/18-referral-program-global

name: 18-referral-program-global
description: "Referral program design for global businesses — 1-way vs 2-way, incentive structure, anti-fraud, attribution. Has 4 region variants for anti-spam compliance (TCPA US, GDPR EU, PDPA SEA, LGPD LATAM). Trigger: 'referral program', 'refer a friend', 'word of mouth', 'viral loop', 'referral marketing'."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
  category: operations
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "referral program"
  - "refer a friend"
  - "word of mouth"
  - "viral loop"
  - "referral marketing"
related:
  - product-marketing-context-global
  - 14-email-marketing-global
  - 27-personal-brand-monetize-global
  - references/global-legal-compliance

Referral Program (Global)

> Word of mouth is the highest-LTV acquisition channel in every region. But the LEGAL framework around how you contact referred prospects differs HUGELY: TCPA (US, SMS), GDPR (EU, all channels), PDPA (SEA), LGPD (LATAM). Pick the right region variant or get fined.

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For newbies

Who is this skill for?

| Audience | Concrete example | |----------|------------------| | DTC brand wanting cheaper acquisition | Already at USD 30 CAC; want USD 10 CAC via referral | | SaaS adding viral loop | Existing PMF; want negative CAC growth | | Service business (coaching, agency) | High-LTV; want client referrals | | Subscription brand | High retention; turn customers into ambassadors | | E-commerce wanting AOV growth | Refer a friend = both get discount |

Who is this NOT for?

• **Vietnam-only referral** -> Use `18-referral-program` (VN skill) — Zalo / Messenger optimized
• **B2B enterprise sales** -> ABM / partnership programs are different motion (not covered here)
• **Brand ambassador / affiliate** -> Use `27-personal-brand-monetize-global` for influencer-affiliate (when available)

30-second pre-read

This skill produces ONE referral program design with 6 components: model selection (1-way / 2-way / multi-tier), incentive math (% of LTV), tracking infrastructure, anti-fraud measures, launch sequence, and KPIs (K-factor, viral coefficient). Pick 1 of 4 region variants — the variant tunes the LEGAL rules for contacting referred prospects (especially via SMS/email).

3 common errors

1. **SMS-based referral in US without TCPA consent** -> Up to USD 1,500 per text fines + class actions 2. **Email-blast referred contacts in EU** -> GDPR violation; referral programs touching EU prospects need explicit consent from the prospect, NOT just the referrer 3. **Cash incentives that violate FTC endorsement rules** -> "Refer a friend, get USD 100" requires disclosed material connection if referrer posts publicly

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Why do you need this skill?

Without proper referral design:

• US: Risk TCPA class action (USD 500-1,500 per message)
• EU: GDPR violation if you store referred-prospect data without their consent
• SEA: PDPA Singapore strict — most referral programs need both-side consent
• LATAM: Brazil LGPD treats referred contacts as data subjects requiring consent
• Universal: incentive math wrong -> losing money instead of growing
• Universal: no anti-fraud -> 30-50% of "referrals" are self-referrals or bots

Plan the legal foundation correctly, get the incentive math right, ship a working viral loop.

---

Workflow

Step 0: Check global context file
    |-- exists -> read product / customer / region
    |-- missing -> suggest user run product-marketing-context-global first
Step 1: Pick region variant (US / EU / SEA / LATAM)
Step 2: Confirm prerequisites (NPS, AOV, LTV, customer base)
Step 3: Choose model (1-way / 2-way / multi-tier affiliate)
Step 4: Calculate incentive (15-25% of LTV)
Step 5: Set up tracking + anti-fraud
Step 6: Design referral flow (7 steps)
Step 7: Launch sequence (30-day plan)
Step 8: Measure K-factor / viral coefficient

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Step 0: Check global context

Check `.agents/product-marketing-context-global.md`:

• **Yes** -> Read product, customer, region. Do NOT re-ask.
• **No** -> Suggest running `product-marketing-context-global` first.

---

Step 1: Pick region variant

Ask: **"Which is your PRIMARY region: US, EU, SEA, or LATAM?"**

Where do most of your customers (and their referrals) live?
    |-- US / Canada       --> 01-us.md    (TCPA SMS rules; CAN-SPAM email; CCPA data)
    |-- EU / EEA / UK     --> 02-eu.md    (GDPR consent for ALL channels)
    |-- Southeast Asia    --> 03-sea.md   (PDPA per country; mostly opt-in)
    |-- Latin America     --> 04-latam.md (LGPD Brazil; LFPDPPP Mexico)
    |-- Vietnam only      --> Use `18-referral-program` (VN skill)

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Step 2: Prerequisites — does referral make sense?

When referral works

• NPS >= 40 (customers actively like you)
• Customer has natural reason to share (visible result, social currency, peer-relevant)
• AOV high enough to fund meaningful incentive (USD 50+ ideal)
• LTV high enough to justify CAC investment
• Existing base of 100+ happy customers to seed

When referral does NOT work (skip this skill)

• NPS < 20 (customers don't like you yet — fix retention first)
• Sensitive product category (financial advice, intimate health) — referrals feel weird
• Very low AOV (< USD 10) — incentive economics don't work
• Pre-launch or no customer base — no one to refer

Ask the user

1. Product type? (DTC / SaaS / Service / Subscription) 2. Average AOV and LTV? 3. Existing happy customer count? 4. Goal: more new customers, lower CAC, or higher engagement?

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Step 3: Referral models

Model 1: One-way (referrer gets reward, referee gets nothing)

**When:** Premium product where referee will buy regardless of incentive **Examples:**

• Tesla referral program (referrer gets credit, new buyer pays full price)
• Robinhood (referrer gets free stock; referee just signs up)

**Pros:** Lower cost **Cons:** Lower conversion (referee has no extra reason to buy now)

Model 2: Two-way (BOTH referrer and referee get rewards) — DEFAULT CHOICE

**When:** 80% of cases; psych