How to earn credits through referrals

Your agency earns free message credits by referring other agencies to eCourtDate and by publishing a press release about your work. Both programs live on the **Referrals** tab of **Agency Setup** inside the app.

### Overview

The **Referrals** tab opens with the heading **Grow With eCourtDate** and holds two cards, **Referral Program** and **Press Release Program**.

The **Referral Program** card lists what each side receives. Under **What Your Agency Gets**, your agency earns **1,000 Message Credits** when your referral activates a trial and **10,000 Message Credits** when your referral activates a paid plan. Under **What Your Referral Gets**, the agency you refer receives a **Free extended trial** and **10,000 bonus message credits** with any subscription plan.

The **Press Release Program** card generates a press release template about your agency's use of eCourtDate. You publish it, send the link to press@ecourtdate.com, and your agency receives **10,000 free message credits** once verified.

### Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

- A signed-in eCourtDate account with your agency selected, because the referral link appears only after your current agency loads
- The **Referrals** tab available in the **Agency Setup** tab strip
- Somewhere to publish a press release, such as your agency website or a local news outlet, if you want to use the Press Release Program

### How-To Steps

#### Copy and share your referral link

1. Click **Agency Setup** in the footer of any page in eCourtDate.
2. Click **Referrals** in the tab strip.
3. Read **What Your Agency Gets** and **What Your Referral Gets** so you can explain both sides of the offer.
4. Find the read-only field under **Your Unique Referral Link** in the **Referral Program** card.
5. Click **Copy** to place the link on your clipboard.
6. Send the copied link to your contact at the other agency without editing it.

#### Track referrals and share plans

1. Click **Track Referrals** to open the referrals list in the eCourtDate billing portal in a new tab.
2. Review each referral row, which shows **Name**, **Email**, **Status**, **Referrer**, and **Created**.
3. Click **View Plans** on the **Referrals** tab to open the eCourtDate pricing page when a referred agency asks about subscriptions.

#### Generate a press release

1. Scroll to the **Press Release Program** card on the **Referrals** tab.
2. Read **How It Works** for the four steps of the program.
3. Edit the text in **What do you want the press release to focus on?**, which arrives prefilled with a focus on reducing failure-to-appear rates.
4. Click **Generate Press Release Template** to download the draft as press_release_template.pdf.
5. Publish the press release on your website or submit it to local media.
6. Email the published link to press@ecourtdate.com to claim the credits.

### What to Expect

Clicking **Copy** shows a "Copied to clipboard" confirmation and puts the link on your clipboard. The link points to the eCourtDate sign-up page and carries your agency's referral code in the address, so a sign-up made through it ties back to your agency.

The **Referrals** tab does not display a credit balance or a list of your referrals. It states the amounts each program awards (1,000 credits on a trial activation, 10,000 credits on a paid plan activation, and 10,000 credits for a verified press release), and **Track Referrals** sends you to the billing portal to see the referrals themselves.

**Generate Press Release Template** builds the document when you click it, so the button stays disabled while it works and the file downloads to your browser once it finishes. Press release credits follow after eCourtDate verifies the published link you email.

### Best Practices

- Use the **Copy** button rather than retyping the link. The code at the end of the address is what connects a new sign-up to your agency.
- Share the link before the other agency starts a trial, since the code travels with the sign-up page address.
- Replace the prefilled text in **What do you want the press release to focus on?** with your agency's own outcomes, because the template is generated from what you type.
- Send the published press release link to press@ecourtdate.com as soon as it goes live, since the credits follow verification.
- Run both programs together. A published press release gives contacts at other agencies something to read before you send them your referral link.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Where is my referral link?**

A: Click **Agency Setup** in the page footer, click **Referrals**, and look under **Your Unique Referral Link** in the **Referral Program** card.

**Q: What does the agency I refer receive?**

A: The card lists a **Free extended trial** and **10,000 bonus message credits** with any subscription plan.

**Q: Can I earn credits without referring another agency?**

A: Yes. The **Press Release Program** on the same tab awards 10,000 free message credits for a published press release once eCourtDate verifies the link.

**Q: Where do I check whether a referral signed up?**

A: Click **Track Referrals** on the **Referrals** tab. It opens the referrals list in the eCourtDate billing portal in a new tab.

**Q: Do I have to write the press release myself?**

A: No. Enter your focus in **What do you want the press release to focus on?** and click **Generate Press Release Template** to download a draft you can edit and publish.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The **Referral Program** card shows no referral link.

**Symptoms:** The **Referrals** tab loads with **Grow With eCourtDate** and the **Press Release Program** card, but the **Referral Program** card is blank.

**Solution:** The referral link renders only when your signed-in account has a current agency. Use **Switch Agency** in the page header to select your agency, then reload the page.

**Issue:** **Generate Press Release Template** stops responding.

**Symptoms:** You click the button, no file downloads, and the button stays disabled.

**Solution:** The button disables itself while the template generates and re-enables after the download starts. Reload the **Referrals** tab and click **Generate Press Release Template** again. If no file arrives, email press@ecourtdate.com.

**Issue:** **Referrals** is missing from the tab strip.

**Symptoms:** **Agency Setup** shows tabs such as **Setup**, **Checklist**, **Billing**, **Carriers**, **Training**, **Research**, and **Help**, but not **Referrals**.

**Solution:** Your account hides that navigation item. Ask your agency administrator to show **Referrals** for your account.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Billing](/how-to-manage-billing)
- [How to complete your agency setup checklist](/how-to-complete-your-agency-setup-checklist)