Definition
Social share functionality adds social media sharing buttons to emails, allowing recipients to share content — articles, promotions, product launches — on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook, and others directly from the email. This extends campaign reach organically by leveraging subscribers' social networks.
Social share buttons are most effective for valuable, sharable content: educational resources, industry insights, brand stories, and exclusive offers. The placement within the email — typically near the top or bottom — affects visibility and click-through rates.
Best Practices
- Place social share buttons in prominent but non-disruptive positions
- Use platform-specific icons that recipients immediately recognise
- Limit sharing options to 3–4 platforms most relevant to your audience
- Pre-populate share text with compelling messaging to maximise engagement
- Track social share clicks as a separate engagement metric
- Optimise shared link previews for each social platform (OG tags)
- Consider AMP for email to enable native social sharing interactions
When to Use Social Share
| Campaign Type | Social Share Value |
|---|---|
| Educational content | High — readers share to demonstrate expertise |
| Product launches | Medium — early adopters share for social proof |
| Promotions and sales | Medium — limited-time offers drive urgency sharing |
| Newsletters | High — consistent sharing builds audience |
| Transactional emails | Low — not appropriate for service communications |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but the impact depends on your audience and content quality. Educational and entertaining content sees significantly more social sharing than promotional emails. Benchmark your share rates to understand what resonates with your specific subscribers.
Testing different placements is recommended, but the most common approaches are top-of-email (above the fold for maximum visibility) and bottom-of-email (natural conclusion point). A/B test both to determine which drives more shares for your audience.