I love a market.

It’s nice to browse the independent stalls and talk to the vendors about their small businesses. And if you’re anything like me, you love a free sample.

If I find that their product is actually very good, then I feel a twinge of guilt mixed with appreciation. “I really should support small businesses”, I think to myself.

Before you know it, I’ve walked away with a bag of their product.

Let’s look at why it works and how you can apply it to your SaaS onboarding process.

I giveth, so you can taketh away… and implement. ↓

🧠 The Theory: The Reciprocity Principle

This social psychology concept explains how people tend to return a favour or respond to a positive action with another positive action.

You’ll be able to think of many times where this has played out because it's a universal principle found in all human cultures.

It can be a strong start to relationships with others as it can create a cycle of ongoing positive exchanges where both parties benefit.

The interesting part of this is that the reciprocated action often exceeds the original good deed. This can be beneficial in customer onboarding, so don’t be scared of asking for more in return.

👀 The Example: TopCashback's Xmas Treats

Popular cashback website, TopCashback, leverages the Reciprocity Principle with their annual "Xmas Treats" campaign.

They fill their website with daily rewards for a limited time during the holiday season. They hide a hummingbird icon somewhere on their website each day. They encourage users to log in daily and hunt for the hummingbird.

Every user who finds the hummingbird is guaranteed a prize, ranging from bonus cashback to cash prizes. It’s a great use of gamification.

This campaign makes users feel appreciated and valued, increasing loyalty to the platform. The daily login habit increases overall engagement with the site.

Users are more likely to check TopCashback first when making online purchases. The positive experience encourages users to recommend the platform to others.

This strategy not only boosts user engagement during the holiday season but also strengthens long-term user retention and acquisition through word-of-mouth referrals.

🧪 The Project: Review Booster

Let's apply the Reciprocity Principle to encourage customer reviews and referrals during the onboarding process.

Step 1: Create a valuable onboarding gift

Create a high-value resource that new users receive early in their onboarding journey. Try to think of this as an extra, not part of your standard onboarding program.

We give a lot in the customer onboarding period just think about something that can make it extra special. Make it stand out to the customer.

Examples:

• Comprehensive e-book or white paper relevant to their industry and use case. You can go a step further and disseminate some key points from the document that are relevant to the user.

• Exclusive webinar or masterclass with an industry expert. Again, make this relevant to their industry or use case. It can help to inspire new users.

• Set of premium templates or tools that complement your product. This depends on your product type but if you can say “we’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you” then your users will thank you for it.

• One-time credit for a paid feature or service within your product.

Step 2: Deliver the gift with a personal touch

Do this direct with your customers or set up an automated system to deliver the gift. Just make sure it feels personal.

You can send an email from a team member (e.g. CEO or Customer Success Manager). Include a personalised message thanking them for choosing your product. If you want to go the extra mile, create a video.

Be sure to explain the value of the gift and how it can help them succeed.

Step 3: Ask for a review or referral

Choose a timeframe to action the reciprocity principle. This can be after a set amount of time or when the user hits a specific milestone.

Follow-up with the customer asking how they enjoyed the gift. If they are yet to access it, this is a flag for you to prompt them to do so and reiterate the reasons why. Wait to ask for a review or referral until this is complete.

Once they access the gift and you get feedback on it, request a review or referral. This will be based on their experience with the company so far. Reassure them that this level of experience will continue or even get better throughout the onboarding.

Provide an easy, one-click option to leave a review or share a referral link.

🤓 The Analysis: Boost the Trust

To initiate the reciprocity cycle you need to provide value upfront. It should be specific to the customer because generic won’t have enough value. Just like TopCashback provide discounts and offers of genuine value in their campaign.

By providing something truly useful to the user before asking for anything in return, you create a strong foundation for a positive, long-term relationship. Feel free to move your ask to later in the onboarding program if that seems best for your company.

What to expect with this project:

• Improved initial perceived value

• Stronger relationship

• Easy onboarding qualified leads