Viral loyalty mechanics that don't feel sleazy

What's sleazy

• Forced sharing to unlock anything
• 'Invite 5 friends or your game expires'
• Spammy auto-DM templates
• Hidden self-referral tricks

What's not sleazy

• A genuine reward you'd want for yourself (no, not 5% off)
• A reward your friend gets too (mutual benefit)
• A friction-free share format (a single short URL, no app required)
• A public win you're proud to post (level-up screenshot)

The math of good virality

Referral coefficient (K) = (% of users who refer) × (avg referrals per referrer).

K = 0.6 is great. K = 1.0 means exponential. K = 0.2 is normal.

Good gamified mechanics push K from 0.2 → 0.5 by making the share itself feel like a win, not a chore.

Our recommendation

Give +100 XP to both sides on signup. Add a 'social_butterfly' badge at 3 referrals. Show referrer position on the leaderboard. Done.