# Referral request prompt: free ChatGPT template > A ChatGPT prompt for a short, personal referral ask: thank the customer for real work, describe who you help, and mention a reward only if one exists. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/referral-request-prompt · Updated 2026-10-01 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Marketing and social](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-marketing-and-social) · [Trades](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-trades) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 1, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this when you'd like happy customers to mention you to friends, neighbors or other businesses. A blunt "Know anyone who needs a plumber?" feels like a chore, and AI drafts tend to promise rewards you haven't decided on. This prompt writes a short, personal note tied to the work you did, describes exactly who you can help, and mentions a referral reward only if you have a real one. ## The prompt Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every `[BLANK]` with your own details. It uses the four parts from [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text Role: You are [YOUR NAME] at [BUSINESS], writing a personal note to a customer we've worked with. Context: The customer is [CUSTOMER], and we recently [RECENT WORK]. The kind of people we can help most: [IDEAL REFERRAL]. Referral reward: [REWARD]. If the reward is "none," don't mention one. Don't promise discounts, priority service or anything else not listed here. Task: Write a short note thanking them and asking, without pressure, whether they know anyone who could use our help. Tell them the easiest way to pass us along. Format: Under 100 words. Warm and plain, no emoji. If it's an email, put a plain subject line first. ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[YOUR NAME]`** The person the customer knows. **`[BUSINESS]`** Your business name and trade. **`[CUSTOMER]`** Who they are and how you know them. **`[RECENT WORK]`** The specific job, so the thank-you is real. **`[IDEAL REFERRAL]`** A specific type of person or business. "Landlords with older buildings" brings a name to mind; "anyone" doesn't. **`[REWARD]`** Your real referral reward and its terms, or "none." ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [Daily Job Alerts: Email Each Tech Their Jobs from Google Sheets with n8n](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-daily-job-alerts-google-sheets-gmail). Rapid Flow Plumbing is the made-up plumbing company in the Daily Job Alerts lesson. A property manager it serves has been happy with the work, and the owner would like referrals to other managers. Copy example ```text Role: You are Mike at Rapid Flow Plumbing, writing a personal note to a customer we've worked with. Context: The customer is Grace Kim, who manages three rental buildings for a local landlord, and we recently replaced the shutoff valves in her Elm Street building and fixed a kitchen leak in one of her units the same week. The kind of people we can help most: property managers and landlords with older buildings who want one plumber they can call for repeat work. Referral reward: none. If the reward is "none," don't mention one. Don't promise discounts, priority service or anything else not listed here. Task: Write a short note thanking them and asking, without pressure, whether they know anyone who could use our help. Tell them the easiest way to pass us along. Format: Under 100 words. Warm and plain, no emoji. If it's an email, put a plain subject line first. ``` ## What a good answer looks like - A thank-you that names the actual work, so it reads as personal. - A specific description of who you help, which makes it easier to think of someone. - One easy way to refer, like forwarding the email. - No reward mentioned, and no hint of one, when you said "none." ## How to check it before you use it An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the [Reply Faster lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out. - Check every promise: anything about rewards, discounts or response times must match your Context. AI often adds "as a thank-you, you'll get..." on its own. - Make sure the note doesn't mention other customers or their jobs. - Send it only to customers who were clearly happy. A referral ask right after a complaint does damage. - If you do offer a reward, make sure its terms read the same everywhere you mention them. ## Why this prompt works The Ideal Referral blank turns a vague favor into a request someone can act on. The explicit "if none, don't mention one" rule is a [prompt constraint](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt-constraints) aimed at the AI's habit of sweetening the ask with things you never offered. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format)**: Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/prompt-writing-101) Also useful: [Reply Faster: Turn a Messy Customer Email Thread into a Clear, Friendly Reply](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails) ## Terms used here [Prompt constraints](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt-constraints) · [Follow-up email](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/follow-up-email) ## Related prompts - [Testimonial request prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/testimonial-request-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt for asking a happy customer for a testimonial in their own words, with clear permission for where it appears… - [Review request email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/review-request-email-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt for a short, personal email asking a happy customer for an honest review: the real job, your exact link, no… - [Win-back email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/win-back-email-prompt): Write a win-back email to lapsed customers with a ChatGPT prompt that skips guilt and fake warmth: what's new, one easy way back… - [Positive review thank-you prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/positive-review-thank-you-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt that writes three short, specific thank-you replies to a good review, using only what the reviewer said and… ## Visual guide This prompt as a quick visual guide you can save or share, with the same text written out. - [Prompt of the Day: Ask a Happy Customer for a Referral](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/prompt-ask-for-a-referral): A visual prompt card for a short, personal referral ask: thank the customer for real work, describe who you help, and no reward you haven't decided on. [All visual guides](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual) ## Frequently asked questions **When should I ask for a referral?** Shortly after a job that went well, while the work is fresh. Don't put the ask in the same message as an invoice or a payment reminder. [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)