Launch the in-app referral program alongside the affiliate program
After this lesson you can
Switch on the in-app referral program for your existing users on day one, with a double-sided benefit tied to what a new user should do in their first two weeks, so the people who already know your product start recommending it before any affiliate does.
Launch the in-app referral program alongside the affiliate program
The affiliate program brings people who do not use your product yet. The in-app referral program brings the people who already do, and on day one they are the only ones who can recommend you from experience. The Growth plan carries both, they share one tracking setup, and they should go live together. This lesson is the referral half.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
Users. People inside your product who like it and would tell a colleague. It is not for agencies, consultants or partners who reach clients in bulk; for them a referral benefit is a one-off and the economics are wrong, and they belong in the affiliate program from Track 2.
The benefit is double-sided, and the giving side matters most
A referral program rewards two people: the user who refers, and the friend who joins. The second reward is the one that makes people act. Someone who likes your product would like to give a colleague something, an extra month, credits, a bigger plan for a while, and that is a very different feeling from earning a commission. The reward does not have to be money at all. Anything you can grant inside the product works, and it can be granted automatically through a webhook when the referral converts.
Tie the benefit to the thing you want a new user to do in their first one or two weeks. If activation for you is "connected an integration" or "invited a teammate", make the friend's reward land there. A referred user who reaches your activation moment because the reward was waiting for them converts better and stays longer, and the referrer looks good for having sent them.
Where it lives and when to ask
The referral widget sits inside your product, and where you put it decides whether anyone sees it. The help article on placement covers the options. The other decision is timing: ask at value moments. Right after a renewal, right after a first result, right after a milestone is when someone is most likely to recommend you. A referral prompt on a blank first screen is asking a stranger.
Then leave it running
The referral program is the low-effort half of your own network. Once it is live with a good benefit and a sensible placement, it needs a look at its reports once a month and a refreshed reward now and then. The affiliate program is where the weekly work goes, and that is the rest of this Academy.
Key takeaways
- Both programs launch on day one on the Growth plan and share one tracking setup. The referral program is for users; partners go to the affiliate program.
- The reward is double-sided, and the reward for the friend is what makes people share. It does not have to be money.
- Tie the friend's benefit to your activation moment, and ask at value moments.
- A new customer is attributed once, to one program, to the first link. Running both on one platform prevents double claims.
The detail lives in the help centre
This lesson tells you the order and the judgement. The clicks are in the articles below. Open one, do the step, and you will find a way back to this lesson at the top of the article.
Step-by-step: do this now
The exact clicks live in the help centre. Open the article, do the step, come back.
- How to Set Up an In-App Referral Program: The Full Implementation GuideThe full setup, screen by screen.Help centre · In-app Referral Program
- Setting Up Double-Sided Referral IncentivesSet what the referrer gets and what the friend gets.Help centre · In-app Referral Program
- Where to Place the Referral Widget for Maximum ImpactWhere the widget goes so people actually see it.Help centre · In-app Referral Program
Reference: read if you need the detail
Background you can skip on a first pass.
- How to Customize the In-App Referral WidgetMatch the widget to your product.Help centre · In-app Referral Program
- Tracking and Analytics for Your In-App Referral ProgramWhat the referral reports show.Help centre · In-app Referral Program
- Webhooks: adding benefits to referralsGrant credits or features automatically through webhooks.Help centre · Tracking, Attribution & Integrations
- Troubleshooting Your In-App Referral ProgramWhen a referral does not show up.Help centre · In-app Referral Program
- In-App Referral vs Affiliate Program: Key DifferencesThe two programs side by side.Help centre · Strategy & Basics
- Referral Program Best Practices for SaaSWhat working referral programs have in common.Help centre · Strategy & Basics
Do this before the next lesson
Each step says how much counts as done. Doing a third of it and moving on is how programs stall.
Logged in? These open the right screen in your Reditus account. Not a customer yet? They take you to signup first.
Questions we hear at this point
We already have referral links built into our product. Why move them?
Because a customer can click a home-built referral link and an affiliate link, and two separate systems will each claim the same customer. Running both programs on one platform means one attribution per customer, and it removes referral logic your developers otherwise maintain.
Does the referral reward have to be money?
No. Anything you can grant inside the product works: an extra month, credits, a feature unlock. Non-cash rewards are often better for a referral program, and they can be granted automatically through webhooks when the referral converts.
Finished this lesson?
Saved in this browser only. No account, no certificate, nothing sent anywhere.