Integration Guide

How to Build Referral Email Flows in Klaviyo with GrowSurf

Name: GrowSurf
Rating: 4.74 (47 reviews)
Author: GrowSurf

Create sophisticated referral email flows in Klaviyo triggered by GrowSurf referral events and participant data.

Klaviyo's event-driven architecture makes it the perfect email platform for referral programs. Unlike batch-and-blast email tools, Klaviyo can trigger personalized flows based on individual referral events — when someone signs up, when they make a referral, when their friend converts, and when they go quiet. Combined with Klaviyo's powerful segmentation and A/B testing, you get referral emails that are both automated and highly optimized.

This guide shows you how to connect GrowSurf referral events to Klaviyo, build triggered flows for every stage of the referral journey, and use Klaviyo's analytics to optimize email performance. Whether you're in e-commerce or SaaS, these flows will maximize your referral program's email-driven conversions.

Integration Steps

Step 1: Set Up GrowSurf Events in Klaviyo

Configure GrowSurf to send referral events to Klaviyo, which will serve as flow triggers.

Option A: Use Zapier to push GrowSurf events as Klaviyo custom events
Option B: Use GrowSurf webhooks + Klaviyo's Track API to send events directly
Key events to configure:
- Referral Program Joined — participant created
- Referral Made — participant referred someone
- Referral Converted — referred person became a customer
- Reward Earned — participant earned a reward
Include relevant properties with each event (referrer info, referral count, reward details)

Step 2: Create Klaviyo Profiles with Referral Properties

Enrich Klaviyo profiles with referral data so you can use it in segmentation and personalization.

Map these GrowSurf fields to Klaviyo custom properties:
- referral_code — the participant's unique code
- referral_link — their sharing URL
- referral_count — number of successful referrals
- referral_status — current program status
- referred_by — email of who referred them (if applicable)
Use Klaviyo's Identify API or Zapier to update profiles on each event

Step 3: Build the Referral Welcome Flow

Create a Klaviyo flow that welcomes new referral program participants.

Go to Flows > Create Flow > Create from Scratch
Trigger: Metric — "Referral Program Joined"
Email 1 (Immediate): Welcome email with referral link, reward details, and easy sharing CTAs
Email 2 (Day 2): "How to share effectively" — tips, templates, and social media sharing buttons
Email 3 (Day 5): "Your friends are waiting" — social proof and urgency
Add a conditional split after Email 1: if referral_count > 0, exit (they're already active)

Step 4: Create the Referral Activity Flow

Trigger emails based on referral activity — celebrate wins and maintain momentum.

Trigger: Metric — "Referral Made"
Email 1 (Immediate): "Nice! You just referred [Name]" — confirmation with running stats
Add a conditional split: if referral_count = 1, send "first referral" celebration email
If referral_count = 5 or 10, send milestone celebration with upgraded reward info
Include a dynamic block showing progress toward next reward tier

Step 5: Build the Referred Friend Flow

Create a flow for people who were referred (the friends), giving them a warm welcome that leverages the referral context.

Trigger: Metric — "Referral Program Joined" where referred_by is not empty
Email 1 (Immediate): "[Referrer's Name] sent you something special" — personal connection + exclusive offer
Email 2 (Day 1): Product highlights most relevant to referred leads
Email 3 (Day 3): "Don't miss your exclusive offer" — urgency with offer expiration
Exclude from your regular welcome flow to avoid duplicate emails

Step 6: Optimize Flows with Klaviyo Analytics

Use Klaviyo's analytics to measure and improve each referral flow.

Monitor flow metrics: open rate, click rate, placed order rate, and revenue per recipient
A/B test email subject lines, send times, and CTA designs within each flow
Use Klaviyo's Deliverability Score to ensure referral emails reach the inbox
Track which flows drive the most actual referral activity (correlate email engagement with GrowSurf data)

Code Snippets

// Send GrowSurf events to Klaviyo's Track API
const axios = require('axios');

const KLAVIYO_API_KEY = process.env.KLAVIYO_PRIVATE_KEY;

async function trackReferralEvent(eventName, participantData, properties = {}) {
  await axios.post('https://a.klaviyo.com/api/events/', {
    data: {
      type: 'event',
      attributes: {
        metric: { data: { type: 'metric', attributes: { name: eventName } } },
        profile: {
          data: {
            type: 'profile',
            attributes: {
              email: participantData.email,
              first_name: participantData.firstName,
              last_name: participantData.lastName,
              properties: {
                referral_code: participantData.referralCode,
                referral_link: participantData.shareUrl,
                referral_count: participantData.referralCount || 0,
                referral_status: 'active'
              }
            }
          }
        },
        properties: properties,
        time: new Date().toISOString()
      }
    }
  }, {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Klaviyo-API-Key ${KLAVIYO_API_KEY}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'revision': '2024-02-15'
    }
  });
}

// Webhook handler
app.post('/api/growsurf-to-klaviyo', async (req, res) => {
  const { event, participant, referrer } = req.body;

  const eventMap = {
    'PARTICIPANT_CREATED': 'Referral Program Joined',
    'PARTICIPANT_REFERRED': 'Referral Made',
    'CAMPAIGN_REFERRAL_CONVERTED': 'Referral Converted'
  };

  if (eventMap[event]) {
    await trackReferralEvent(eventMap[event], participant, {
      referrer_email: referrer?.email,
      referrer_name: referrer?.firstName
    });
  }

  res.json({ success: true });
});

Tips

Use Klaviyo's Conditional Splits for Smart Routing

Klaviyo's conditional splits let you create one flow that handles multiple scenarios. Split on referral_count to send different messages to first-time referrers vs. power referrers, or split on whether the person was referred (inbound) vs. joined organically (outbound).

Leverage Klaviyo's Product Recommendation Engine

If you're an e-commerce brand, include Klaviyo's product recommendations in referral emails. Show the referred friend products related to what their referrer purchased — this increases the relevance of the referral and boosts conversion rates.

Set Up Suppression Rules for Referral Flows

Exclude people in referral flows from your regular marketing flows to prevent email fatigue. Use Klaviyo's flow filters to suppress contacts who are currently active in a referral flow from receiving campaign emails for the duration of the flow.

FAQ

Can I trigger Klaviyo flows directly from GrowSurf without Zapier?

Yes. Use GrowSurf's webhook feature to POST events directly to Klaviyo's Track API. This gives you real-time event delivery without the Zapier middleman. The code example in this guide shows the exact API call to make. This approach is faster and doesn't count against your Zapier task quota.

How do I prevent referred friends from getting both a referral welcome flow and my regular welcome flow?

Add a flow filter to your regular welcome flow that excludes profiles where referred_by property is not empty. This ensures referred friends only get the referral-specific welcome sequence, which is more relevant and personalized.

Can I use Klaviyo's SMS features alongside referral email flows?

Absolutely. Add SMS steps within your email flows or create dedicated SMS flows triggered by the same referral events. SMS is especially effective for time-sensitive notifications like "Your friend just signed up!" or "Your reward is ready!" — covered in detail in the Klaviyo Referral SMS Campaigns guide.

GrowSurf for Startups Program

Startups get a 50% discount

GrowSurf Deals

Get $234k+ In Software Savings

LoyaltySurf

Reward Your Customers For Their Loyalty

Startup Growth Tactics Quiz

How to Build Referral Email Flows in Klaviyo with GrowSurf

Integration Steps

Step 1: Set Up GrowSurf Events in Klaviyo

Step 2: Create Klaviyo Profiles with Referral Properties

Step 3: Build the Referral Welcome Flow

Step 4: Create the Referral Activity Flow

Step 5: Build the Referred Friend Flow

Step 6: Optimize Flows with Klaviyo Analytics

Code Snippets

Tips

Use Klaviyo's Conditional Splits for Smart Routing

Leverage Klaviyo's Product Recommendation Engine

Set Up Suppression Rules for Referral Flows

FAQ

Can I trigger Klaviyo flows directly from GrowSurf without Zapier?

How do I prevent referred friends from getting both a referral welcome flow and my regular welcome flow?

Can I use Klaviyo's SMS features alongside referral email flows?

Unlock the power of word-of-mouth marketing anddeepen your bond with customers

Set up your refer a friend program with customer referral and affiliate program software that lowers your acquisition costs, increases customer loyalty, and saves you gobs of time.

Built for startups,scaled for unicorns

View GrowSurfCustomer Examples

Unlock the power of word-of-mouth marketing and
deepen your bond with customers

Built for startups,
scaled for unicorns

View GrowSurf
Customer Examples