Welcome to ReferralHero, the go-to place to 2X your business through referrals. ReferralHero has been used to scale 1000s of businesses by turning current customers into brand ambassadors. Are you ready to 2X your business?
In this article, we’ll cover:
- Referral email template best practices
- When to use referral emails
- 15 referral email templates you can copy to 2X your business!
Referral Email Template Best Practices
These tips will help you write an eye-popping, action-taking referral email.
1. Create a subject line worth opening
People need to be convinced to open your emails before they can learn more about your referral program. Emails with an ambiguous subject line or something that isn’t attention-grabbing, aren’t going to help increase your email open rate. You can also try A/B testing your subject line to see which variation will yield better results.
A good subject line should be personalized, spark the customer’s interest, short, precise, and to the point. Here are some examples:
- Refer n’ earn
- John, get $50 cash for each friend you refer!
- Join our waitlist to win a lifetime supply of coffee
- Refer a friend, and my mom will send you a cookie
- Refer friends and get a free subscription for 12 months
2. Make the incentives clear
You must include the referral rewards you are offering in the email. Your incentives should be something your customers think are valuable! It helps drive your customers to take action (or come back at a later time) and refer your business.
Communicate the important details:
- Any specific conditions that your customer must meet to participate and who are eligible to be referred
- Details about the rewards, e.g. type of rewards, one-sided or two-sided?, the reward amount, and the expiration date of the rewards, etc.
- Reward fulfillment mechanism, e.g. when and how the rewards will be distributed
3. Get to the point
People get a lot of emails. You only have a few seconds to get your customers’ attention so you should ensure that your main message is concise and understood even when your customers are just skimming. Avoid long-winded emails with extensive information about your program. They want to know the facts straight away! You can always link out to your referral program page so that your emails don’t get too long for anyone to digest.
4. Create connection
Be conversational and make your customers feel like they are receiving an email from an old friend by using second-person pronouns like ‘you’ and ‘your’. Personalization can be conveniently done by using merge tags, e.g. %CUST_NAME%, available in most referral software such as ReferralHero.
5. Include a clear call-to-action (CTA)
You can include a CTA in the form of,
- A button if your customers have yet to opt into your referral program and you would like to send them to your referral program page, e.g. ‘Learn more’, ‘Subscribe’, ‘Get started’, etc
- A referral link if your customers are already in your referral program so that they can easily copy the link and share it with a friend
- Various social media share options for your existing referral program participants to post to the platforms of their choice
Place your CTA near the top of your emails to ensure maximum shareability.
6. Optimize for mobile
Don’t miss out on any referral opportunities simply because your referral emails or share options are not mobile-optimized. Be sure all the basic email elements, i.e. subject line length, images, fonts, etc, display seamlessly on mobile devices. But there are some unique mobile referral email features you can’t forget.
"Allowing people to share directly from email to an SMS message, is a complete game changer."
- Lamar Duffy, CEO of ReferralHero
7. Be genuine and grateful
Your referral email should always end with a line thanking your customers for their time and consideration. A simple thank you can go a long way. When you make your customers feel appreciated, they will more likely respond positively to your requests.
When to Use Referral Emails
The success of your referral email strategy depends on a few important factors.
1. You’ve established credibility
The right time to ask for referrals is when the customer relationship is strong enough to ensure they trust your product or service and are willing to refer you to others. You can get assurance that value has been provided and recognized by customers through reviews and customer feedback. Happy customers are happy to help you grow your business!
2. You have a referral tracking system
You need to have a reliable system to accurately track referrals. Not only do you want to know how well your program is performing but also it will become frustrating if your customers have to manually check with you on referral incentives. The easiest way to track referrals and automate the referral process is to use referral program software.
3. Your customers are educated
Ensure that your customers are educated on your referral program and full product line even if they have not personally experienced some of the products or services. This helps them realize if they know someone who might be a good fit that they can connect you to.
4. You are operationally ready
You have enough manpower and your internal system is capable of tracking referrals and handling the influx of new customers.
15 Referral Email Templates To Copy
Referral emails come in a variety of forms and can be personalized to fit your customers' needs. Some common types of referral emails include:
- Mass referral email templates
- B2B referral email templates
- Client referral email templates
- Employee referral email templates
Mass Referral Email Templates
Leverage mass referral emails to reach a large audience or speak to your full customer list. You can think of these emails as referral program awareness emails.
Template I:
Subject line: Get early access to try our new product
Dear [Name],
We are excited to announce that we’ll soon be launching our new product [product] and here is your chance to get early access!
We’ll be launching on [date]. We’d like for you to be among the first to receive access! All you have to do is refer your friends to move up on the list and earn prizes.
Share your unique referral link: [referral link]
Earn points and move up the waitlist to get in sooner!
Thank you,
Template II:
Subject line: Want a cookie?!
Dear [Name],
Thanks for subscribing to our list! You now have the opportunity to win [Rewards] by sharing your experience with your friends.
Here’s how:
- Click the button below
- Share with your friends who would love us
- Your friends subscribe to our newsletter
- They get a welcome reward [reward]
- You get a loyalty [reward]
It’s a win-win!
Refer a friend today [call-to-action button]
See your friends from the inside.
Template III:
Subject line: Get rewarded for spreading the love
Hi [Name],
Congratulations! You’re officially a [brand] Brand Ambassador. You deserve a reward for all of the love that you show to our brand.
Share the love and help your friends by referring them to [brand] -and enjoy [benefit] together.
Just send them your referral link
[referral link]
and we’ll send them the
[reward image]
Log in to your referral portal [portal link] to get started -and keep track of your referral status and watch your rewards piling up.
The more you refer, the more you and your friends earn!
Template IV:
Subject line: Give your friend 20% off
Hi [Name],
Share your love for [brand] with friends and family! Send them your unique referral link so they can be like you -laugh louder, smile brighter and live better for less.
At [brand], experience the best [service] and perfect your smile today!
Template V:
Subject line: A friend in need is a referral indeed
Loving green? And what better way to help the planet than to plant a tree?
For every friend you refer and makes a purchase, we’ll pay it forward with a donation to the “Adopt a Tree” organization. Not only will you be doing a good deed by making the environment more sustainable, but you’ll also get the satisfaction of knowing that you did your part.
Thanks for your help in making the planet a little greener.
B2C Referral Email Templates
Customer referral emails can be used to quickly build relationships with referrers, create trust in your brand, and increase referral conversions. Use our sample referral email templates below to quickly send out a personalized message to your customers.
Template I:
Subject line: Share the love!
Dear [Customer Name],
We hope you are doing well! We wanted to take a moment to thank you for being a loyal customer of our business. We believe that word-of-mouth is the best kind of advertising and so, we're asking if you would be willing to help us grow by referring your contacts to our business.
We have designed a simple referral process that makes it easy for you to pass along our information. All you need to do is click the link below and complete a short form. We will send your contact an email with all the details about our services, and if they decide to use our services, you will receive a special credit.
Link to Referral Process [insert link]
Thank you for your consideration and support!
[Your Name]
Template II:
Subject line: You’re invited to join our referral program!
Hi [Customer Name],
It’s our great pleasure to invite you to participate in our Customer Rewards Program. You’re qualified for [customized reward] when you refer [number of] new customers to our company.
Share your unique referral link: [customer’s referral link] to start earning rewards. You can visit your referral portal [Portal link] and use your email to check your latest referral status.
The more you refer the more you’ll earn!
Thank you.
Marketing Team
Template III:
Subject line: We value your referrals!
Dear [Customer Name],
We hope this message finds you well. We're writing to ask for a small favor; if you're happy with the services we've provided, please consider referring us to your friends and colleagues. Our business relies on word-of-mouth referrals, so any help is greatly appreciated.
As a thank you for taking the time to consider recommending us, we'd like to offer you a special discount on your next purchase. We are always striving to improve our service and would love to hear any feedback you may have.
Thank you for your loyalty and support.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Template IV:
Subject line: We need your support!
Dear [Customer Name],
We're writing to ask for your help. If you've been happy with our services, please consider referring us to your friends, family, and colleagues.
Any help is greatly appreciated. As a thank you for taking the time to consider recommending us, we'd like to offer you [describe the offer]. We value all feedback from our customers and are always striving to improve our service.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Template V:
Subject line: Thank you for trusting us!
Dear [Customer Name],
Thank you for taking the time to fill out our customer satisfaction survey. We’re glad that you gave us an excellent score. We’re excited to hear we’ve reached – or maybe gone beyond – your expectations!
As part of [brand name] fraternity, we’d like those close to you to benefit from [ your product/ service] as you have. One of the things that really makes us stand out is [product strengths]. This is part of what helps offer [your value proposition] to our customers.
Kindly introduce your friends and family to us. Share your unique referral link: [customer’s referral link]
Many thanks for considering my request.
Thank you.
Template VI:
Subject line: Don’t keep us a secret :)
Hi [Customer Name],
Thanks for your positive feedback about our [product/service]. As a result, we’d like to invite you to be part of our referral program where you can earn incentives [describe the incentive] for referring customers to our website.
To take advantage of this opportunity, all you have to do is share our business with your ‘sphere of influence. You can easily share via email, SMS, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, and many more.
To get started, simply [give instructions].
We’ve put measures in place to ensure that you get your [incentives].
Start referring now!
Thank you.
[Your Name]
B2B Referral Email Templates
B2B referral emails are a great way to strengthen connections between businesses and offer the opportunity to reach potential new partners and customers.
Template I:
Subject line: Share us with a friend.
Dear [Name],
We hope you're doing well. We wanted to reach out and ask for your help in spreading the word about our products. As you know, we are passionate about helping you succeed and would love for you to refer us to your contacts.
As a thank you for recommending us, we'd love to offer you a special incentive [describe the incentive].
Thank you for your help and support.
Sincerely,
Template II:
Subject line: Referral program at [your company name]
Hi [Name],
We're excited to announce a new referral program at {Your Company}. We are offering an incentive to anyone who refers us to another business.
As part of the program, we will give you a special promo code that can be used by your referred customers for a discount on our services.
We'd be honored if you would consider sharing your experience with us to help spread the word about our company. We're confident that other businesses will benefit from working with us just as much as yours has.
Thank you for your consideration,
[Your Name]
Template III:
Subject line: We’re launching a referral program!
Hi [Name],
Thank you for your business. We’re grateful that you chose us for your [project]. Our team is happy that we managed to pull off such awesome results together.
I was wondering if you'd be interested in referring us to other businesses that could similarly benefit from our product.
I'm happy to discuss our referral program further and answer any questions you may have. Please let me know if you'd like to chat or if there's someone else I should reach out to at your company.
Thank you.
[Your Name]
Template IV:
Subject line: Cross promote?
Hello [Name],
I hope everything is going well on your end. As you know we are in the same [business industry], and I’m winding if you think we could mutually benefit from passing referrals back and forth.
We are [describe the scope of business] that offers [describe your value proposition]. Our ideal customer is [customer profile] which makes us a great complement to your offerings.
I would love to meet you over lunch one day next week, perhaps at [venue] near your office to discuss where we can help each other out. Let me know if you have any availability next week.
Sincerely,
Thank you.
[Your Name]
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