How to Use the Referral Program
The Referral Program lets your current members refer friends and family to your studio — and lets you track every referral from submission to conversion. This article walks you through enabling, configuring, and managing your referral program.
The Key Steps
1. Navigate to the Referral Program
Click Marketing in the left-hand navigation menu, then select Referral Program. You will see the referral dashboard with summary stats at the top and three tabs: Referrals, Leaderboard, and Settings.
2. Review the Dashboard Stats
At the top of the page, three summary cards give you a quick snapshot of your program's performance:
- Total Referrals — the all-time count of referrals submitted through the program
- This Month — the number of referrals submitted in the current month
- Conversion Rate — the percentage of referrals that converted into trials or members
3. View and Manage Referrals
The Referrals tab displays a table of all referrals with the following columns:
- Referred By — the existing member who made the referral
- Referred Person — the name of the person who was referred
- Contact Info — email or phone number for the referred person
- Status — the current state of the referral (e.g., Pending, Contacted, Converted)
- Date — when the referral was submitted
Use this table to follow up with referred contacts, update their status, and track which members are driving the most new leads.
4. Check the Leaderboard
Click the Leaderboard tab to see your top referrers ranked by total referral count. The table shows:
- Rank — the member's position on the leaderboard
- Member — the referring member's name
- Referrals — the total number of referrals they have submitted
The leaderboard is a great way to recognize your most active advocates and can be used to fuel referral contests or reward programs.
5. Configure Program Settings
Click the Settings tab to customize how the referral program works. The available settings are:
- Enable Referral Program — toggle this on to allow members to share referral links. When disabled, the referral feature is hidden from members.
- Show in Student Portal — toggle this on to display a referral section inside the Student Portal, making it easy for members to refer directly from their portal dashboard.
- Landing Page Heading — customize the headline that referred visitors see on the referral landing page (e.g., "Welcome! We'd love to meet you.")
- Landing Page Description — add a description below the heading to explain what the referred visitor should do (e.g., "Fill out the form below to learn more about our programs and get started!")
- Thank You Message — set the confirmation message shown after a referred visitor submits the form (e.g., "Thanks! We'll be in touch soon.")
Click Save Settings when you are done making changes.
6. Share Referral Links with Members
Once the referral program is enabled, your members can share their unique referral links with friends and family. When a referred person clicks the link, they land on your customized referral page and can fill out a form to express interest. The referral is automatically tracked and attributed to the referring member.
If you have enabled Show in Student Portal, members can find and share their referral link directly from their portal dashboard without needing any assistance from your staff.
Best Practices
- Enable the Student Portal integration so members can share their referral link anytime without asking your front desk
- Keep your landing page messaging warm and inviting — this is a referred visitor's first impression of your studio
- Follow up on referrals quickly — referred leads convert at a much higher rate when contacted within 24 hours
- Recognize top referrers publicly — use the leaderboard to celebrate your biggest advocates and motivate others
- Pair the referral program with an incentive — consider offering a free class, discount, or merchandise credit for successful referrals
If you have any questions about the Referral Program, please reach out to the Market Muscles Support Team.