Congrats! You’ve built a loyalty program that’s shiny, smart, and full of perks. Now comes the fun part: announcing it to the world. But before the confetti settles, there’s one big question: how do you get people to sign up and regularly use it? With so many programs out there, you’ve got just a few moments to show your customers why yours is different, why it matters, and why they should sign up right now.
Launching your program is your biggest chance to grab attention, build excitement, and show customers why joining is a no-brainer. To help you nail it, we’ve put together a six-step process to make your loyalty program impossible to ignore, irresistible to join, and easy for customers to fold into their everyday shopping routine.
6 Steps to Announce Your Loyalty Program and Boost Sign-Ups
1. Educate Your Team
Before telling customers, make sure your staff feels confident, energized, and 100% ready.
Why? Staff are your front line. A well-trained employee can make or break the customer sign-up experience.
Here’s how to prep them:
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Let them know early: Keep your team in the loop early, don’t drop the program on them last minute. At least a few weeks before your loyalty program is up and running, hold a kickoff meeting to walk through what it is, why it matters, and how it works. Give them space to ask questions, clarify details, and get comfortable before they ever talk to a customer about it.
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Train them on the basics: Make sure your staff are armed and ready with all the basic knowledge they need such as how customers earn points, how to redeem points, and how to sign up.
- Give them a script: Simple, plug-and-play lines like: “Did you want to collect points on today’s visit? It’s free and only takes a second” can skyrocket your memberships.
- Write a cheat sheet: Provide staff with a simple cheat sheet covering common customer questions about the program and how to answer them. For example, someone might ask, “Do I need the app, or can I access my loyalty card through a browser?” Equipping your team with clear responses helps them feel confident and prepared to handle any questions customers may have about the new program.
- Give them a trial run: Your staff should be your program’s biggest advocates, and nothing builds excitement like early access. Let them explore the program firsthand so they can get comfortable with the features and fully understand the perks.
A confident team makes all the difference. When your staff feels prepared and excited, your customers will too.
2. Create a Value Proposition
Before you start designing your announcement materials, take a step back and decide which features and benefits of your loyalty program you want to showcase.
In Canada, the average person is signed up for 22 loyalty programs but actively engages with only 9. That means your program has to make an immediate impression if you want customers to notice and join. When customers see your loyalty launch, their first thought is: “What’s in it for me?” They want to know that signing up or downloading an app is worth their time and effort.
Don’t leave them guessing. Be upfront and specific about the value. Instead of a vague “Earn points on purchases,” clearly show what those points translate into. People don’t get excited about points, they get excited about tangible rewards, exclusive perks, and real savings.
Here are smart ways to make the value crystal clear:
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Highlight your most exciting perks: Use focus groups, surveys, or even casual conversations with your staff to identify the rewards that really excite your customers. Make sure these perks are prominently featured in all your communications. For example: “Loyalty members enjoy free shipping on every order. No minimum required!”
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Translate points into real value: When offering bonus points for sign-ups or other actions, clearly show what those points are worth. For instance: “Earn 1,000 points when you join our new loyalty program. That’s $10 you can spend on a future purchase!”
A great example of a loyalty program that makes the value crystal clear is DataCandy client, Mr. Sub. At checkout, they showcase all the perks (like a free drink and chips just for signing up, a birthday reward, and a free 10th sub) and make joining easy with a simple QR code. Plus, they highlight these benefits right on their website, so customers know exactly what they’re getting before they even step in.
3. Prep All Your Customer Touchpoints
Now that your value proposition is clear, it’s time to start creating your announcement materials and getting every customer touchpoint fully ready behind the scenes. This ensures a smooth launch with no broken links, missing info, or confused customers.
Here’s how to prep your customers touchpoints for a smooth launch:
- Update your website: Get all your website materials ready so you can push them live the moment your program launches. Draft a dedicated loyalty page that clearly includes what the program is, why it’s valuable, how to join and a quick FAQs. Most importantly, ensure you have a clear “Join Now” CTA button.
- Update your social media: Prepare a small library of visuals or graphics so your announcement is polished and ready to go. This can include short videos explaining how it works, staff intro videos and QR codes that customers can scan from their phones to join. Also include a link to your website loyalty page in your bio or in the caption.
- Prepare in-store signage: Get all your in-store materials ready to go for launch day. This can include storefront posters, checkout QR codes, brochures, shelf talkers, and signage highlighting member-only deals or pricing. You can also give your staff fun pins or shirts that say something like “Start saving with our new loyalty rewards!” to wear on launch day.
- Test everything: Before going live, click every link, scan every QR code, and preview every visual. Make sure forms submit correctly, emails load as intended, and any app integrations function smoothly.
Once everything is prepped and tested, you’ll be ready to launch confidently, knowing every touchpoint is set up to make signing up easy and exciting for your customers.
4. Announce It to Your Most Loyal Customers First
Before you blast your announcement to the world, tell the people who already love your business such as your email and SMS subscribers.
These customers already show up, already spend, and already trust you. Since these customers are your most loyal fans, they’re also the ones most likely to post about the program online and refer friends to join.
Give your early members the VIP treatment by offering:
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Send out email and SMS campaigns: Because you already have their contact info, reach out to your most loyal customers directly to give them early access to your new program. Test out subject lines such as “Earn points starting today 👀 (Here’s your early access)” or “You’re the first to know: Our new rewards program is live 🎉”
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Refer a friend bonuses: Let your members know that as a special launch perk, when they refer a friend, both of them earn bonus points. Make it effortless by including a referral link they can easily share. With DataCandy’s Refer-a-Friend feature, referral links and rewards are tracked automatically, so points are instantly credited without any manual work.
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Encourage UGC: Motivate your members to show off their experience and loyalty online by rewarding them for posting about your studio. With DataCandy’s Social Rewards, you can automatically grant points for actions like tagging your brand, posting photos, or sharing stories. This not only spreads the word to potential new members but also makes your current members feel recognized and appreciated for their engagement.
Starting with your warmest audience builds momentum before you open the doors to everyone else. Once they’re in and excited, word-of-mouth spreads fast.
5. Offer a Sign-Up Bonus That’s Too Good to Ignore
Before the official announcement, come up with a sign-up bonus to announce on launch day to incentivize sign-ups. Instant rewards make participation feel fun and effortless, turning a simple sign-up into an ongoing habit.
Here are some launch incentive ideas that actually work:
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Instant savings at checkout: “Join today and get $5 off this purchase.” It’s simple, clear, and everyone loves saving money right now.
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Double (or triple!) points for your first week: Make new members feel like VIPs from day one. “Earn double points on every purchase this week when you join!”
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Free treat or bonus item: Who doesn’t love a freebie? “Members get a free cookie with any purchase today. Just sign up!"
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Extra birthday reward for completing their profile: This encourages full sign-ups and stronger future engagement. “Tell us your birthday and get an extra birthday reward this year ”
The psychology behind immediate rewards is powerful. When customers experience a reward right away, they feel valued, build trust with your brand, and are far more likely to engage repeatedly.
A standout example of a loyalty program launch is Mr. Puffs’ Puff Points. Back in June 2024, they rolled out their loyalty program (powered by DataCandy) alongside their app, offering 6 free puffs just for signing up. The results were deliciously impressive: loyalty memberships shot up 317%, and member sales grew 68% month over month. Sweet success, literally!
6. Announce the Launch
Once you have all your customer touchpoints prepared, your staff trained, and your sign-up bonus determined, it’s time for the big moment: the announcement!
The launch is your moment to grab attention, create excitement, and make it impossible for customers to ignore your loyalty program.
Before you hit “publish,” use this checklist to make sure your launch runs smoothly:
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Double-check your digital channels: Ensure your website loyalty page is live and error-free, all social media posts, visuals, and QR codes are ready, and all links in emails, app notifications, and SMS campaigns are working.
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Ensure in-store signage is in place: Posters, shelf talkers, checkout QR codes, staff pins or shirts, and any member-only deals or pricing are all displayed and visible.
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Empower your staff for launch day: Make sure your team knows how to greet customers about the program, scripts are ready, and cheat sheets for FAQs are on hand.
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Highlight your sign-up bonus: Make the instant rewards, double points, or free items clear, and ensure staff can explain how customers can claim them.
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Monitor everything in real time: Track website traffic, email opens, SMS engagement, sign-ups, and reward redemptions closely so you can spot any hiccups and adjust messaging or touchpoints if needed.
Launching your program isn’t just about pushing a button, it’s about creating a buzz that makes people think, “I need to join now!” When your team is prepped, your messaging is clear, and the rewards are irresistible, increasing sign-ups will feel effortless.
Final Thoughts
Launching a loyalty program isn’t just about putting a sign-up form on your website or handing out points: it’s about creating excitement, building trust, and giving customers a reason to keep coming back.
From training your team to highlighting real, tangible rewards, every step of your launch sets the tone for long-term engagement. When people see the perks, score instant rewards, and watch others joining in real time, signing up feels effortless (and even a little contagious).
With DataCandy, you can launch a loyalty program that drives sign-ups, boosts usage, and keeps customers coming back for more.
