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[Best of 2025] 🤘 The top features and content we shipped

[Best of 2025] 🤘 The top features and content we shipped

Selected by our customers and our own introspective walk through the highlights

Mica 🔷 Referral Rock
January 14, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Hey it’s Mica,

Happy New Year (arguably it’s the last day I can say that). Hope everyone had a much needed break from their work.

Last month we dropped the 2nd annual Christmas come early feature release which has also led to our 2nd annual “Year in Review”.

Since we our last newsletter contest went so well last summer, we asked for some audience participation for our year end review (congrats to Emmett H. for being selected for the giveaway).

Based on your input and our own introspection, we put together the Referral Rock's Best of 2025 Awards:

Best Referral Nerd Content
Best Quality of Life Feature
Craziest Referral Idea
Most Loved by Customers

Check out the Best of 2025 Awards presentation and see what won.

Open Best of 2025 Awards Presentation

Thanks again for reading our newsletter, clicking our links, and responding to our newsletter surveys.

Here's to you 🍻 and what we can deliver 📦 in 2026!

-Mica
Head of Operations

🤓 Best Referral Nerd Content Award

Starting in early 2024, we doubled down on our commitment to share more referral program insights based on what we’re seeing with customers. We internally call this initiative "Project Referral Nerd”.

WINNER: Big Launch vs. Ongoing Campaigns

This piece stood out because it articulates something we've observed across thousands of referral programs: the difference between launching with a bang versus building sustainable momentum (see the full write up here).

Want to check out the other candidates? See the other top referral nerd content including 3 Frameworks for Better Emails, 5 Ways Front Line Teams can Assist Marketing, and more.

⭐ Best Quality of Life Feature Award

This category celebrates the little things. The features that make daily tasks less painful. The small wins that unblock huge headaches. Features designed to eliminate frustration, save time, and make Referral Rock more intuitive.

WINNER: Migrate members between different programs

IYKYK. While it doesn’t happen often, previously it was a massive pain to move members between programs. It’s not just the member’s details either. It’s all of their associated referrals and rewards. This feature made it easy to migrate members directly within the software or upload a list for bulk migration (see the full feature release).

Want to check out the other candidates? See the other 3 contenders including the runner up - Dedicated address fields (that sync with HubSpot).

🤯 Craziest Referral Idea Award

Over the summer, we asked for your craziest referral ideas for a fun contest with $500 in Amazon gift cards on the line. No idea was too crazy, too ambitious, or too unconventional. We received many great ideas and had a lot of fun with this contest.

WINNER: QR Referral Code Tattoo

The winning idea went with the “extreme” angle. The commitment creates lifetime visibility and generates significant PR buzz through extreme word-of-mouth.

Want to check out the other candidates? See the top 10 submissions including a Lamborghini Giveaway and Kids Science Day.

❤️ Most Loved by Customers Award

We asked you to vote for the most impactful feature of 2025. This category focuses on the major features we released and their impact on your referral programs.

WINNER: Modern Admin Update

No surprise here. The Modern Admin Update won by a significant margin (53% of vote). It was our biggest UI/UX update ever and a complete rebuild of the entire admin experience.

Want to check out the other candidates? See the other 2 most loved features (they’re both promotion focused).