Welcome to ReferralHero, your partner in spreading the word about your app.
In this case study, we explore how Newsreel, an interactive news app designed to help you understand and remember the news, gained 6000+ entries in just 2 months through a contest referral program. Discover how you can achieve the same success!
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Contest Program Overview
Newsreel launched a strategic referral contest to build anticipation and engagement ahead of its official release. This initiative aimed to leverage word-of-mouth marketing, encouraging participants to share Newsreel within their networks. The primary goal was to generate buzz, expand Newsreel’s subscriber base, and establish a strong community foundation.
Contest Program Rewards
"For Newsreel, the most important aspect of running a successful referral campaign was providing an incentive that motivates participants to sign up and share the campaign with others. In our case, we provided small items at in-person tabling events as well as entries into a raffle."
- Jack Brewster, CEO @ Newsreel
The Newsreel referral contest offers participants the opportunity to earn raffle entries for a chance to win AirPods Max. Each participant earns entries through conversion bonuses and advocate rewards for referring friends. These incentives are strategically designed to drive participation and maximize engagement throughout the contest period.
Rewards for Conversion Bonuses: Win Airpods Max
- For Organic Subscribers: Upon signing up for the Newsreel contest, participants are automatically entered into a raffle to win Airpods Max. Each referral they make earns them additional entries, increasing their chances of winning.
- For Referred Subscribers: Referrals who sign up for the Newsreel contest are also entered into the Airpods Max raffle.
Advocate Rewards: Refer Friends for Extra Entries
Referring friends not only spreads awareness about Newsreel but also earns participants additional entries into the Airpods Max raffle. The more friends they refer, the more entries they accumulate, enhancing their chances of winning.
Contest Prizes
In addition to conversion bonuses and advocate rewards, Newsreel offers prestigious contest prizes:
- Batch 1: Top 100 Referrers
The top 100 participants with the highest number of referrals will receive exclusive recognition and rewards from Newsreel.
- Batch 2: Top 100-500 Referrers
Participants ranking between 100 and 500 in referrals will also be acknowledged and rewarded for their contributions.
Contest Program Participant Flow
"We tried to make the sign-up process as simple as possible to help participants easily sign-up and share the campaign."
- Jack Brewster, CEO @ Newsreel
The referral contest offers a straightforward and rewarding participant flow, designed for clarity and engagement. From signing up to potentially winning coveted prizes, participants embark on a journey that enhances their chances of success through clear and structured steps. By signing up, referring friends, and accumulating entries, participants increase their chances of winning Airpods Max and gain recognition based on their referral performance. This structured flow ensures every participant has a clear path to participation and potential rewards, making the Newsreel contest an engaging and rewarding experience for all involved.
Step 1: Sign Up and Initial Entry
Participants sign up for the contest through a simple form on the homepage, requiring only an email address.
Step 2: Accessing the Share Screen
Upon signing up, participants are immediately presented with a user-friendly share widget. This widget prominently displays their unique referral link, along with a button to easily copy the link. It offers social share options, including Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, email, SMS, and LinkedIn. Additionally, the widget includes the contest leaderboard and details about the enticing rewards that participants can earn by referring their friends. At the bottom of the widget, participants can see the list of referrals they have made.
Step 3: Sharing the Referral Link
Participants can share a pre-populated message on social platforms with their referral link. This message serves as a starting point for personalization and sharing with their networks, encouraging others to join the platform.
Step 4: Referral Loop
When a participant's friend clicks on the shared referral link, they are directed to the contest signup form on the homepage. This creates a viral referral loop, introducing new participants to the platform through their friends' invitations.
Step 5: Tracking Referral Progress
Participants can track their referral progress and status by returning to Newsreel’s website and clicking the "Log In" link on the signup form at any time. This allows them to access their referral dashboard, review referral statistics, and monitor the rewards earned through successful referrals.
This structured participant flow ensures clarity and maximizes engagement, driving both individual rewards and overall growth for the Newsreel community. By following these steps, participants can effectively navigate the contest and optimize their chances of winning prestigious prizes. The Airpods Max raffle winner and top referrers will be announced and rewarded at the end of the contest period.
Contest Program Launch
On March 15, 2024, Newsreel announced its highly anticipated contest referral program on Instagram. The announcement was crafted to generate excitement and drive participation, leveraging the platform's wide reach and visual appeal to captivate the audience.
The Instagram post featured an engaging and playful message, highlighting the grand prize of AirPods Max and the simplicity of entering the contest. It encouraged users to join the contest and emphasized the importance of referrals to increase their chances of winning. The post's tone was lighthearted and humorous, urging participants to "spam" their friends and family, thereby creating a viral referral loop.
This strategic use of Instagram allowed Newsreel to effectively communicate the contest details and entice a broad audience to participate. The immediate engagement from followers demonstrated the post's success in capturing attention and fostering community involvement. As a result, many users eagerly signed up and began referring friends, contributing to the rapid expansion of Newsreel's subscriber base ahead of its official launch.
The successful announcement on Instagram underscored Newsreel's commitment to building an engaged community through innovative and rewarding initiatives. This launch marked the beginning of an exciting journey for participants, who enthusiastically joined the contest and shared it within their networks.
Contest Program Ongoing Promotion
To promote the campaign we a) posted on social media platforms to create buzz through posts, stories, and ads, and b) organized tabling events at local parks and high-foot traffic areas to directly interact with potential participants and provide them with detailed information about our product and campaign.
- Jack Brewster, CEO @ Newsreel
To ensure sustained engagement and maximize participation in the referral contest, a comprehensive ongoing promotion strategy was implemented. This strategy leveraged multiple channels and touchpoints to keep the contest top-of-mind for participants and encourage continuous referrals.
Website CTAs
Strategically positioned on the homepage, the contest was highlighted as the primary call-to-action (CTA). This ensured that every visitor to the site was immediately aware of the contest and its exciting rewards. The prominent placement included an eye-catching form that directed users to sign up for the contest, making it easy for both new and returning visitors to participate.
ReferralHero Email automations
To streamline the contest participation process and keep users engaged, a series of automated emails were set up:
- Welcome Email: Sent to organic subscribers immediately after they signed up, this email welcomed them to the contest, provided their unique referral link, and encouraged them to start referring friends.
- Referral Welcome Email: This email was sent to referred subscribers once they signed up through a referral link. It welcomed them to the contest and informed them about the referral process, encouraging them to also refer friends to increase their chances of winning.
Both welcome emails also highlighted the following key points:
- Introduction & Mission: A warm welcome to the Newsreel community, emphasizing its unique mission to combat news avoidance and create a reflective, engaging news consumption experience.
- Contest Details: Encouragement to share the referral link to earn more entries in the raffle for AirPods Max.
- What Makes Newsreel Different: Insight into Newsreel's innovative approach, combining interactivity, brevity, and cognitive techniques to enhance news retention and engagement.
- Launch Timeline & Key Features: Information on the upcoming app launch, featuring "The Daily Dose" interactive newsletter, timelines for reflective news consumption, and quizzes for better knowledge retention.
- About the Team: Introduction to the bootstrapped team led by founder Jack Brewster, highlighting his background and achievements.
- Call to Action for Feedback: Invitation for beta testers to provide feedback and suggestions to shape Newsreel's future.
- First Referral Email: Triggered when a user successfully referred their first friend. The email features a personalized congratulatory message, a thank you note from the CEO, a reminder of their increased chances in the AirPods Max raffle, and a prompt to share their unique referral link for additional entries.
Social Media Engagement
To maintain momentum and broaden reach, Newsreel actively promoted the contest on social media platforms, including Instagram and LinkedIn:
- Instagram: Regular posts, stories, and updates were shared on Instagram to keep the contest visible and engaging. These posts featured reminders about the contest rewards, all designed to keep followers motivated and involved.
- LinkedIn: Although the initial announcement was not made on LinkedIn, the platform was later used to target professional audiences who might be interested in the Newsreel app. Posts included updates about the contest progress, success stories from top referrers, and calls-to-action for LinkedIn followers to join and participate in the contest.
This multifaceted promotion strategy ensured that the Newsreel referral contest remained dynamic and engaging throughout its duration, driving continuous growth and participation.
Contest Program Results
The program successfully brought in a significant number of new prospective users for us at a lower-than-expected acquisition cost. The program has also fostered a sense of community among our new and existing users, which will keep them engaged in the foreseeable future.
- Jack Brewster, CEO @ Newsreel
In just three months, Newsreel's referral program delivered impressive results, demonstrating the effectiveness of their strategic promotion and engagement efforts. The key metrics achieved during this period are as follows:
- Total Subscribers: The program successfully attracted 6,022 subscribers, significantly expanding Newsreel's user base ahead of its official launch.
- Referrals: Participants made 477 referrals, showcasing their enthusiasm and active involvement in spreading the word about Newsreel.
- Referral Growth: The program achieved a referral growth rate of 8.6%, indicating a healthy and sustained increase in user engagement through word-of-mouth promotion.
These metrics highlight the success of the referral program in not only increasing subscriber numbers but also fostering a sense of community and participation among early adopters.
Results after 14 days on Mar 29, 2024
- tNumber of subscribers: 47
- Number of referrals: 4
- Referral rate: 8.5% (4 subscribers have referred more than 1 person/total 47 subscribers)
- Referral growth: 9.3% (4 referred subscribers/(47-4)organic subscribers)
Results after 30 days on Apr 14, 2024
- Number of subscribers: 978
- Number of referrals: 147
- Referral rate: 7.3% (72 subscribers have referred more than 1 person)
- Referral growth: 17.7% (147 referred subscribers/(978-147)organic subscribers)
All time results as of Jun 13, 2024
- Number of subscribers: 6022
- Number of referrals: 477
- Referral rate: 3.6%
- Referral growth: 8.6%
Their referral links were also shared more than 2500 times, resulting in more brand awareness about Newsreel and its valuable services.
Newsreel's contest referral program has proven to be a resounding success, driving significant growth and engagement within just three months of its launch. By leveraging the power of incentivized referrals and strategic promotion across multiple channels, Newsreel not only expanded its subscriber base to over 6,000 users but also fostered a vibrant community of advocates eager to share the app with their networks.
The program's success can be attributed to its well-crafted participant flow, enticing rewards structure, and persistent promotional efforts. From the initial announcement on social media to the personalized email campaigns and prominent website CTAs, every aspect of the contest was designed to maximize visibility and participation. This comprehensive approach ensured that Newsreel remained top-of-mind for both existing users and potential subscribers throughout the contest period.
Looking ahead, Newsreel is poised for continued growth and engagement as it prepares for its official launch. The valuable insights gained from this contest will inform future marketing strategies, helping Newsreel to build on its momentum and further solidify its position in the competitive landscape of interactive news apps.
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