Track signups with referral codes

Last updated: September 10, 2026

Rally lets you track where participants sign up from by adding a ref=[code] query parameter to any signup form or public study link URL.

Add ?ref=[code] to the end of the link if it doesn't already have a ? in it, or &ref=[code] if it already has other parameters (for example, right after a channel parameter).

Replace [code] with a unique identifier for each traffic source, such as facebook or newsletter, and Rally will automatically capture it as a referral code property on each participant.

Getting the ? vs. & wrong breaks the link silently. Participants will hit an error or a blank page with no indication why, and their signups won't be recorded. Always test every referral link yourself before sharing it, and confirm it lands on the actual signup page rather than an error.

Here's an example of how a shareable link can be modified to include a referral code:

Original URL

https://rally.example.com/signup

With newsletter attribution

https://rally.example.com/signup?ref=newsletter

With social media attribution

https://rally.example.com/signup?ref=socialmedia

Referral code properties

Rally tracks referral codes at signup and surfaces them as filterable properties on people tables. This lets you see which referral codes brought participants to your studies and forms.

Here are details of the various Referral Code related properties Rally offers:

All Referral Codes

All referral codes associated with a person's signups across all studies and forms in the workspace

Study First Signup Referral

The first referral code used when this person signed up for a study

Study Last Signup Referral

The most recent referral code used when this person signed up for a study

Form First Signup Referral

The first referral code used when this person signed up through a panel form

Form Last Signup Referral

The most recent referral code used when this person signed up through a panel form

Best practices using referral codes

  • Unique Codes: Ensure that each source has a unique `ref` code.

  • Consistent Naming: Use a consistent naming convention for `ref` codes.