Overview

The Welcome Email is the first automated email an advocate receives after their first share through your referral program. It welcomes them to the program, reinforces the value of participating, and provides the key information they need to keep sharing.

Key Metrics

• Open Rate: This is one of the highest-open-rate messages in the referral lifecycle.
• Share rate: Encourages advocates to share again quickly.
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Best Practices

• Make it celebratory: acknowledge and thank them for sharing.
• Reinforce the reward structure: remind them what they can earn.
• Include their unique share link or QR code: make it easy to copy or share again.
• Provide next steps: explain how to track progress and see their rewards.

Editable Elements in Extole

In Extole, you can edit:

• Headline: Tailor tone to match your brand voice.
• Body copy: Adjust program description, reward details, and steps.
• Visuals: Add branded banners, product imagery, or icons.
• CTAs: Invite to share again

Testing and Optimization

• Subject line: Tone, personalization, length
• Headline: Welcome-first vs. reward-first messaging
• Body copy: Detail level, tone, clarity of next steps
• CTA: Label, placement, number of CTAs
• Visuals: Use of imagery, icons, or banners
• Share link display: Button vs. text, QR code
• Timing: Immediate send vs. delayed

Ongoing testing helps uncover what resonates with your audience and enables you to continually optimize for both the volume and quality of referral traffic. Check out more ideas for optimizing your program here.