How does the SendFox subscriber referral program work?

SendFox's referral program gives each subscriber a personal link. When friends sign up through it, they earn prizes you choose. Set it up in Growth → Referrals.

What is the subscriber referral program?

The referral program turns your readers into promoters. While it's on, your emails end with a referral promo. Each subscriber gets their own referral link and a referral hub page where they can share it and track their progress. When they reach a milestone you set, they earn the prize for it, such as a free guide, a discount code or a shout-out.

It's included on every plan: Free, Lifetime and Pro.

You need a Smart Page. Referral links open your primary Smart Page, and friends sign up with its form. New accounts start with a Smart Page, and your first Smart Page is primary automatically. To use a different page, choose Make primary from its ⋮ menu under Growth → Smart Pages. See How do I create a Smart Page?

This isn't the same as Settings → Referrals, which is your own link for inviting people to SendFox. See Does SendFox have an affiliate or referral program?

How do I set up the referral program?

1. Go to Growth → Referrals.
2. Switch on Referral program.
3. Under Email footer promo, edit the Footer title and Footer blurb.
4. Under Referral hub page, pick a Theme color. Under Page header, choose Show title and type a title, or Show logo and select an image.
5. Under Prizes, click Add a prize for each reward. Click Select Image, then fill in Prize title, Referrals (how many referrals it takes) and, if you like, Prize redemption url (the link where the subscriber claims it). Give each prize a different number of referrals.
6. Switch on Automatically email subscribers their prizes if you want SendFox to send each prize for you.
7. Click Save changes. The previews on the page show your email footer and referral hub.

How does it work for my subscribers?

1. They see the promo. Your campaigns and automation emails end with your footer title and blurb, your prizes, their referral count and a Share now button.
2. They share their link. Share now opens their referral hub, where they can copy their link, share it by email or on social media, and see your prizes and a top-10 leaderboard. The leaderboard shows your top referrers' email addresses partly hidden.
3. Friends sign up. The link opens your primary Smart Page. A referral counts when the friend signs up with that page's form. Sign-ups through other forms, imports or the API don't count as referrals.
4. They earn prizes. When a subscriber reaches a prize's number of referrals and Automatically email subscribers their prizes is on, SendFox emails them the prize with its redemption link, and you get a copy. If a prize has no link, the email tells them you'll be in touch. With the setting off, deliver prizes yourself.

Can I mention referrals in my own emails?

Yes. Add these personalization tags anywhere in an email:

• {{contact.referrer_url}}: the subscriber's personal referral link
• {{contact.referral-hub-url}}: their referral hub page
• {{contact.referral_count}}: how many people they've referred
• {{contact.referral_prizes}}: your list of prizes

Only Referrer URL is in the editor's personalization menu; type the other three into your email. See How do I personalize SendFox emails with personalization tags?

Troubleshooting

The referral promo isn't in my emails

Check that Referral program is switched on under Growth → Referrals. Emails you build with Code your own don't get the footer, and neither do the confirmation emails new subscribers receive. In a Code your own email, add the personalization tags above instead.

The referral link is blank or the hub asks for a page

Referral links need a primary Smart Page. Go to Growth → Smart Pages and make sure one page shows the Primary badge.

A referral didn't count

The friend has to sign up on your primary Smart Page through the referral link. Each person counts once for a referrer, subscribers can't refer themselves, and sign-ups SendFox flags as suspicious don't count.

I want to see who referred the most people

Go to Audience → Lists and open a list. Use the Columns control to add the Referrals column, and pick Subscribers with referrals in the filter to show only people who referred someone. On Audience → Contacts, the With referrals filter does the same.

Still stuck? Visit the Help Center at help.sendfox.com or email support@sendfox.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the referral program cost extra?

No. It's included on every plan.

Do I have to deliver the prizes myself?

You choose what each prize is and where it lives, such as a download link or a coupon page. SendFox counts the referrals and can email each prize link automatically when a subscriber reaches it.

What happens if I switch the referral program off?

The promo disappears from your emails. Links your subscribers have already shared keep working, and their referrals still count.