GROWTH
Referrals do not work until the product is worth referring
We built a referral programme twice. The first one failed for reasons that were obvious in hindsight.
Lucas Meyer
Growth
Incentives cannot manufacture enthusiasm
Our first programme offered a generous credit on both sides. It produced a burst of low-quality signups who never activated, and a handful of existing customers who felt vaguely used. We shut it down after two months.
The second attempt started somewhere else entirely: we found the accounts that were already recommending us without any incentive, and asked them what they said. The programme became a way to make that conversation easier, not a bribe to start one.
Measure the referred cohort separately
Referred users behave differently — they arrive with context and expectations set by someone they trust. Blending them into your general funnel hides both their higher retention and their sharper disappointment when the product misses.
