Share this article
Table of Contents
We love helping businesses grow through referral marketing, so here are our favorite referral email examples that can show you how to do that.
Our top tip to our customers using our referral program software is to regularly send referral emails to their customer base. We help them design their emails so that they get the biggest bang for their buck.
Today, we're sharing 11 referral email examples from our customers so that you can copy their success.
Why We Recommend Sending A Referral Email Blast To Your Customers
Definition: An email blast is a mass email that allows a sender to deliver a single message to an entire customer base simultaneously.
In the context of referral marketing, an email blast is used to generate and maintain awareness around a referral program. Without regular reminders through marketing material like email blasts, awareness will quickly erode.
Your customer base soon forgets that you have a referral program at all.
Typically, email blasts lack personalization and, unlike other referral email types, aren't heavily based upon customer segmentation or targeted demographics (more on this later).
Email blasts are sent as monthly or quarterly campaigns or for yearly events. Other times, email blasts can promote a referral program launch or seasonal sale.
Referral Email Blast Examples
To be sure you're on the right path, take a look through these email blast examples.
Customer Appreciation
A customer appreciation email is the perfect way to show your loyal customers and first purchasers that you value their business. Using their unique referral link, existing customers can earn rewards while bringing new business your way.
Expressing gratitude to your valued customers will strengthen the relationship and build loyalty with your brand.
- Subject line: Saying "thank you" with a special offer 🎁
- Referral Reward: 50% off a future purchase
- Who to send it to: Both loyal customers and new customers
- Recommended send rate: Yearly
Offer A Free Product
Free product emails are sent to an entire customer base, incentivizing customer referrals with a free product rather than a run-of-the-mill cash or discount-based referral incentive.
Not only is this type of referral email an effective method for driving traffic to your website and increasing brand awareness, but it can also promote any new products you're ready to launch.
- Subject line: Get a free trial when you refer a friend 🧘
- Referral Reward: Free 30-day trial
- Who to send it to: Don't discriminate. Send it to everyone.
- Recommended send rate: Quarterly
Pay It Forward
Pay it forward presents Advocates the opportunity to share a product or service they love with a Friend while passing on a touch of charitable kindness, at the same time. For example, when an Advocate successfully refers a new customer to your business, you make a donation to a charity that aligns with your target audience's values and interests.
Not only will this make both parties feel like they are making a difference, it will shed your business in a positive light. A win-win.
- Subject line: You give, we give 💫
- Referral Reward: 20% off for both the Advocate and Friend
- Who to send it to: Your entire customer base
- Recommended send rate: Monthly
Monthly Or Quarterly Referral Program Awareness
A monthly or quarterly refer a friend email campaign reminds Advocates that they can receive rewards if they refer their Friends with their unique referral code.
Friendbuy Example: Walmart
Walmart sends an email blast that reminds customers both about their quality service as well as their enticing referral program.
This type of referral marketing campaign strengthens relationships with existing customers and keeps your referral program top of mind.
- Subject line: Good things come to those who refer 💫
- Referral Reward: Advocate receives $10, friend gets $10
- Who to send it to: loyal and existing customers
- Recommended send rate: Monthly or quarterly
Seasonal Event
Seasonal event email blasts take place during key shopping periods, like during a specific holiday or promotional campaign, in which a company encourages its customers to share a special offer with their friends and family.
Friendbuy Example: Flaviar
Flaviar pairs an incentive boost with a dedicated email to promote the special day or month relevant to their brand: National Bourbon Month.
This type of campaign can be an effective way to drive sales and grow your customer base during the busiest times of the year.
- Subject line: Raise a glass to bourbon month 🥃
- Referral Reward: Advocate receives a bottle of bourbon, friend also gets a bottle of bourbon
- Who to send it to: entire email list
- Recommended send rate: during popular or product-relevant seasonal events
Limited Time Offers
A limited time offer (LTO) email blast is a short-term promotion that drives sales and increases customer awareness of a product or service. For example, a store may offer a discount on a product for a week. Or a company may offer a free trial of their service for a month.
Friendbuy Example: Getaway
Getaway occasionally runs a Limited Time Offer with their Nominate A Friend program, offering an epic reward to one lucky Friend that is referred by a customer.
LTOs can be an effective way to boost sales and drive customer engagement, but they should be used judiciously. Overusing LTOs can lead to customers becoming uninterested in the product or services on offer.
- Subject line: Do you know someone who deserves a getaway?
- Referral Reward: Nominated friend receives a getaway in nature
- Who to send it to: loyal and existing customers
- Recommended send rate: Monthly or quarterly
Referral Contests, Sweepstakes, and Giveaways
A referral contest email blast is an email campaign that encourages recipients to refer their friends in order to win a prize. The prize can be anything from a discount on a product or service to a freebie or gift card. In order to participate, recipients simply need to click on a unique link in the email, which will take them to a landing page where they can enter the email addresses of the people they wish to refer.
Friendbuy Example: Smile Direct Club
Smile Direct Club runs a limited time sweepstakes – for every share initiated, Advocates are entered to win a $500 gift card of their choice.
This is a great way to generate buzz and build up excitement for your products or services.
- Subject line: More shares = more chances to win 💸
- Referral Reward: Advocate receives a $100 gift card, friend gets $100 off
- Who to send it to: entire email list
- Recommended send rate: Monthly or quarterly
Post Survey
Following a survey submission, send an email blast to all participants in order to not just thank them for their time, but also to encourage them to share their experience with your brand with friends.
Friendbuy Example: PetFlow
PetFlow says a quick thanks and returns the love, then invites their customers to share the love with their Friends. It's cute, to the point, and an easy way to get more referrals.
Post-survey email blasts usually contain a thank-you message, as well as either a unique referral link, the option to share via email, or a link to your referral landing page.
Friendbuy Example: Bouqs
Bouqs takes things a step further and offers 30% off to Advocates and Friends (after they make their first purchase). It's a quick and easy way to get the customer's attention while you've got them watching their inbox for emails about their recent purchase.
- Subject line: You spoke, we listened
- Referral Reward: Advocate receives 30% off, friend gets 30% off
- Who to send it to: Customers who have completed a survey
- Recommended send rate: Post positive survey submission
Common Questions
What Is The Best Email Blast Software?
Very little is required to launch an email blast campaign. All you really need is the ability to include in your email a CTA or banner that links to a referral program landing page.
If you are already using an email platform, there's likely no need to switch providers. Most (if not all) email platforms possess these capabilities.
Friendbuy's platform integrates with both Klaviyo and Attentive, two very capable email platforms that we can recommend for effective email blast campaigns.
How Often Should You Send An Email Blast?
How often you should send an email blast depends on a variety of factors, such as your industry, the size of your list, and the type of content you're sending. Generally speaking, it's best to err on the side of caution and not send too many emails. You don't want to risk overwhelming your subscribers or coming across as spammy.
We recommend a quarterly or monthly cadence.
What Is A Good Open Rate For Email Blasts?
Although the figure varies slightly across different niches, through their research, industry-leading email platforms Campaign Monitor (21.5%) and Mailchimp (21.3%) both conclude that a good email open rate lies just above 20%.
If your current open rate lies below this number, it may be time to revisit your referral email marketing material and campaign strategy.
As we've detailed in this post, a focus on creating an open-worthy subject line and sending marketing emails at the right time of day will both go a long way to improving your referral email open rates.
Once you feel you have optimized these two factors, experiment with different techniques to see what works best for your audience using A/B testing.
