Right now the Referral Widget only shows up after a successful sign-up. That’s true if a Referral Widget is set up. It is not on by default—you have to set it up first.
What the Referral Widget is
It’s a small screen that appears right after someone joins one of your publications. It offers your other publications with one-click join. The goal is simple: turn one new reader into two or three, without adding extra steps to the form.
What it covers today
Today the widget recommends your own publications only. Cross-publisher co-registration (recommending a partner’s publication) is on the roadmap, but not live yet.
Set it up (clean path)
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In Letterman (Pro), open Referral Widgets.
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Create one widget per publication you might recommend. Use clear names and one-line blurbs.
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Go to Subscriber Settings for the publication where people are opting in (the one that triggers the widget).
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Choose the option to show a Referral Widget after signup, then select the specific widget.
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Save and test with your own email.
Where it appears
The widget shows after the form completes on your site: article opt-ins, archives, or your main registration page. It does not replace the form, and it does not pop before the user finishes.
Lead Ads (planned handoff)
Chad and the team are planning a “magic URL” thank-you page for Lead Ads. The idea: the ad sends the person to your thank-you URL, that URL pulls the email into the page, the Referral Widget opens there, and—after the widget submit—the page redirects wherever you choose. Helpful, but still in the works. Treat the current widget as an on-site booster first.
Simple best practices
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Offer 2–3 sister publications, not a wall of choices.
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Put your strongest match first. Most people pick the top option.
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Keep blurbs short and local (“Weekend picks for Sunnyvale,” “Food deals near Castro St.”).
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Test with a publisher-only inbox so you can see welcome emails and confirm tagging without cluttering your personal mail.
Troubleshooting
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If nothing shows: confirm you linked the specific widget in Subscriber Settings for the opt-in publication.
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If the wrong publications appear: you probably attached the wrong widget—switch to the right one.
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If you don’t see Referral Widgets in the menu: that’s a Pro feature.
Bottom line
Set up a Referral Widget per publication, attach the right one to post-signup, and keep the choices tight. It’s a low-friction way to grow across your hub today. When the magic-URL bridge and cross-publisher options ship, you’ll already have the clean foundation in place.
