3 referrals
Founding Reader list
Counts confirmed Buttondown subscribers only after signup attribution is wired.
Referral engine
Invite St Albans readers before the launch loop goes live.
Generate a local invite link, share it with St Albans and Harpenden readers, and keep the reward ladder ready for Buttondown referral metadata wiring. Static prep only: this page does not write subscriber data.
Your invite link
Browser-local referral URL
Until Buttondown attribution is connected, this creates a local token so launch copy, hidden metadata and social CTAs have a stable shape to test.
Reward ladder
Local reader gamification
5 referrals
St Albans weekend guide / best-of map
Counts confirmed Buttondown subscribers only after signup attribution is wired.
10 referrals
Monthly local prize draw entry
Counts confirmed Buttondown subscribers only after signup attribution is wired.
25 referrals
Community Builder credit / shoutout review
Counts confirmed Buttondown subscribers only after signup attribution is wired.
50 referrals
Area ambassador recognition plus larger sponsor-backed draw entry
Counts confirmed Buttondown subscribers only after signup attribution is wired.
Buttondown metadata contract
Hidden fields to keep attribution portable
metadata__referral_source
Incoming subscribe URL ?ref= token
Never displayed raw; used only to attribute a confirmed subscriber to an inviter.
metadata__reader_token
Browser-local share token generated on /share/
Can be mapped to an approved display name after opt-in.
metadata__signup_market
Static hidden field
Market filter for multi-newsletter dashboards.
tag
Buttondown embedded form tag website-subscribe
Operational filter only; never shown to readers.
Implementation gates
What must be true before public scoring
Rule
Static site captures incoming ?ref= and stores it in localStorage.
Rule
Share page creates a browser-local invite token and referral URL.
Rule
Subscribe form includes hidden referrer metadata field for Buttondown wiring.
Rule
Newsletter HTML includes a forward/share CTA linking to /share/.
Rule
Leaderboard route is a placeholder until Buttondown signup attribution is connected.