This article is for Shopify merchants only.
How the Join block fits in the customer flow
ReferralCandy gives you two ways for customers to sign up as advocates:
Join Page — ReferralCandy's hosted signup page, accessible via a dedicated link (your campaign's "Promote your program" URL, for example
your-store.refr.cc/join/Customer). No setup required: ReferralCandy hosts the page; you just share the link. Best for email marketing, social posts, or anywhere you want a quick link-based entry point.Join block — the same signup form embedded as a Shopify app block on any Online Store 2.0 page (typically a dedicated "Refer a friend" page on your storefront). Best when you want the signup to feel native to your store: customers stay on your domain and the block inherits your theme's branding.
When you can run an embedded form, we recommend the Join block — it's more seamless than redirecting customers to a separate hosted page. Reach for the Join Page when you specifically want a link to drop into a campaign email or social post without setting up theme blocks.
Both also double as login entry points — already-enrolled advocates can come back to either surface to grab their referral link without digging through old emails.
Whether anyone who submits the form actually becomes an enrolled advocate depends on your campaign's Target audience (segment criteria), not the Join block itself — see the "Who can sign up through the Join block?" FAQ below.
For how the Join block compares to the other Shopify referral surfaces (Referral extension, Friend offer landing, Customer referral details extension) and which to use when, see Widgets for your referral program.
For what advocates see after signing up through the Join block — their Share Page, the Your Rewards tab, and the authentication options for accessing rewards — see What advocates see after signing up.
Compatibility and requirements
Only Online Store 2.0 themes support app blocks like the Join block. You can't add the Join block on vintage themes (and some custom themes may not support it).
Your campaign must be Live for the Join block to appear on your pages.
Most common confusion: Join block vs Join Page vs Join Page template
Three related things, edited in different places:
Join block (the embedded signup form on your Shopify store)
The Shopify app block you add via your theme editor.
Text is edited in ReferralCandy > Campaign > Widgets > Join block.
Join Page (ReferralCandy's hosted signup page — the link)
A standalone page hosted by ReferralCandy at your campaign's Promote-your-program URL (for example,
your-store.refr.cc/join/Customer). No theme editing required to use it — just share the link.Its design and copy are edited via the Join Page template (see below).
Join Page template (the styling editor for the hosted Join Page)
Found in ReferralCandy > Campaign > Customize campaign > Themes — opens the campaign theme editor where you can edit the Join Page template (along with Share Page, Thank You Page, etc.).
Editing the Join Page template changes how the hosted Join Page renders. It does not change the Join block's text — those are independent.
Tip: If you're looking at a page on your Shopify storefront and you see a signup form embedded in the page layout, that's the Join block. If you're looking at a page on *.referralcandy.com or *.refr.cc, that's the Join Page.
Step 1: Add the Join block to a page (Shopify theme editor)
In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
Find your active theme and click Customize.
Navigate to the page where you want the Join block to appear.
Click Add section (or Add block), then go to the Apps tab.
Select Join block.
Click Save.
Notes:
You can use up to 4 Join blocks across all campaigns in your ReferralCandy account.
If you add multiple app blocks to a page, reorder them in the template sidebar.
Step 2: Link the Join block to a campaign (ReferralCandy > Campaign > Widgets)
Important: You may not see the Join block show real content in the theme preview until it's linked to a campaign.
In Shopify admin, open the ReferralCandy app.
Go to Campaigns > select your campaign.
In the Promote campaign section, click Widgets.
Find the Join block section.
Use the dropdown to link a Join block to this campaign.
Click Save.
Notes:
One campaign can be linked to one Join block.
Once linked, you can place that Join block on multiple Shopify pages (it will still point to the same campaign).
Step 3: Adjust layout and visibility (Shopify theme editor)
Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize.
Open the page where you added the Join block.
Click the Join block.
In the left sidebar, adjust:
Form alignment (Left / Center / Right)
Show header (toggle)
Show offer (toggle)
Click Save.
Reminder: These are layout/visibility controls only. They don't change the actual wording.
Step 4: Edit the Join block text (ReferralCandy > Campaign > Widgets)
This is the main place to edit Join block wording.
Go to ReferralCandy > Campaigns > select your campaign > Widgets.
Open the Join block section.
Click Edit text (or expand the text fields).
If you support multiple languages, choose the language you want to edit.
Update the fields available for your campaign, commonly including:
Signup form text
Header
Offer
Email label / placeholder
Name label / placeholder
Button label (CTA)
Post-submission messages
Enrolled (what qualified customers see after signing up)
Unenrolled (what previously-enrolled but now-ineligible customers see)
Waitlisted (what unqualified customers see if signup/waitlist is enabled)
Paused campaign messages
What customers see if the campaign is paused
Tier table text (FlexiTiers)
Column labels and tier messages (when shown)
Click Save.
What customers see based on enrollment or campaign status
When customers visit the page where the Join block is embedded, they see the signup form. Customers must enter their name and email address to register for your referral or affiliate program.
If you're using a tiered reward structure, the tier table appears under the form. The table lets customers know when and how they get rewarded.
Never signed up or enrolled
If a customer has never been enrolled and submits the signup form for the first time, the Join block's behavior after submission depends on whether they meet your campaign's segment criteria.
Enrolled
If they meet the segment criteria after signup, they see their referral link and sharing options.
Waitlisted
Waitlisted contacts (or contacts who didn't meet the segment criteria after signup) see the "You're on the waitlist" message.
To edit what waitlisted contacts see, update the Join block's text fields in:
ReferralCandy > Campaigns > (select campaign) > Widgets > Join block
Look for the waitlisted fields (for example: waitlisted header/body/CTA, depending on what your account shows).
Already signed up
If a customer already signed up before, how the Join block looks after form submission depends on their enrollment status.
Enrolled
Customers who are enrolled in the campaign see their referral link and sharing options.
Unenrolled
Contacts who were previously enrolled in your campaign but stopped meeting your segment criteria are unenrolled.
Unenrolled contacts see the ineligible message.
To edit what unenrolled contacts see, update the Join block's text fields in:
ReferralCandy > Campaigns > (select campaign) > Widgets > Join block
Look for the unenrolled fields (for example: unenrolled header/body/CTA, depending on what your account shows).
Paused or stopped campaign
Paused
If you pause your campaign, the Join block linked to it shows your paused campaign messaging.
To edit paused messaging, go to:
ReferralCandy > Campaigns > (select campaign) > Widgets > Join block
Look for the paused campaign fields (for example: header/offer/CTA for paused campaign).
Stopped
If you stop your campaign (or ReferralCandy automatically stops your campaign due to an issue), customers won't see the Join block at all.
Waitlisted and paused messages: where to edit them
If you want to change what customers see inside the Join block after they submit the form:
Edit the Waitlisted and Paused fields in ReferralCandy > Campaign > Widgets > Join block.
The Join Page template and Share Page template in the campaign theme editor are separate — they control the hosted Join Page and Share Page (on
*.referralcandy.com/*.refr.cc), not the embedded Join block on your Shopify store.
Styling notes
The Join block inherits most styling (fonts/colors) from your Shopify theme.
For highly custom themes:
Additional CSS customization may be possible (advanced).
ReferralCandy typically can't troubleshoot issues caused by custom code or non-standard themes.
Note: ReferralCandy doesn't provide troubleshooting support for issues related to custom code or custom themes.
Troubleshooting
The Join block doesn't appear on my page
Confirm your theme supports app blocks (Online Store 2.0).
Confirm the campaign is Live.
Confirm the Join block is linked to a campaign:
ReferralCandy > Campaigns > campaign > Widgets > Join block
I can change alignment/show-hide in Shopify, but can't change the wording
That's expected.
Shopify theme editor: alignment + show/hide toggles
ReferralCandy Widgets: the actual text fields and post-submission messages
I linked the Join block but it still looks wrong / shows unexpected messaging
Check which state you're viewing:
Not enrolled / enrolled / unenrolled / waitlisted
Then update the matching fields in:
ReferralCandy > Campaign > Widgets > Join block
Article FAQ
Can I place the Join block on multiple pages?
Can I place the Join block on multiple pages?
Yes. Once a Join block is linked to a campaign, you can add it to multiple Shopify pages — it will still point to the same campaign.
Can I link one Join block to multiple campaigns?
Can I link one Join block to multiple campaigns?
No. A Join block can be linked to one campaign at a time.
Does editing the Join Page template or Share Page template change the Join block text?
Does editing the Join Page template or Share Page template change the Join block text?
No. The Join Page template and Share Page template (in ReferralCandy > Campaign > Customize campaign > Themes) control how the hosted Join Page and Share Page render — those are ReferralCandy-hosted pages at *.referralcandy.com or *.refr.cc. They don't control the embedded Join block on your Shopify store.
The Join block's text is edited in ReferralCandy > Campaign > Widgets > Join block. The Join block and the hosted Join Page have independent content — editing one doesn't change the other.
Why can't I add or link the Join block?
Why can't I add or link the Join block?
There are two common reasons you may not be able to add or link the Join block:
Theme compatibility
You can't add the Join block if you're using a vintage theme or some custom themes.
Only Online Store 2.0 themes support app blocks like the Join block.
Note: ReferralCandy doesn't provide troubleshooting support for issues related to custom code or custom themes.
Metaobjects permission (required to link a campaign to a Join block)
You may not be able to link a campaign to a Join block until you grant permission for the widget to use metaobjects.
Metaobjects let Shopify dynamically use data from your ReferralCandy campaign (for example, reward descriptions).
To grant permission:
From your Shopify admin, go to ReferralCandy > Campaigns and select your campaign.
In the Promote campaign section, click Widgets.
Find the Join block section.
Click Grant permission, then click Update.
Once granted, the option to link a Join block becomes editable.
Who can sign up through the Join block?
Who can sign up through the Join block?
The Join block itself doesn't filter who can sign up — anyone who fills in the form is routed to your campaign's enrollment logic. Whether they actually become an enrolled advocate is controlled at the campaign level (not at the Join block level) via your campaign's Target audience (segment criteria).
For example, you can set Target audience to "lifetime purchase value greater than $0" to make the campaign customer-only — non-customers who submit the Join block form would be waitlisted, not enrolled. They'll only become enrolled if and when they meet your Target audience criteria.
Cash vs discount reward — common patterns:
Cash-reward campaigns are often configured customer-only (or restricted to a more verified segment), since the merchant is paying out real money — Target audience usually filters on past purchase value.
Discount-reward campaigns are typically more open — Target audience may allow non-customer signups, since the friend offer plus the merchant's storefront does the qualifying.
You configure Target audience in your campaign settings; this same logic applies to all widgets, not just the Join block.
Developer-only: Customize the Join block with CSS (optional)
If you're using a non-Shopify theme, you can further customize the Join block with CSS. Here are the classnames you can target:
Classnames dropdown
Classnames dropdown
Containers
.rc-join-block-container— container that holds the join block.rc-join-form— container for the form inputs and buttons.rc-button-container— container for the join button
Signup section
.rc-button— the button on the join block.rc-field— container that holds the label + text input field.rc-label— the label (for example: "First name") for each text input field.rc-input— the text input field.rc-custom-join-header— header text in the signup section.rc-custom-join-header-2(optional) — allows two different styles applied to two parts of the same header (for example: two header text colors).rc-custom-join-offer— offer text in the signup section
Share section
.rc-custom-share-header— header text in the share section.rc-custom-share-description— description text in the share section.rc-share-icon— share icons in the join block (for example: icon size)
Note: ReferralCandy doesn't provide troubleshooting support for issues related to custom code or themes.