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>
This commit is contained in:
Corey Haines
2026-01-26 16:39:45 -08:00
parent becdd54cf9
commit c29ee7e6db
28 changed files with 4381 additions and 5100 deletions

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# Affiliate Program Design
Detailed guidance for building and managing affiliate programs.
## Commission Structures
**Percentage of sale:**
- Standard: 10-30% of first sale or first year
- Works for: E-commerce, SaaS with clear pricing
- Example: "Earn 25% of every sale you refer"
**Flat fee per action:**
- Standard: $5-500 depending on value
- Works for: Lead gen, trials, freemium
- Example: "$50 for every qualified demo"
**Recurring commission:**
- Standard: 10-25% of recurring revenue
- Works for: Subscription products
- Example: "20% of subscription for 12 months"
**Tiered commission:**
- Works for: Motivating high performers
- Example: "20% for 1-10 sales, 25% for 11-25, 30% for 26+"
---
## Cookie Duration
How long after click does affiliate get credit?
| Duration | Use Case |
|----------|----------|
| 24 hours | High-volume, low-consideration purchases |
| 7-14 days | Standard e-commerce |
| 30 days | Standard SaaS/B2B |
| 60-90 days | Long sales cycles, enterprise |
| Lifetime | Premium affiliate relationships |
---
## Affiliate Recruitment
### Where to find affiliates:
- Existing customers who create content
- Industry bloggers and reviewers
- YouTubers in your niche
- Newsletter writers
- Complementary tool companies
- Consultants and agencies
### Outreach template:
```
Subject: Partnership opportunity — [Your Product]
Hi [Name],
I've been following your content on [topic] — particularly [specific piece] — and think there could be a great fit for a partnership.
[Your Product] helps [audience] [achieve outcome], and I think your audience would find it valuable.
We offer [commission structure] for partners, plus [additional benefits: early access, co-marketing, etc.].
Would you be open to learning more?
[Your name]
```
---
## Affiliate Enablement
Provide affiliates with:
- [ ] Unique tracking links/codes
- [ ] Product overview and key benefits
- [ ] Target audience description
- [ ] Comparison to competitors
- [ ] Creative assets (logos, banners, images)
- [ ] Sample copy and talking points
- [ ] Case studies and testimonials
- [ ] Demo access or free account
- [ ] FAQ and objection handling
- [ ] Payment terms and schedule
---
## Tools & Platforms
### Referral Program Tools
**Full-featured platforms:**
- ReferralCandy — E-commerce focused
- Ambassador — Enterprise referral programs
- Friendbuy — E-commerce and subscription
- GrowSurf — SaaS and tech companies
- Viral Loops — Template-based campaigns
**Built-in options:**
- Stripe (basic referral tracking)
- HubSpot (CRM-integrated)
- Segment (tracking and analytics)
### Affiliate Program Tools
**Affiliate networks:**
- ShareASale — Large merchant network
- Impact — Enterprise partnerships
- PartnerStack — SaaS focused
- Tapfiliate — Simple SaaS affiliate tracking
- FirstPromoter — SaaS affiliate management
**Self-hosted:**
- Rewardful — Stripe-integrated affiliates
- Refersion — E-commerce affiliates
### Choosing a Tool
Consider:
- Integration with your payment system
- Fraud detection capabilities
- Payout management
- Reporting and analytics
- Customization options
- Price vs. program scale
---
## Fraud Prevention
### Common Referral Fraud
- Self-referrals (creating fake accounts)
- Referral rings (groups referring each other)
- Coupon sites posting referral codes
- Fake email addresses
- VPN/device spoofing
### Prevention Measures
**Technical:**
- Email verification required
- Device fingerprinting
- IP address monitoring
- Delayed reward payout (after activation)
- Minimum activity threshold
**Policy:**
- Clear terms of service
- Maximum referrals per period
- Reward clawback for refunds/chargebacks
- Manual review for suspicious patterns
**Structural:**
- Require referred user to take meaningful action
- Cap lifetime rewards
- Pay rewards in product credit (less attractive to fraudsters)

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# Referral Program Examples
Real-world examples of successful referral programs.
## Dropbox (Classic)
**Program:** Give 500MB storage, get 500MB storage
**Why it worked:**
- Reward directly tied to product value
- Low friction (just an email)
- Both parties benefit equally
- Gamified with progress tracking
---
## Uber/Lyft
**Program:** Give $10 ride credit, get $10 when they ride
**Why it worked:**
- Immediate, clear value
- Double-sided incentive
- Easy to share (code/link)
- Triggered at natural moments
---
## Morning Brew
**Program:** Tiered rewards for subscriber referrals
- 3 referrals: Newsletter stickers
- 5 referrals: T-shirt
- 10 referrals: Mug
- 25 referrals: Hoodie
**Why it worked:**
- Gamification drives ongoing engagement
- Physical rewards are shareable (more referrals)
- Low cost relative to subscriber value
- Built status/identity
---
## Notion
**Program:** $10 credit per referral (education)
**Why it worked:**
- Targeted high-sharing audience (students)
- Product naturally spreads in teams
- Credit keeps users engaged
---
## Incentive Types Comparison
| Type | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|------|------|------|----------|
| Cash/credit | Universally valued | Feels transactional | Marketplaces, fintech |
| Product credit | Drives usage | Only valuable if they'll use it | SaaS, subscriptions |
| Free months | Clear value | May attract freebie-seekers | Subscription products |
| Feature unlock | Low cost to you | Only works for gated features | Freemium products |
| Swag/gifts | Memorable, shareable | Logistics complexity | Brand-focused companies |
| Charity donation | Feel-good | Lower personal motivation | Mission-driven brands |
---
## Incentive Sizing Framework
**Calculate your maximum incentive:**
```
Max Referral Reward = (Customer LTV × Gross Margin) - Target CAC
```
**Example:**
- LTV: $1,200
- Gross margin: 70%
- Target CAC: $200
- Max reward: ($1,200 × 0.70) - $200 = $640
**Typical referral rewards:**
- B2C: $10-50 or 10-25% of first purchase
- B2B SaaS: $50-500 or 1-3 months free
- Enterprise: Higher, often custom
---
## Viral Coefficient & Metrics
### Key Metrics
**Viral coefficient (K-factor):**
```
K = Invitations × Conversion Rate
K > 1 = Viral growth (each user brings more than 1 new user)
K < 1 = Amplified growth (referrals supplement other acquisition)
```
**Example:**
- Average customer sends 3 invitations
- 15% of invitations convert
- K = 3 × 0.15 = 0.45
**Referral rate:**
```
Referral Rate = (Customers who refer) / (Total customers)
```
Benchmarks:
- Good: 10-25% of customers refer
- Great: 25-50%
- Exceptional: 50%+
**Referrals per referrer:**
Benchmarks:
- Average: 1-2 referrals per referrer
- Good: 2-5
- Exceptional: 5+
### Calculating Referral Program ROI
```
Referral Program ROI = (Revenue from referred customers - Program costs) / Program costs
Program costs = Rewards paid + Tool costs + Management time
```
**Track separately:**
- Cost per referred customer (CAC via referral)
- LTV of referred customers (often higher than average)
- Payback period for referral rewards