Read this page as a quick path: scan the headings, use the step blocks, and escalate if the expected result does not happen.
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Before you promote your referral program to customers, test it end-to-end to make sure everything works correctly.
how to test your referral program before going live:
Dashboard overview showing key campaign metrics and setup status.
Why you need an incognito window
Always test in an incognito or private browsing window. Your regular browser stores cookies that can interfere with referral tracking — if you click your own referral link in a browser where you're already logged into Referral Factory, the system will recognise you and block the submission. Incognito prevents this.
Testing checklist
Once you've confirmed all steps work end-to-end, you're ready to promote.
- Open an incognito window and paste in a referral link from one of your test referrers
- Confirm the Referral Link Page loads correctly — check the design, copy, offer, and branding look right
- Submit the lead form using a real email address you can access
- Go to your Leads tab and confirm the new lead appears with Pending status and the correct referrer attribution
- Check that the referrer received a "You have a new referral" email (if that template is enabled)
- Check that the lead received a "You've been referred" email (if that template is enabled)
- Qualify the test lead manually from the Leads tab and confirm the status changes to Qualified
- Confirm any reward shows as Due and, if auto-issue is on, triggers correctly