The more you promote your Thinkific referral program, the more active referrers you get, and in return, the more referrals you will get for your course.
It’s one thing to have a referral program, and it’s entirely another that you get the best ROI from it.
The following are the most common ways course creators promote their referral campaigns.
01 Promote your referral program in your email sequence
The email marketing sequence is owned promotion. You have complete control of what goes out to students who enrol on your courses.
Just like having an unsubscribe link in all emails you sent out. You should also have a link to your referral program share page. The more students you send to your share page, the more engagement you will get, the more referrals you will get for your Thinkific courses.
We highly recommend having a link to your sharing page at the bottom of every email you send out. Add a short P.S. at the bottom of every email. Include a brief description of your referral program and why someone should share your courses. Make it clear what’s in it for the referrer to set the expectations straight.
02 Send dedicated email about your referral program
We also recommend you send at least two dedicated emails about your referral program. These emails should highlight your rewards and how your referrers can easily share your courses with their friends.
Timing is critical when sending out these dedicated emails. You don’t want to jump the gun and send it way too early in your students’ life cycle. On the other hand, you don’t want your students to forget about your courses.
03 Offer multiple rewards – reward ladder
Set various milestones for your referrers to reach and unlock different rewards.
For example:
- 2 referrals will earn you a gift from a sponsor or partner,
- 5 referrals exclusive cheat sheet PDF format
- 10 referrals a free 1-on-1 session with you.
By creating a reward ladder, you will encourage ongoing and repeat referrals from the same students. On reaching a milestone, a referrer will have other rewards to look forward to.
Not sure what to give out as rewards? Here is a list of the most engaging referral rewards that course creators give out.
04 Exclusivity
The best way to get your audience’s attention is by making them feel special. We use several techniques for this, such as:
Ask for their help: The best way to get referrers on board with your referral program isn’t just by telling them about it but pitching the idea in a way that requires their help.
Exclusive rewards: The rewards to referrers should ideally be exclusive and not accessible in any other way. It’s the best kind of reward because it means that only those who refer others will get it!
05 Simple Messaging
For best results, use a simple structure for messaging and rewards: no multi-tier structure, no fancy drawings, no lottery style. Do not overcomplicate your referral program messaging – just one clear message from the beginning until the end. Hence, all referrers willing to participate in your referral program knows what will happen when providing referrals.
06 Don’t discount
Yes, you might be surprised to know that discounts aren’t the best rewards. You leave money on the table by giving out partial refunds or discounts to your referrers. Referrers are most probably the happiest students that you have. They are convinced and appreciate you and the value you bring. So why discount it for them?
Do you have any further questions?
We understand that every Thinkific referral campaign is different from the other. That is why we offer strategy calls & one to one consultations. Schedule a call with our founder Gaetano: https://calendly.com/gaetano-earlyparrot/1-to-1-earlyparrot/