Boosting Email
Referrals
Role: Senior UX Content Designer
Team: Content Design
Skills: Content Design, Content Strategy, UX, A/B Testing
Summary
When referral email performance plateaued, I led a strategic content redesign to reframe messaging around user value and brand voice.
By collaborating with marketing, analytics, UX, and product teams, I introduced A/B testing frameworks and a consistent tone of voice.
Result: a £2.4M uplift in referral revenue, a 35% increase in click-through rates, and stronger alignment between channels and product experience.
Situation
giffgaff’s referral program underperformed due to generic copy, misaligned value proposition, and inconsistent tone across email campaigns. Stakeholders lacked insight into how content contributed to enrolment or conversion growth.
Task
My brief was to reinvigorate the email referral experience by crafting persuasive, audience-informed copy that felt personal and strategic and by embedding content testing into program workflows to drive growth and clarity.
Action
Refreshing Tone & Messaging
Developed a referral messaging framework that prioritised user benefit ("save‑with‑friends") over product jargon. Introduced a consistent brand voice across email flows.
Partnering Across Teams
Collaborated with Marketing, Growth, Analytics, UX, and Dev engineers to define the experiment scope, align metrics, and deliver a piloted version quickly.
Testing & Iteration
Launched an A/B testing campaign across multiple segments. Analysed CTRs, open rates, and referral uptake to refine both subject lines and body copy.
Embedding Content Ops
Created a content playbook for referral campaigns, covering tone, user journeys, and guidance to scale future variants confidently.
Results
£2.4M uplift in referral revenue
35% increase in click-through rate
Referral volume grew by 28%
Scalable content structure adopted by cross-functional teams for ongoing referral campaigns
Before
After
How I Made It Happen
A behind-the-scenes look at strategy, process, collaboration, and what I’d do differently.
Strategic Leadership
This initiative positioned content as a measurable driver of business growth. I led a value-based messaging strategy, defined frameworks for consistent tone, and established content testing as a critical lever for optimisation.
Collaboration
I co-led planning workshops, ideation sessions, and post-test reviews, ensuring both stakeholder alignment and shared ownership of campaign performance and content evolution.
Research
We used behavioural analytics, CRM data, and user feedback to segment audiences and tailor content. Insights informed messaging decisions and content sequencing, ensuring each iteration was more closely aligned with user needs.
Process
From initial messaging ideation to final email copy and test variants, the process was grounded in data and design thinking. Final templates were prototyped in Figma, tested early, and deployed with clear performance dashboards.
What I’d Do Differently
If I were to revisit this project, I’d pilot multivariate testing across behavioural segments. I’d also formalise a referral content governance model to enable faster replication in future campaigns.