How to Write a Referral Email for your Referral Marketing Strategy

We’ve all received emails and most people agree that emails from individuals we know are more well-received than marketing emails from brands.

But how can you break the ice and persuade customers to refer your company to their friends and family? How do you convince them to help you gain new customers without being too aggressive or pushy?

Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here we’ll discuss the best practices when writing your emails and provide you with sources on email templates for all types of scenarios and occasions to get you started.

What’s a Referral Email, and why does it matter?

A referral email is a marketing email sent by a brand to its customer(s) to promote and inform them about its referral program or to ask directly for a referral. The referral email is a wonderful way to educate your clients and potential consumers about the special offer you’re providing.

Some emails attempt to persuade readers to join a referral program by appealing to their altruistic side (help a friend) or by injecting humor into the content. Overall, most referral emails adhere to a formula that ensures quick success.

Why it matters? According to research, 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know –consumers referred by a friend are four times more likely to buy, and referrals account for 65% of companies’ new deals. That is a good enough reason to get down to business and start writing referral emails. But how do you write an irresistible referral email?

Create an appealing subject line

When people check their inboxes, the subject line is the first thing they see. Make it short and straightforward, and include some powerful words. You might also A/B test your subject line to determine which one performs better. Subject line examples could be: You have $25 for your next purchase, 15% off in your first month, or Give your friends $5 and earn $10.

Mention the referral program incentives you’re providing

Some people may gladly spread the news for free, but incentives make the sharing experience more appealing. As a result, you should always mention the benefits you’re offering in your emails. Is it single-sided or double-sided? Do you have a referral scheme that is gamified? Inform everyone.

Inform readers of any terms or conditions

Customers must meet certain requirements to participate in referral schemes. Some of these criteria include who is eligible to be a referral, the expiration date of incentives, the manner of receiving your rewards, and so on.

Include a clear call to action (CTA)

CTAs encourage people to act. There are some best practices to remember while building CTAs. For example, use the correct amount of color and white space to make your CTA button stand out. Don’t forget to put it above the fold. From the moment the customer opens the email, the CTA button should be displayed. They should not have to scroll down to find it. Because some email providers do not automatically load images, you should also include hyperlinked words within your email to make sure no CTAs are missed.

Personalize it

If you speak to clients in their native language and in a friendly manner, they will be more likely to take action. When personalizing your communications, calling your customers by their first names is an excellent place to start. This tip may appear overly simple, yet it produces fantastic results. *Note, some industries frown on addressing certain people by first name, for example addressing a doctor, so this is not a one-size fits all personalization.

Pay attention to design

Just as crucial as writing a captivating subject line is ensuring your email is well-designed. Make your emails visually appealing by incorporating your brand’s logo, colors, typography, and images. You may also find through A/B testing that a plain text email is more effective than an HTML design.

Make it simple for individuals to refer

A successful referral email encourages customers to tell others about your brand. Customers will become frustrated and give up if they have to navigate from one page to another to make a referral. You should include a unique referral link that a customer can readily copy into the email. You should include social networking buttons and a unique referral link so that clients may share the link directly on social media platforms if that’s what you’re requesting.

Even though referral emails shouldn’t be overly wordy, the reality is that most people will still scan through the content. This applies to both visual and written content. The goal is to prioritize and organize the content for the user to easily and quickly process it.

You should keep two common design patterns in mind for your referral emails: The F Pattern and The Z Pattern.

The F Pattern is the most common pattern, especially for written content. Viewers scan the content from the top left to the top right and then down on the left side, looking for headlines, subheaders, and bulleted content.

While the Z Pattern is most often used when there isn’t much-written content. Instead, with this pattern, you can highlight other aspects like CTAs. As its name indicates, users scan the content forming a Z. From the top left to the top right and then diagonally down to finish with another horizontal movement from left to right.

In Summary

People who already buy from you are your best advocates. When consumers are satisfied with your brand, they are willing to share it with others. They only need a little incentive to get started. Now you know how to make them talk about your business via email prompt.

If you’re up for another cup of coffee, please read through the Referral Email Template Resources we’ve compiled for you! And maybe you can start writing your first referral email.

Referral Email Template Resources

If you and your marketing team are stuck for ideas on how to compose your referral email, we’re here to help. Rather than gazing at a blank page, use these tried-and-true referral email templates to persuade your clients to convert.

Asking a current customer if they have anyone in mind to refer to you

Hi [Customer Name],

I hope you’re doing well today!

I’m so glad to hear that our [work/service/product] has been working so well for you and your team. I knew that by working together, we’d be able to drive significant impact for [insert their brand’s name].

Given the success you’ve seen, I wondered if you might know of any [friends/colleagues/other companies in the area] who are also looking to [insert core value proposition of your product or service — e.g. “improve their blog’s SEO”]. I would love to help them achieve the same results you’ve seen.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

Asking someone to refer you to a friend or colleague using a promo code

Hi [Customer Name],

I hope your week is going well so far.

I was delighted to hear in our last [phone call/email chain/meeting] that our [work/service/product] has been serving you and your team well. Nothing makes me happier than helping to enable my clients’ [growth/happiness].

My goal is to help as many [people/businesses] as possible to [insert core value proposition of your product or service — e.g. “develop great leaders”]. Since you’ve seen what our [service/product] can do for a business firsthand, I was wondering if you would be willing to share our [service/product] with a friend.

I generally [insert normal, non-referral detail — e.g. ‘charge $50 for a 30-minute consultation’], but I’m happy to provide [insert referral benefit — e.g. ‘a completely free consultation’] for anyone you refer to me.

When they book a consultation, all they have to do is put the following personalized code in: [insert code here]. If you do end up passing along the referral code, you’ll also get [insert referrer’s benefit here – e.g. ‘10% off our next 3 sessions together].

Do you have anyone in mind who might want to take advantage of that benefit?

Thanks,
[Your Name]

Asking a past customer if they know of anyone they may be willing to refer to you

Hi [Customer Name],

I hope your last few [weeks/months] have gone well!

I’m so glad to hear that our [work/service/product] has been working so well for you and your team. I knew that by working together, we’d be able to drive significant impact for [insert their brand’s name].

Given the success you’ve seen, I wondered if you might know of any [friends/colleagues/other companies in the area] who are also looking to [insert core value proposition of your product or service — e.g. “improve their blog’s SEO”]. I would love to help them achieve the same results you’ve seen.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]

Last-Call Referral Email

Get [reward] when you refer friends this weekend with our limited-time offer! Share your referral code by Sunday, and when a friend places their first order, you’ll both get [describe the reward].

[Insert call-to-action button]

We’d be happy to help you develop an effective referral program for your organization. Contact us to schedule an introductory call.