10 Effortless Referral Email Templates: Share Your Referral Program with Ease
Just like the age-old question, ‘If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ – a similar dilemma arises in the realm of referral programs.
If you create a referral program and no users are around to refer, does it generate new customers?
Once the program is live, a recurring question remains: ‘HOW DO I ACTIVELY ASK USERS TO REFER THEIR FRIENDS?’ Our referral email templates hold the answer. You may want to use them as copy-paste-slightly-adjust or referral email examples for inspiration and creating your own.
The complex answer is offering the right rewards and incentives for a loyal customer doing the referral and the new customers getting referred.
The simple answer is to promote your referral program. But how can you streamline your referral process in a way?
One of the effective ways to announce your referral program is through email announcement. Your referral email message doesn’t have to be formal; it could be casual or friendly. You just need to spend a little more time creating a great email to ensure people open it. Make sure that the steps are clear and that everything is clear about the sign-up and referral process.
You can email your fans or customers, inviting them to join your referral program. It’s a way of making sure people are around to hear a tree’s sound when it falls in the forest. 😉
To make it super easy for you, we’ve provided you with ten referral email templates to announce your referral program to your customers. Each referral email template is unique in its own way, so you have to review if it packs the right message for your customer base.
If you want to start your own referral program, here are referral email templates that you can easily replicate.
Table of Contents
Referral Email Templates
Template 1
Subject Line: Refer And Earn $200 {First Name}
Remember us? We’re the [Your Business Name] offering $200 for every successful referral you send our way 💸
There is no limit to how many customers you can refer. We’ll gladly reward you for every friend you refer to us who becomes an active customer.
You’ll get $200. Your friend will get a brand-spanking new [Item]. It’s a total win-win!
Use the links below to refer. Share directly with friends and on your social media channels to reach even more people 👇
[Referral Campaign Link]
Template 2
Subject Line: Refer your friends to [Your Business Name], {First Name}.
Hi {First Name}. Get a £50 Amazon voucher for every friend you refer!
We wanted our most valued customers to be the first to know. Now, when you refer a friend to [Your Business Name], we’ll reward both of you. Referring five friends can earn you up to £250 worth of Amazon vouchers, that’s £50 for each successful referral, and each of your friends that qualifies for a [Your Service Solution] receives £50 discount off their next [Your Service Solution 2].
Use the buttons below to start referring your friends!
[Referral Campaign Link]
Template 3
Subject Line: {First Name}, help your friends [Your Service Solution]
Hi {First Name},
We have just launched our referral program, and we’d like to invite you to refer friends and earn rewards!
We’ll reward you with [reward] for every friend you refer to us that becomes a customer.
Use the buttons below or copy your unique link to refer your friends to [Your Business Name].
[Referral Campaign Link]
You can track your referrals using the button below. The more friends you refer, the more [rewards] you will get.
If you want to track your referrals, use the button below 👇
Track Your Referrals [Button]
Template 4
Subject Line: Help [Your Business Name] grow and earn [reward] for your effort
Hi {First Name},
In our efforts to grow our brand, [Your Business Name] is finally launching our own referral program.
The best part is that we want you, {First Name}, to be at the center of it.
Help us expand our reach, and we’ll give you an exclusive [reward] for every friend you refer to [Your Business Name].
Oh, and this [reward] doesn’t have an expiration date. Use it when you feel like it.
To get started with your referrals, click on the button below to generate your unique referral link.
[Insert link to customer’s unique referral link]
Thank you for being a loyal customer, and we’re excited to have you on this journey.
Template 5
Subject Line: Get early access to our [New Product or Feature]
Hi {First Name},
We’ve been keeping this under wraps for a long while, but the time has come. [Your Business Name] is finally launching the [New Product or Feature] on [Date of New Product/Feature Release]!
As one of our loyal customers, we’re giving you the chance to get early access to this [New Product or Feature]. You just need to refer a friend to [Your Business Name], and you’ll receive early access to [New Product or Feature] right away.
You heard that right: one referral = exclusive early access. It’s that simple, right?
So, what are you waiting for? Click on your referral link below and try our [New Product or Feature] as soon as possible!
[Customer’s referral campaign link]
Template 6
Subject Line: Celebrate with [Your Business Name] through our exclusive referral program
Hi {First Name},
As part of our [Company Milestone or Anniversary] celebration, [Your Business Name] is launching an exclusive referral program for loyal customers like you!
The mechanics are simple: refer a friend to [Your Business Name], and both of you will get a [Reward]. This is our way of expressing our gratitude to you for participating in this incredible journey.
Get in on the fun and start earning rewards! Click on your referral link below to get started.
[Insert link to customer’s unique referral campaign link]
Template 7
Subject Line: Here’s a reward for your kind words
Hi {First Name},
We’re very grateful for the kind words you left on our [Social Media Platform or Website]. It’s always our goal to offer the best [Product or Service] to our valued customers.
To thank you, we’re offering you an exclusive opportunity to join our referral program! By successfully referring a friend to [Your Business Name], you’ll earn access to a [Reward].
You’re not only helping us reach more people in need of our [Product or Service], but you’re also rewarded for your efforts. It’s a win-win situation, right?
To get started with your referrals, click on your referral link below.
[Customer’s referral link]
Template 8
Subject Line: Spread the [Your Business Name] vibes to your friends in need
Hi {First Name},
At [Your Business Name], we aim to help people who need our services. As one of our loyal customers, you have a first-hand experience of our advocacy.
In line with this goal, we invite you to participate in our exclusive referral program. Help us grow our brand, and you’ll get rewards in return.
For every friend you refer to [Your Business Name], you and your friend get access to [Reward].
To get started, click on your referral link below.
[Customer’s referral link]
Template 9
Subject Line: Don’t miss out on these exclusive rewards
Hi {First Name},
Have you heard about our exclusive referral program? It’s about to end on [Date], and we’re giving out more rewards to spice up the activities.
In the last couple of weeks of our current referral program, you won’t just get one reward for every friend you refer to [Your Business Name]. You get two rewards for every successful referral, including a [Reward A] and a [Reward B].
Double the rewards, double the fun!
So, what are you waiting for? Click on your referral campaign link below and start earning these great rewards!
[Customer’s referral campaign link]
Template 10
Subject Line: Your free [Product or Service] is waiting for you
Hi {First Name},
Why spend your hard-earned money on this [Product or Service] when [Your Business Name] can give it to you for free?
All you have to do is participate in our referral program, and you’ll get exclusive access to a [Product or Service] of your choice. The more referrals you make, the more rewards you’ll earn.
So enjoy the fun, refer your friends to [Your Business Name], and earn your free [Product or Service].
[Referral Campaign Link]
Exploring Deeper. What is a Referral Email?
Customer acquisition can be done in many fun ways; your marketing team can use giveaways, or you can request your current customers to leave a positive review of your product. You have to know that 88% of consumers check reviews or testimonials before deciding to purchase a product or service.
A positive review or good customer feedback gives your business an air of legitimacy, encouraging more people to look into your offering. However, not every one of your loyal customers has the initiative or time to write a positive review on social media or on your website. So, what can you do to encourage them to promote your product to their friends and connections?
You can launch a referral rewards program that incentivizes your existing customers when they successfully refer your business to a new customer. You can announce your referral marketing program in a variety of ways. You can announce the details on your social media platforms or send out referral emails to your active customers.
A referral email is a simple message that lets your loyal customers know about your business’s referral program. The personal and direct nature of referral emails will make your customers feel that they’re part of something big, which could motivate them to generate successful referrals immediately.
Of course, you need patience, creativity, and consistency to make a customer referral program successful. There are referral email templates that you can always follow, but you also have to streamline some things first before you write one.
What Should I Do Before Sending Referral Emails?
While it’s true that there are referral email templates that will make your life easier, there are other facets of your business that you need to optimize first. Take a look at some of the things you need to do before sending out your referral emails.
Make sure your product works
The prerequisite to a new referral program is you already have a product that’s trusted by a lot of people. This won’t work if only a handful of customers find your product useful. You’ll get the most out of referral programs if you have a wide customer base that knows what you can do.
Having said that, you need to ensure your product is working at an optimum level before you launch a referral program. If your product fails when a potential referred customer is taking an initial look at it, that would be embarrassing for you and your loyal customer. You don’t just lose out on a potential customer acquisition, but you also take the risk of losing one of your current customers.
So before you put up your program, let your technical and content teams inspect every bits and pieces in your product. You can also send out a customer satisfaction survey or check your NPS (net promoter score), which would help you gain feedback and improvement points from your happy customers.
Think of a reward that best fits your customer base
In any referral program, your referring customers are most interested in the rewards they would get. This referral bonus is what they’re after in the first place, so you need to make the benefits attractive to them.
The thing is, you don’t have to shell out a lot of resources in a referral program; you just have to think of a reward that would best fit your customers. If you’re a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) company, you can offer a free month of subscription as a reward not just for the referrer but also for the referred customer. If you’re an e-commerce website, you can offer a discount when your customers make their next purchase.
Create a unique referral link for each customer
To make this campaign more personalized for your patrons, you can create a unique referral link or referral code for each referrer. You can have the referrer’s name or nickname in their referral link, something that could make the whole process more fun and personalized.
Moreover, the importance of a unique referral link is you can easily have automated referral tracking. This way, you can give out the rewards to the proper beneficiaries.
Optimize your referral program page
When one of your customers sends a referral link to potential new customers, that link typically directs them to your referral program page. This page would contain every bit of information about your product, plus instructions on how they can buy a product or sign up for an account.
To make the most out of all referral opportunities, it’s important to ensure that your referral program page is always accurate and up-to-date.
How Do I Write a Referral Email?
Referral email templates should be unique, authentic, and relevant. It should be a positive experience for the recipients; it shouldn’t just sound like you’re solely requesting referrals. Any referral email template will require you to have a personal and positive interaction with your customers.
With that said, you can’t ignore the marketing side of referral emails. Whether you’re using a referral email template or you’re creating your own email templates, it’s important that you catch the attention of your reader. You have to remember that this is a referral request where you’re almost asking your customers for a favor.
Whether it’s a strong subject line or an encouraging call to action, here are some tips that you can follow when writing a referral email.
Start with an incentive-rich subject line
As is the case in email marketing, a catchy subject line is a must. But in referral programs, that “catchy” descriptor takes on a different meaning.
To get the attention of your customers, you should start with an incentive-rich subject line right away. You don’t just say that you’re launching a new referral program; you use the subject line to provide them with a first impression of the incentives they’ll receive. What are the benefits that they will have when they successfully refer a friend to your business?
When choosing or creating referral email templates, the subject line is like your audition. You need to create a lasting, positive impression right away.
Get straight to the mechanics
Consider the inverted pyramid strategy in, writing where you start with the most important aspects first. That’s applicable to writing a referral email because your customers immediately want to know about the incentives and mechanics.
So you should start with the incentives, whether that’s a fixed reward or a customized reward. Follow that up with a brief but concise list of mechanics, where you instruct them what to do, including how to refer a friend or how to insert referral link on their posts and messages.
The body of your referral email is almost like a call to action by itself. If you get this right, your readers might not even get to the last part before they start spreading the word around.
Personalize as much as you can
As they say, you should prioritize repeat or high-value customers when doing a referral program. These are the customers who have seen what you can do, and most of them have positive feedback for your product.
Having a good customer relationship with your existing customer base is not enough, though. You have to build up some more to achieve similar growth when it comes to a referral email campaign. So, when choosing a referral email template, the key is to personalize as much as you can.
You can use a referral program software or referral marketing software to customize your referral email. Whether you’re sending out personal emails or mass referral emails, you could use referral software to help you personalize a referral template.
Include a clear call to action
Your referral email would not be complete if it didn’t have a clear-cut, encouraging CTA (call to action). Some referral email templates put the CTA in the initial section, while others place it in the middle part.
The call to action in your referral email templates could be in the form of a button or a link that will direct your customers to your referral program landing page. If you have a clear CTA on your referral email template, there’s a greater chance that your referrals generate more referred customers.
What Should I Do After Sending Referral Emails?
To make sure that your referral program works, the work doesn’t stop after you send out an email. These referral email templates are just there to guide you in the writing process, but you still need to exert extra effort in getting in touch with customers.
Even if you list out the mechanics, people might still have questions on how they will refer a friend. To this point, you should have a dedicated customer support team who knows about your value proposition and other marketing channels. Your customers should come away thinking that this referral program is such a great experience for them.
Moreover, tracking referrals and referral links should be part of your post-email process. This way, you’re monitoring your referred customer costs, which would help you analyze if the referral email templates you used are effective.
Conclusion
Whether you’re using a reciprocal reward email template or other referral email templates, the important thing is you’re giving your customers the utmost value when they refer a friend. Also, what can you offer to potential new customers when they receive referrals?
Most importantly, tracking your campaign’s performance will let you know if your referral program works. If you feel that it’s not working, don’t be afraid to pull it out. It just means that you need to do some more optimization to extract a major benefit from your referral program.
