This study tested moderators of treatment outcome of the ‘Art and Science of Love (ASL) Workshop’, a couples' group psycho‐educational intervention with 80 distressed married couples. Couples were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) friendship enhancement alone, (2) conflict management alone, (3) combined friendship enhancement + conflict management or (4) bibliotherapy. Three outcomes were assessed: (1) relationship satisfaction, (2) friendship quality and (3) destructive conflict at pre‐, post‐ and one year following the intervention. All conditions led to increased marital satisfaction and decreased problems with friendship and destructive conflict at one‐year follow‐up. Examining exposure to the components of the ASL workshop in a 2×2 design – friendship enhancement (yes/no) vs. conflict management (yes/no) – revealed differential impact for men's and women's relationship outcomes over time. Results suggest that the combined condition produced the greatest changes in marital satisfaction and the greatest decreases in problems in friendship and conflict, particularly for men. Practitioner points A combination of friendship enhancement and conflict management is recommended to maximize outcomes. Bibliotherapy alone may be effective for significantly distressed couples without co‐morbid problems. Psycho‐education is recommended before a course of more intensive couple therapy. Men and women have different needs and respond to particular aspects of the programme. Women particularly value the component concerning how to deal with conflict constructively and require more than the friendship enhancement component of the programme.