With a zero marketing budget, organic growth becomes the key to success. According to ReferralCandy, a well-planned referral program can generate up to 30% of new users without direct advertising costs. But one link is not enough — it is important to motivate users to act again and again. At InvestMatch, we have developed a built-in referral system with gamification elements to turn every founder and investor into an active advocate for the product.

In this article, we will analyze in detail the mechanics of referral, gamification elements, and also share real performance figures. You will see how, with the help of simple techniques, you can achieve explosive growth without a single euro of an advertising budget.

1. Unique referral code and virality 

• The code in the profile of each user immediately after registration receives a unique code or a link "Invite a friend and get a bonus."
• Instant Founder Bonus: +1 free match for each invitation of a new founder.– Investor: priority in the project feed for each invited colleague.
• Transparency of statistics In the profile, the counter "Invited: 5 founders, 2 investors" is displayed. Instant visible rewards increase motivation to share.

2. Leaderboard, badges and progress bar 

• Leaderboard– The main page of the bot contains the top 10 users with the most invitations for the current month.– The winner receives a Pro status for a month or a consultation with an expert.
• Badges and levels– Beginner: 1-2 invitations– Connector: 3-5– Champion: 6+
• The progress bar shows how much is left until the next level and what bonuses it will give.

3. Reminders and motivation

• Weekly Reportsbot sends a summary "You have invited 3 founders, 2 are left to the Champion level."
• Push notifications When each target milestone is reached (1, 3, 5 invitations), congratulations and an offer of new bonuses are received.
• Flexible customization The administrator can change the bonus amounts depending on the season or special promotions.

4. Simplified sharing menu

• The "Invite" buttonA button with a ready-made text and a link for forwarding in personal chats or groups is available on any screen.
• The QR code for offline events can be printed on stickers and left at events, meetups, and demo days.
• Cross-platform, the link opens in any messenger and immediately suggests launching a bot.

1. Post screenshots of the leaderboard once a week, post the top 5 invitations in the Telegram channel — it stimulates ambitions.
2. Launch challenges and announce promotions: "Invite 10 founders by the end of the month and get a year of Pro access."
3. Share winning stories and publish mini-interviews with top clerks on your blog or channel.
4. Analyze the effectiveness and look at the conversion rate of invitations to registration and the first matches.
5. Update bonuses and change mechanics every 2-3 months to avoid audience burnout.

Make users work for your organic growth with minimal effort. InvestMatch offers a built-in referral system with gamification that motivates founders and investors to invite each other over and over again. Try out our mechanics in practice and see how your user base will grow rapidly.