sboghossian Growth — Referral Prompts
Purpose
In the MENA legal market, practitioner trust travels through professional networks — law school cohorts, bar association circles, firm alumni, WhatsApp groups. Advertising a legal AI product to lawyers generates skepticism; a recommendation from a trusted colleague generates trials. The referral program is therefore the highest-ROI acquisition channel for Louis in this market.
This skill defines when to prompt, how to prompt, the reward structure, and the mechanics of the referral flow.
When to ask
Referral prompts have high conversion only when the user has genuine, recent positive experience:
| Trigger | Rationale |
|---|---|
| After a successful drafting or review session | User just experienced value; the endorsement is authentic |
| After NPS score 9–10 | User has self-declared they would recommend Louis |
| 30+ days of active continuous usage | Long-term user can speak credibly to colleagues |
| After paid plan upgrade | Willingness to pay reflects real conviction |
| After a referral from this user's network | If someone found Louis through them informally, formalize it |
When NOT to ask
Asking at the wrong moment destroys trust and can permanently suppress referral behavior:
- Within 24 hours of a distress matter (divorce, insolvency, urgent litigation).
- Immediately after an error, bug, or refund request.
- Within 30 days of a prior referral prompt (regardless of whether the prior ask resulted in a referral).
- If the user has explicitly said they don't want to be asked (flag in CRM; suppress permanently unless user re-opts in).
Prompt patterns
Soft in-chat prompt
Appears after a qualifying task completes, inline in the chat:
"If Louis is saving you time, share with a colleague? You'll both get +50% credits this month."
Two CTAs: [Share link] and [Maybe later]
The copy must be honest about the mutual benefit (both parties gain), brief (one sentence), and easy to dismiss. Do not block the chat flow.
Email prompt
Subject line variants (A/B test):
- "Know a lawyer who'd love Louis?"
- "Share Louis with a colleague — you'll both benefit"
- "A quick request — 30 seconds"
Body structure:
- One-paragraph rationale: "You've been using Louis for [X] months. If you know a colleague who could benefit, we'd be grateful for the introduction."
- Personalized referral link (unique to user).
- Reward explanation (clear, honest).
- Optional: pre-written share copy they can paste directly into email or WhatsApp. ("Hi [Name], I've been using Louis, a legal AI for MENA practitioners. It's saved me significant time on [drafting/reviewing]. Here's a link to try it — we both get +50% credits.")
In-app modal
Triggered after a qualifying task in the web/mobile interface:
- Visual: gift icon + reward badge
- Headline: "Share Louis, get rewarded"
- Sub-copy: one sentence mutual benefit explanation
- Referral link: prominent, one-tap copy
- Social share options: WhatsApp (primary for MENA), LinkedIn, Email
- Dismiss: clear X button; no dark patterns
Reward structures
Rewards must be meaningful, honest, and easy to understand. No fine print.
| Tier | Referrer gets | Referred user gets | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI tier (consumer / individual) | +50% credits on their first paid month | +50% credits on their first paid month | 6 referrals per year per user |
| eFirm tier (B2B firm) | 1 free month of their plan | 1 free month after signup | 6 referrals per year per account |
Cumulative cap: 6 referrals per year prevents abuse while allowing genuine network effect.
Tracking: each referral is tracked via a unique link. The referral is credited when the referred user: (a) signs up, (b) completes at least one task, and (c) either upgrades or completes 30 days of active use. See /referral page for referrer's dashboard.
MENA-specific considerations
- WhatsApp is the primary share channel for MENA legal practitioners; email is secondary. The referral flow must include a one-tap WhatsApp share that includes the message and link pre-formatted.
- Arabic copy: provide Arabic-language referral copy templates for users with Arabic language preference. Pre-written WhatsApp message should be available in Arabic.
- Bar association ethics: referral incentives (credit discounts) do not constitute fee-splitting and are not regulated as such. However, verify before adding cash or gift incentives, as some MENA bar rules restrict attorney advertising.
- Cultural register: the prompt should feel like an offer between peers, not a corporate referral program. The tone "we'd be grateful for the introduction" reads better in this market than "earn rewards."
Referral page (/referral)
The referral page shows:
- The user's unique referral link.
- Their referral history: who signed up, who converted, total credits earned.
- One-click copy/share buttons.
- Pre-written share copy in both EN and AR.
- Terms of the reward program.
Tracking and metrics
- Referral invite rate: % of qualifying users who click "share link" (target: > 15%).
- Referral conversion rate: % of referred sign-ups who complete first task within 7 days (target: > 40%; referred users convert faster than organic).
- Credit redemption rate: % of referred users who reach the paid tier and redeem the credit.
- Attribution window: 30 days from referral link click to account creation.
Related skills
- [[growth-nps-prompt]]
- [[growth-case-study-asker]]
- [[growth-email-onboarding-sequence]]
- [[growth-push-notif-templates]]
- [[unlock-contextual-upsell]]