> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bloop.plus/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bloop.plus/referral-program/referral-methods.md).

# Referral Methods

How your customers share decides where your referrals come from. A referral program only spreads through the channels your sharing method fits, so the choice between a link and a code is really a choice about *where* your customers talk about you — in inboxes and group chats, or face to face. Bloop gives you both, and the right answer is usually a deliberate mix rather than a default.

The two methods trade off the same way every time. A **referral link** captures the friend's email before issuing a discount, which means you can keep marketing to them, but it only works in digital channels. A **referral code** is short enough to say out loud and needs no email step, which makes it perfect offline — at the cost of that follow-up data. You set both in the **Referral method** section of your [campaign](/referral-program/campaign.md); at least one must stay on, because turning off both disables the program.

> **Best practice:** Turn on both methods unless you have a specific reason not to. Forcing every customer through one channel suppresses shares from people who would only ever recommend you their own way — over email, or in person. Let referrers pick the channel that fits their relationship with the friend.

### Referral link vs referral code

| Method        | How it works                                                                                                           | Best for                            |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| Referral link | Each referrer gets a unique link. The friend visits it and enters their email to receive a discount code for checkout. | Email, chat, and social sharing.    |
| Referral code | Each referrer gets a unique referral code. The friend enters the code to get a discount at checkout.                   | Word-of-mouth and offline channels. |

#### What you gain and give up with each

The deciding difference is the **email step**. A link asks the friend for their email before the discount appears; a code does not. That single step is both the link's biggest strength and its only real cost.

|                              | Referral link                                     | Referral code                               |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Friction for the friend      | One extra step (enter email)                      | None — just type the code                   |
| Captures the referee's email | **Yes** — enables onboarding and follow-up emails | No                                          |
| Works offline / spoken aloud | Poorly — it is a long URL                         | **Yes** — short and memorable               |
| Attribution                  | Precise, per-link                                 | Precise, per-code                           |
| Best channels                | Email, DMs, social, chat                          | In-store, phone, podcasts, creator captions |

The email the link captures is more valuable than it looks. A referred friend you can email is a friend you can convert with an onboarding sequence even if they do not buy on the first visit — and the share moment is the rare time customers willingly hand over a contact. Where that follow-up matters most — subscriptions, considered purchases — lead with the link. Where the recommendation happens out loud, the code is the only thing that travels.

### What tends to work

Two patterns hold up across most stores:

* **How you present sharing matters as much as which method you offer.** Adding social proof to the share prompt — a reminder of what the friend gets, or how many people have joined — can meaningfully lift results. Make the share prompt clear, friendly, and trustworthy.
* **The channel itself is the most trusted you have.** Nielsen's global survey of 28,000+ people found **92%** trust recommendations from friends and family above all other advertising, and McKinsey estimates word-of-mouth drives **20–50%** of purchasing decisions. Your sharing method is the pipe that carries that trust — the less friction in it, the more of that trust converts. This is the case for enabling both methods rather than betting on one.

### Turn a method on or off

1. Open the **Campaign** tab and go to the **Referral method** section.
2. Turn on **Referral link**, **Referral code**, or both.
3. Save.

> Turning off the referral code also deactivates the underlying share discount in Shopify. Turning it back on reactivates it. Turning off both methods stops the referral program entirely.

### Set a code prefix

Generated codes start with a prefix so they are easy to recognize on orders and in Shopify discounts. The prefix defaults to `BLOOP` and can be changed per store. A full code is the prefix followed by a random string and the referrer's ID, for example `BLOOP-A1B2C3-1042`.

A good prefix is your brand, kept short. Use something a customer would recognise on their order and would be happy to say out loud — `LUNA-A1B2C3-1042` reads as "from Luna" and reinforces the brand at checkout, whereas the generic default tells the friend nothing. Keep it letters-only and brief so codes stay easy to dictate over the phone or read off a card.

### How sharing is tracked

Each referrer is assigned a unique 8-character share code automatically when they join. Whether they share by link or code, Bloop records the share so you can measure channel performance in [Referral analytics](/referral-program/analytics/analytics.md).

Because both methods are tracked per referrer, you can see *which channel actually drives conversions* rather than guessing. If links convert far better than codes for your store, that is a signal to push email and social sharing harder; if codes lead, your customers are recommending you offline and you should make codes more prominent. Read the channel split before you decide to turn anything off.

### A worked example

A homeware brand sells both online and through two physical stores. *This is an illustrative scenario, not measured data.*

1. **Online customers** recommend the brand in group chats and Instagram DMs, so the **referral link** fits — and the captured email lets the brand send a welcome offer if the friend does not buy straight away.
2. **In-store customers** recommend it at the counter, where a long URL is useless. The **referral code** — branded `HAVEN-…` — is something a customer can read off the receipt and a friend can type at checkout, online or in store.
3. The brand turns on **both methods**, prints the code on receipts, and surfaces the link in post-purchase emails.
4. After a few weeks they check [analytics](/referral-program/analytics/analytics.md): links drive most online conversions, codes punch above their weight from the physical stores. Neither would have worked alone — and turning either off would have cut a real source of referrals.

### Common mistakes to avoid

* **Picking one method to "keep it simple."** Forcing every referrer through a single channel silently loses the shares that would only have happened the other way. Enable both unless you have a concrete reason not to.
* **Leaving the generic prefix.** A branded prefix earns trust and reinforces who the referral is from; the default tells the friend nothing. Set your brand as the prefix.
* **Treating the code as second-class.** Offline and spoken recommendations are some of the most trusted there are. If your customers talk about you in person, the code is not a fallback — it is a primary channel.
* **Never reading the channel split.** Both methods are tracked, so leaving that data unread means optimising blind. Check which channel converts before you change anything.

### Next steps

* Compare link and code strategy in depth: [referral codes vs referral links](https://bloop.plus/blog/referral-codes-vs-referral-links/).
* Set what each side earns in [Referrer and referee rewards](/referral-program/rewards.md).
* Decide who can refer in [Target audience](/referral-program/target-audience.md).
* Make the program easy to find with [best practices: program visibility](/best-practices/program-visibility.md).
* Track which channel wins in [Referral analytics](/referral-program/analytics/analytics.md).


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