Hey Writers Without Walls fam!
Remember when we first launched our referral program? Our goal, as always, was to build this supportive, sustainable creative space together, recognizing those of you who help bring fellow writers into our fold. We truly believe our strength comes from our members actively building this community with us, outside the traditional publishing structures.
We want to thank everyone who participated in that initial phase! However, as many of you know, we hit some significant technical roadblocks along the way. We found that off-the-shelf solutions and initial setups struggled to perfectly match the unique way our Patreon community operates.
The biggest hurdle? Ensuring our system could accurately recognize and reward both our Free and Paid Members for bringing new paying members into the community. For us at Writers Without Walls, the principle that all active members contributing to growth should be rewarded is fundamental. It’s core to our “supporting each other” ethos, and it was simply non-negotiable. We couldn’t compromise on that fairness.
So, what did we do? We rolled up our sleeves!
We made the decision to move away from systems that didn’t quite fit and invested time and effort into building our own custom referral platform from the ground up, right here at referrals.writerswithoutwalls.com. It was a journey involving plenty of code, deep dives into the Patreon API, database design, and more than a few late-night troubleshooting sessions! But we did it because we needed a system built by us, for you – one that truly reflects our community structure and values.
Today, we’re thrilled to announce the relaunch of the Writers Without Walls Referral Program on this new, dedicated platform! It’s designed to reliably track your referrals and ensure rewards are issued correctly based on your membership status when a referral qualifies.
How the NEW Referral Program Works
It’s simple to get started:
- Be an Active Patreon Member: You need to be currently supporting Writers Without Walls on Patreon (either the Free level or the paid “Beyond the Wall” tier).
- Login to Your Dashboard: Head over to referrals.writerswithoutwalls.com and log in using the “Login / Sign Up with Patreon” button. This connects your Patreon account to our referral system.
- Get Your Unique Link: Once logged in, your dashboard will display your personal referral link (it looks like …/index.php?ref=YOURCODE).
- Share Your Link: Share this link with writer friends, colleagues, or anyone in your network who you think would benefit from our community but isn’t a member yet.
- Track & Earn: When someone clicks your unique link, uses the Patreon login button on our landing page, and ultimately becomes an active, paying member of our “Beyond the Wall” tier, the referral is linked to you in your dashboard (initially as ‘pending’).
- Reward Trigger: After your referred friend successfully maintains their paid “Beyond the Wall” membership for 30 consecutive days, a reward credit is automatically calculated and added to your referral account balance!
Our Fair Reward Structure
We believe every active member’s contribution matters. That’s why:
- If you are a Paid Member (“Beyond the Wall” tier) when your referral’s reward is processed (after their 30 paid days), you’ll earn a $5.00 credit.
- If you are a Free Member (an active patron) when your referral′s reward is processed (after their 30 paid days) you′ll earn a $2.50 credit.
(Please note: Self-referrals aren’t eligible, and the referred member must join the paid “Beyond the Wall” tier and remain active for 30 days for the reward to trigger. Your own membership tier status is checked when the reward is due).
Redeeming Your Hard-Earned Rewards
You can check your available credit balance anytime on your dashboard. Currently, you can request to redeem your credits for:
- 1 Month of “Beyond the Wall” Membership: (Requires a $5.00 balance). Let your referrals pay for your access!
- Eligible Items in our Patreon Community Shop: Apply your balance towards designated digital products or merchandise (details and credit costs marked in the shop).
To redeem, simply visit the “Redeem Rewards” page accessible from your dashboard. Please allow some time for manual processing. (See the full Terms for details).
More Than Just Credits
Remember, participating in the referral program isn’t just about the rewards (though they are nice!). It’s about actively:
- Helping us build a truly sustainable, independent community for writers.
- Making our resources and support network accessible to more creatives.
- Connecting with passionate, like-minded writers.
- Strengthening a platform that champions writers outside traditional industry gatekeeping.
Ready to Start Referring?
Log in to your dashboard now to grab your unique link and start sharing!
Have questions? Check out the full Referral Program Terms & Conditions or visit our Support Page.
Let’s level up this community, together!
Written by James “JD” Armstrong
Founder, Writers Without Walls
