Your customers can be incredible advocates for your brand, and it’s important to recognize their dedication to your company and products. But creating a referral program isn’t a once-and-done task—it’s a powerful first step. 

The next task is to optimize your referral program: evaluate the benefits (from your customer's point of view) and assess whether or not your referral program is properly promoted and explained. 

Part of the optimization should include a robust FAQ section specifically for your referral program.

What’s the point of having referral FAQ questions?

Your brand might have an amazing referral program, but it doesn’t matter if your customers can’t quickly and easily find out how it works. A FAQ section is a convenient way to provide information about how and why your brand rewards loyal customers. 

“The more information you have about the program, the better. It's important to cover the criteria for the program, the benefits of joining, and the rewards. FAQs can also be a great way to give your users the opportunity to find out more about your company and what they can expect,” says Krittin Kalra, founder of Writecream.

Having referral FAQs right on the page is a good way to show that your brand is straightforward to work with and transparent with its practices.  

Why you should create a referral program FAQ

Not quite sold on the need for a built-out FAQ section on your referral page? Let’s dig into a few reasons it’s helpful for your customers and your business: 

1. A FAQ section on your referral page can help set proper expectations.

There’s no need for customers to guess about points or rewards when you put the terms of your referral program into a FAQ section. Anticipate any questions that shoppers will have, and present that information upfront. It’s a simple way to avoid frustrated customers (and frustrated staff).   

2. You can free up your customer support.

What will customers do if they have questions and can’t find the answer on your site? If they don’t bounce from your site, they’ll likely get in touch with your customer support team. That’s an extra step that could annoy your customers and your staff. A FAQ section can save your customer support team valuable time so they can focus on more pressing issues.

3. It can better equip customers to promote your brand without worrying about how the referral program actually works.

The unknown scares most people. If they don’t understand how your referral program works, there’s less incentive for people to spread the word about your brand. Why not take every chance you have to minimize confusion for your customers? Optimizing your referral page with concise FAQs streamlines the experience for shoppers, making it uncomplicated to refer friends and family to your store. 

4. It’ll increase overall customer satisfaction.

Which situation would be less stressful for you as a customer: You have a question and searching leads nowhere, or you have a question, and it’s answered for you on that page?

Customers, of course, will be happier if you can anticipate and answer their questions without them having to do additional work. Referral FAQs are a good testament to how your brand operates; you can show your customers that you’ve thoroughly thought through the experience you’re offering them and want to get it right.    

14 FAQ questions to put on your referral page

It makes sense to have a thorough FAQ section on your referral page, but it can be challenging to come up with questions to include. If you’re struggling, your customer service team is a good place to start. What are the most common referral-related questions they deal with? Include those. 

Beyond that, try to imagine any confusion your customers could experience. It’s helpful to address those possibly sticky points right away. “A referral FAQ should answer the essential who, what, when, where, and how questions,” says Josh Tyler, CEO of Tell Me Best. He recommends starting with the basics:

1. Who is eligible for the referral program?
2. What does it entail to be part of it?
3. When do I receive rewards? How do I claim them?
4. Where can I get a referral code? 
5. Where can I track the status of my referrals?
6. How do I start making referrals?

Here are a few more suggestions for your referral FAQs:

7. How do I get my referral link?
8. Someone has bought something under my referral link, when and how do I receive my discount code?
9. What are the terms for sharing the referral link?
10. Someone bought something through my link, but I've not received any reward. Help?
11. I'm having trouble redeeming the discount codes. It says it's expired/invalid. Help?
12. Is there a limit to the number of times the Advocate can repeat the referral process?
13. Can the referred friend use the discount code in conjunction with other promotions?
14. Do the discount codes expire?

How many questions should you have?

When it comes to how many questions to include on your referral FAQ page, there’s no right or wrong answer. But, the amount has to make sense with your referral program and the page layout. A multi-tier loyalty program with several ways to earn rewards will require more questions than a simple referral program. 

One overarching rule: Readability is key. “Make sure to make your referral FAQ page easily scannable. Group questions into categories with clear headers, and use collapsible boxes for answers so that readers aren’t faced with a wall of text,” said Milo Cruz, CMO of FreelanceWritingJobs.com and ecommerce web content specialist. 

Examples of ecommerce brands with FAQs on their referral page

Ready for some IRL inspiration? Let’s take a look at what other brands are doing with their referral FAQs. 

Senita Athletics Rewards Program

Like many brands, Senita includes referrals in its reward program. Senita’s FAQ page has a super, user-friendly layout. It includes details about its three-tiered reward program, how to earn points, point redemption amounts, and (of course) a lovely, concise FAQ section. 

The dropdown design makes it easy to scan, so customers can quickly locate the questions they have (and click to get an immediate answer).

The icons and the custom illustration are a bonus here. The imagery brings the page to life. It’s nice to see such thought and care put into features dedicated to loyal customers.  

Yaya Papaya Referral Program

Yaya Papaya’s referral page is both fun and informative. Two blurbs call out the main features of their referral program: what their referral program is about and how it works. Below those blurbs, Yaya Papaya includes a robust set of FAQ questions. 

The questions seem to cover most of what customers would be searching for: sharing referral codes, trouble receiving awards, limits, and more. If you want a template to start with, you’re looking at it. 

Fairphone Referral Program 

Fairphone’s referral FAQ is short and sweet. The navigation is simple, and the benefits are clearly explained. A graphic chart highlights how the referral program works.

And below the chart, they answer a few questions—likely the most commonly asked questions.

In anticipation of more questions, Fairphone has a rather prominent note at the bottom of its referral FAQs so customers know it’s always ok to reach out if they have more questions or experience any issues. 

PIQUE Tea Rewards

PIQUE also includes referrals in its reward program; in fact, they highlight referrals as a prime way to earn rewards. 

The brand has also (smartly) used some of the page’s real estate to include referral FAQs. 

From minimum order amount to where to find referral links, PIQUE has covered most of the questions that customers will likely have regarding its reward program. It’s a super example of what a more thorough referral FAQ could look like, and the best part is that the page starts with reward items, exciting customers to unlock their next gift. 

Quick tips on the design of your referral FAQ: An accordion style works best for FAQs, keep your answers short and sweet (don't overload your customers with too much information), and keep the color simple with good contrast between your background and copy! 

Stay on-brand (and have fun) with your referral FAQs 

Your referral page and the referral FAQs should be presented in a way that matches your brand style. As long as it includes the important details and is accessible to all of your customers, the layout is up to you. Whether you want to create an infographic, video, or list of questions, the most important thing is ease for your customers.

Referral marketing isn't all that difficult, especially if you have the right resources to guide you along the way. ReferralCandy is here to help.