Referral programs are allowed on Kickstarter. This means project creators can offer incentives, such as discounts or physical goods, to motivate backers to get the word out about their campaign.
If you plan to use a referral program, here are some important things to keep in mind:
Rewards + Rules
- Referral rewards must be capped to the amount each backer has pledged to your campaign. If a backer pledged for a $100 reward, they’re able to earn up to $100 in cash back through referrals - or an additional reward or physical good valued up to $100. This ensures that referral rewards remain a token of appreciation - not a side hustle.
- Contests remain prohibited. That means you can't structure referral programs like a contest where backers compete for rewards or participate in drawings.
Third Party Partners
- You’re welcome to work with third party referral programs, however you may not mention or promote them within your Kickstarter campaign or through project updates.
Spam + Abuse
- Be mindful when designing your referral program; the greater the incentive the larger the risk that it will incentivize spam or other types of bad behaviors.
- You are ultimately responsible for the actions of your community and for making sure that your backers act responsibly.
- Ensure that your backers are open and transparent about the benefits they’re receiving when sharing your project, and that they’re not spamming or engaging in other types of bad behavior.
We will take action if we receive complaints about your community's behavior.
Promotion
- Promote your referral program in a tasteful manner on your project page and updates, if you hope to be considered for features by our curation team.
Tracking
- Make sure that you have a system in place to track and manage your referral program, and to process and fulfill rewards.