral Fraud
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- Self-referrals (creating fake accounts)
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- Referral rings (groups referring each other)
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- Coupon sites posting referral codes
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- Fake email addresses
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- VPN/device spoofing
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### Prevention Measures
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**Technical:**
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- Email verification required
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- Device fingerprinting
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- IP address monitoring
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- Delayed reward payout (after activation)
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- Minimum activity threshold
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**Policy:**
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- Clear terms of service
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- Maximum referrals per period
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- Reward clawback for refunds/chargebacks
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- Manual review for suspicious patterns
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**Structural:**
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- Require referred user to take meaningful action
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- Cap lifetime rewards
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- Pay rewards in product credit (less attractive to fraudsters)
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skills/referral-program/references/program-examples.md
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# Referral Program Examples
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Real-world examples of successful referral programs.
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## Dropbox (Classic)
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**Program:** Give 500MB storage, get 500MB storage
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**Why it worked:**
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- Reward directly tied to product value
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- Low friction (just an email)
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- Both parties benefit equally
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- Gamified with progress tracking
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---
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## Uber/Lyft
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**Program:** Give $10 ride credit, get $10 when they ride
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**Why it worked:**
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- Immediate, clear value
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- Double-sided incentive
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- Easy to share (code/link)
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- Triggered at natural moments
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---
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## Morning Brew
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**Program:** Tiered rewards for subscriber referrals
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- 3 referrals: Newsletter stickers
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- 5 referrals: T-shirt
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- 10 referrals: Mug
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- 25 referrals: Hoodie
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**Why it worked:**
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- Gamification drives ongoing engagement
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- Physical rewards are shareable (more referrals)
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- Low cost relative to subscriber value
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- Built status/identity
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---
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## Notion
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**Program:** $10 credit per referral (education)
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**Why it worked:**
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- Targeted high-sharing audience (students)
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- Product naturally spreads in teams
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- Credit keeps users engaged
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---
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## Incentive Types Comparison
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| Type | Pros | Cons | Best For |
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|------|------|------|----------|
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| Cash/credit | Universally valued | Feels transactional | Marketplaces, fintech |
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| Product credit | Drives usage | Only valuable if they'll use it | SaaS, subscriptions |
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| Free months | Clear value | May attract freebie-seekers | Subscription products |
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| Feature unlock | Low cost to you | Only works for gated features | Freemium products |
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| Swag/gifts | Memorable, shareable | Logistics complexity | Brand-focused companies |
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| Charity donation | Feel-good | Lower personal motivation | Mission-driven brands |
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---
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## Incentive Sizing Framework
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**Calculate your maximum incentive:**
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```
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Max Referral Reward = (Customer LTV × Gross Margin) - Target CAC
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```
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**Example:**
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- LTV: $1,200
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- Gross margin: 70%
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- Target CAC: $200
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- Max reward: ($1,200 × 0.70) - $200 = $640
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**Typical referral rewards:**
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- B2C: $10-50 or 10-25% of first purchase
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- B2B SaaS: $50-500 or 1-3 months free
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- Enterprise: Higher, often custom
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---
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## Viral Coefficient & Metrics
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### Key Metrics
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**Viral coefficient (K-factor):**
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```
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K = Invitations × Conversion Rate
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K > 1 = Viral growth (each user brings more than 1 new user)
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K < 1 = Amplified growth (referrals supplement other acquisition)
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```
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**Example:**
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- Average customer sends 3 invitations
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- 15% of invitations convert
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- K = 3 × 0.15 = 0.45
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**Referral rate:**
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```
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Referral Rate = (Customers who refer) / (Total customers)
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```
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Benchmarks:
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- Good: 10-25% of customers refer
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- Great: 25-50%
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- Exceptional: 50%+
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**Referrals per referrer:**
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Benchmarks:
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- Average: 1-2 referrals per referrer
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- Good: 2-5
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- Exceptional: 5+
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### Calculating Referral Program ROI
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```
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Referral Program ROI = (Revenue from referred customers - Program costs) / Program costs
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Program costs = Rewards paid + Tool costs + Management time
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```
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**Track separately:**
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- Cost per referred customer (CAC via referral)
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- LTV of referred customers (often higher than average)
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- Payback period for referral rewards
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