FrenoCorp/marketing/referral-program.md

Scripter Referral Program

Issue: FRE-582
Priority: Medium
Owner: CMO
Status: Draft
Launch: Post-launch (Week 3+)

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Program Overview

Program Name: "Write Together"
Tagline: Invite your writing partners. Everyone wins.
Goal: Drive 30% of new signups through referrals by Month 3
Budget: $5,000/mo (credits + cash rewards)

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Referral Mechanics

How It Works

1. User gets unique referral link
   scripter.app/ref/username or scripter.app/r/abc123

2. Share link via email, social, or direct message

3. Friend signs up using the link

4. Both get rewarded when friend reaches activation milestone

Reward Structure

Tier 1: Free Users

Action	Referrer Gets	Referee Gets
Friend signs up	—	Free (always free)
Friend writes 5 pages	1 month Pro	1 month Pro
Friend upgrades to Pro	2 months Pro	—

Tier 2: Pro Users

Action	Referrer Gets	Referee Gets
Friend signs up	—	14-day Pro trial
Friend writes 5 pages	$10 credit	$10 credit
Friend upgrades to Pro	$25 cash or 3 months free	1 month free

Tier 3: Premium Users

Action	Referrer Gets	Referee Gets
Friend signs up	—	14-day Premium trial
Friend writes 5 pages	$15 credit	$15 credit
Friend upgrades to Premium	$40 cash or 4 months free	1 month free

Milestone Bonuses

Referrals	Bonus
5 successful referrals	$100 bonus + "Super Connector" badge
10 successful referrals	$250 bonus + lifetime Pro
25 successful referrals	$750 bonus + lifetime Premium
50 successful referrals	$2,000 bonus + "Legend" status

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Viral Loops

Loop 1: Collaboration Invite

Trigger: User invites collaborator to script
Flow:

1. User clicks "Share" on script
2. Enters collaborator email
3. Collaborator receives email: "[User] invited you to collaborate on 'Untitled Script'"
4. Collaborator clicks link → signup/login → gains access
5. If new user: referrer gets credit

Goal: Every script = potential new user

Loop 2: Watermarked Exports

Trigger: Free user exports PDF
Flow:

1. User exports screenplay as PDF
2. PDF includes footer: "Written with Scripter — Write Faster at scripter.app"
3. Recipient (producer, director, actor) sees branding
4. Curious recipient visits site → signup

Goal: Every exported script = marketing asset

Loop 3: Public Script Links

Trigger: User shares public read-only link
Flow:

1. User generates public link for script
2. Shares with network
3. Recipients see "Read this script on Scripter" branding
4. CTA: "Start writing your own script — free"

Goal: Script sharing = discovery channel

Loop 4: Social Sharing

Trigger: User hits milestone (10 pages, finished draft, etc.)
Flow:

1. In-app celebration: "You wrote 10 pages! 🎉"
2. Option to share: "I just wrote 10 pages on @Scripter — Write Faster!"
3. Pre-populated tweet with image
4. Followers click → landing page → signup

Goal: Writing achievements = social proof

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Technical Implementation

Tracking Requirements

// Referral link structure
scripter.app/ref/{userId}?utm_source=referral&utm_medium={channel}

// Track events
- referral_link_generated
- referral_link_shared (channel: email, twitter, facebook, link)
- referral_signup (referralId, newUserId)
- referral_activation (referralId, milestone: 5_pages, upgrade)
- referral_reward_issued (referralId, rewardType, value)

Dashboard Features

User View:

• Current referral count
• Pending referrals (signed up, not activated)
• Successful referrals (activated)
• Total earnings (credits + cash)
• Referral link with copy button
• Share buttons (email, Twitter, Facebook)
• Referral history timeline

Admin View:

• Total referrals (all-time, this month)
• Conversion funnel (link → signup → activation)
• Top referrers leaderboard
• Fraud detection (self-referrals, abuse)
• Payout queue (cash rewards)
• ROI analysis (referral LTV vs cost)

Fraud Prevention

Risk	Mitigation
Self-referrals	Block same IP, same device, same payment method
Fake accounts	Require email verification, activity threshold
Bot signups	CAPTCHA on signup, rate limiting
Credit card cycling	Track payment methods, limit per card
Abuse reports	Manual review for >10 referrals/month

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Payout Mechanics

Credits

• Applied automatically to next billing cycle
• Visible in account dashboard
• Expire after 12 months (encourages use)
• Non-transferable, non-refundable

Cash Rewards

• Minimum payout: $25
• Payment method: PayPal, Stripe, or account credit
• Processing time: 30 days (fraud window)
• 1099 required for >$600/year (US users)

Lifetime Plans

• Granted after 10+ successful referrals
• "Lifetime" = life of product or 5 years, whichever is longer
• Transferable once (gift to friend)
• Does not include enterprise features

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Promotion Strategy

Launch Tactics

1. Founding Members Boost (First 1,000 Users)

• 2x rewards for first 1,000 users
• "Founding Member" badge on profile
• Exclusive access to referral leaderboard

2. Launch Contest (Month 1)

• Top referrer wins: $1,000 + lifetime Premium
• Top 10 win: 1 year Pro
• All participants: exclusive swag

3. Email Campaign

• Announcement email to all users
• "Your referral link is ready" with instant share CTA
• Weekly leaderboard updates during contest

4. In-App Promotion

• Banner on dashboard: "Invite friends, get Pro free"
• Modal after writing milestone: "Share your success!"
• Permanent referral section in settings

Ongoing Promotion

Channel	Frequency	Content
Email	Monthly	Referral tips, leaderboard, contest reminders
In-app	Always	Referral CTA in settings, post-milestone
Social	Weekly	Success stories, top referrer spotlights
Blog	Quarterly	"How I got 50 referrals" case studies

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Success Metrics

90-Day Goals

Metric	Target
Users with referral link	50% of active users
Referral signups	30% of all signups
Referral conversions	20% of paid upgrades
Viral coefficient (k-factor)	0.5+
Cost per referral signup	<$5
Referral LTV	2x organic LTV

KPIs to Track

Referral Rate = Referral Signups / Total Signups
Referral Conversion = Referral Paid / Referral Signups
Viral Coefficient = Invites per User × Conversion Rate
Referral ROI = Referral Revenue / Referral Program Cost
Time to First Referral = Avg days from signup to first referral

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Budget

Monthly Costs (at scale)

Item	Cost
Pro credits (500 referrals × $8)	$4,000
Cash rewards (50 payouts × $40)	$2,000
Lifetime plan grants (5 × $100 value)	$500
Contest prizes (amortized)	$500
Total	$7,000/mo

Conservative Launch (Month 1-2)

Item	Cost
Pro credits (100 referrals × $8)	$800
Cash rewards (10 payouts × $40)	$400
Contest prizes	$1,000
Total	$2,200/mo

ROI Calculation

Assumptions:
- 500 referral signups/month
- 20% convert to paid (100 users)
- Avg revenue: $10/mo per user
- Monthly revenue: $1,000
- LTV (12 months): $12,000
- Program cost: $7,000/mo
- ROI: 71% (positive at scale)

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Competitive Analysis

Dropbox: "Give 500MB, Get 500MB"

• Result: 35% of signups from referrals
• Key: Simple, instant, valuable
• Lesson: Make reward immediate and clear

Airbnb: "$25 for you, $25 for them"

• Result: 2x bookings in some markets
• Key: Cash value, two-sided reward
• Lesson: Cash > credits for some users

Robinhood: "Get a free stock"

• Result: Massive viral growth
• Key: Gamified (random stock value)
• Lesson: Add surprise/delight element

Calendly: "1 month free"

• Result: 15% of upgrades
• Key: Simple, product-native reward
• Lesson: Match reward to product value

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Implementation Timeline

Phase 1: Foundation (Week 1-2)

• Build referral link generation
• Create tracking infrastructure
• Design referral dashboard
• Set up fraud detection
• Write email templates

Phase 2: Launch (Week 3)

• Soft launch to 100 beta users
• Test full flow (link → signup → reward)
• Fix bugs, optimize UX
• Prepare launch announcement

Phase 3: Scale (Week 4+)

• Full launch to all users
• Start launch contest
• Monitor fraud, adjust thresholds
• Weekly optimization based on data

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Risks & Mitigation

Risk	Likelihood	Impact	Mitigation
Low participation	Medium	High	Gamify, add contest, improve promotion
Fraud/abuse	Medium	Medium	Strong detection, manual review
Negative ROI	Low	High	Cap rewards, optimize conversion
Spam complaints	Medium	Medium	Limit emails, easy unsubscribe
Complex UX	Low	Medium	Simplify flow, clear instructions

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Next Actions

1. Finalize reward structure - Confirm economics with finance
2. Design referral dashboard - Mockups for user and admin views
3. Build tracking infrastructure - Event tracking, attribution
4. Create email templates - Referral invites, rewards notifications
5. Set up fraud detection - Rules, monitoring, manual review process
6. Plan launch contest - Prizes, rules, promotion calendar
7. Write help docs - "How referrals work" FAQ
8. Coordinate with CTO - Technical requirements, timeline

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Related Issues:

• FRE-577: Marketing website (referral landing page)
• FRE-580: Email marketing (referral email templates)
• FRE-581: Launch campaign (referral contest)
• FRE-585: Analytics dashboard (referral metrics)

Dependencies:

• User account system (CTO)
• Payment/credits system (CTO)
• Email infrastructure (Ops)
• Analytics tracking (CTO)