High Fidelity
High Fidelity
High Fidelity
Virality Spike
Overview
A Virality Spike test is a powerful way to see whether customers are willing to advocate for a new venture, product, or service before it fully launches. At Future Foundry, we use this experiment to measure organic growth potential, identify early adopters, and see whether people are actively excited enough to share what we’re offering. The real test here isn’t just if people like something—it’s whether they will take action by recommending it to others. If an audience isn’t naturally referring a product, it’s often a sign that the value proposition isn’t compelling enough or the experience isn’t sticky enough to create word-of-mouth momentum. This experiment is particularly useful for B2B offerings, where referrals often come through trusted relationships, and for consumer products that rely on viral loops to grow. It helps determine not just the willingness of people to refer but also the most effective incentive structures and messaging that drive engagement.
A Virality Spike test is a powerful way to see whether customers are willing to advocate for a new venture, product, or service before it fully launches. At Future Foundry, we use this experiment to measure organic growth potential, identify early adopters, and see whether people are actively excited enough to share what we’re offering. The real test here isn’t just if people like something—it’s whether they will take action by recommending it to others. If an audience isn’t naturally referring a product, it’s often a sign that the value proposition isn’t compelling enough or the experience isn’t sticky enough to create word-of-mouth momentum. This experiment is particularly useful for B2B offerings, where referrals often come through trusted relationships, and for consumer products that rely on viral loops to grow. It helps determine not just the willingness of people to refer but also the most effective incentive structures and messaging that drive engagement.
A Virality Spike test is a powerful way to see whether customers are willing to advocate for a new venture, product, or service before it fully launches. At Future Foundry, we use this experiment to measure organic growth potential, identify early adopters, and see whether people are actively excited enough to share what we’re offering. The real test here isn’t just if people like something—it’s whether they will take action by recommending it to others. If an audience isn’t naturally referring a product, it’s often a sign that the value proposition isn’t compelling enough or the experience isn’t sticky enough to create word-of-mouth momentum. This experiment is particularly useful for B2B offerings, where referrals often come through trusted relationships, and for consumer products that rely on viral loops to grow. It helps determine not just the willingness of people to refer but also the most effective incentive structures and messaging that drive engagement.
Process
To run this experiment, we design a simple, trackable referral system that encourages existing customers or engaged users to share the proposition with their network. The structure is carefully chosen based on what motivates the target audience, whether that’s monetary incentives, exclusive access, or social recognition. We set up a controlled distribution process to track referral behaviour and observe how people interact with the concept. Once live, we measure how many people share, how many of those referrals convert, and what patterns emerge in terms of who refers the most. If engagement is strong, it’s a clear sign of product-market fit, and we can double down on that messaging. If referrals are low, it suggests we need to refine the offering or better articulate its value. This test also gives insight into whether incentives matter. If customers refer without a strong reward, that’s a sign of intrinsic product appeal. If referrals only happen with a strong external incentive, it indicates that the proposition may need refining to create organic traction.
To run this experiment, we design a simple, trackable referral system that encourages existing customers or engaged users to share the proposition with their network. The structure is carefully chosen based on what motivates the target audience, whether that’s monetary incentives, exclusive access, or social recognition. We set up a controlled distribution process to track referral behaviour and observe how people interact with the concept. Once live, we measure how many people share, how many of those referrals convert, and what patterns emerge in terms of who refers the most. If engagement is strong, it’s a clear sign of product-market fit, and we can double down on that messaging. If referrals are low, it suggests we need to refine the offering or better articulate its value. This test also gives insight into whether incentives matter. If customers refer without a strong reward, that’s a sign of intrinsic product appeal. If referrals only happen with a strong external incentive, it indicates that the proposition may need refining to create organic traction.
To run this experiment, we design a simple, trackable referral system that encourages existing customers or engaged users to share the proposition with their network. The structure is carefully chosen based on what motivates the target audience, whether that’s monetary incentives, exclusive access, or social recognition. We set up a controlled distribution process to track referral behaviour and observe how people interact with the concept. Once live, we measure how many people share, how many of those referrals convert, and what patterns emerge in terms of who refers the most. If engagement is strong, it’s a clear sign of product-market fit, and we can double down on that messaging. If referrals are low, it suggests we need to refine the offering or better articulate its value. This test also gives insight into whether incentives matter. If customers refer without a strong reward, that’s a sign of intrinsic product appeal. If referrals only happen with a strong external incentive, it indicates that the proposition may need refining to create organic traction.
Requirements
Running a Virality Spike experiment requires a defined value proposition that is easy to explain and share. It also needs a way to track participation, which can be as simple as unique referral links or structured as a tiered rewards system. The most useful insights come not just from how many referrals are generated but from whether those referred customers actually convert into engaged users or paying customers.
Running a Virality Spike experiment requires a defined value proposition that is easy to explain and share. It also needs a way to track participation, which can be as simple as unique referral links or structured as a tiered rewards system. The most useful insights come not just from how many referrals are generated but from whether those referred customers actually convert into engaged users or paying customers.
Running a Virality Spike experiment requires a defined value proposition that is easy to explain and share. It also needs a way to track participation, which can be as simple as unique referral links or structured as a tiered rewards system. The most useful insights come not just from how many referrals are generated but from whether those referred customers actually convert into engaged users or paying customers.
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