Definition
Email forward rate measures how often recipients share your email with others by clicking a "forward to a friend" or "share" link, or by manually forwarding the email. It is a strong indicator of content quality and relevance — people only share emails they find genuinely valuable, entertaining, or useful.
Forward rate is an underutilised metric in most email programs. While open rate and click rate get most of the attention, forward rate directly measures word-of-mouth distribution and can be a powerful driver of organic list growth when incorporated into the email design with dedicated sharing links.
Formula
Forward rate is calculated using the total number of forward or share actions divided by delivered emails:
Forward Rate = (Total Forward Actions / Total Delivered) × 100
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Forward Actions | Number of times a share or forward link was clicked |
| Total Delivered | Total emails sent minus bounces |
Average Benchmark
| Email Type | Typical Forward Rate |
|---|---|
| Standard newsletter | 0.2% - 0.5% |
| High-value content (guides, research) | 0.5% - 2.0% |
| Promotional / offers | 0.1% - 0.3% |
| Referral program emails | 2.0% - 10.0% |
| Curated content roundups | 0.5% - 1.5% |
Forward rates above 1% are considered very good for most email types. Referral programs designed specifically for sharing can achieve significantly higher rates.
How to Improve Forward Rate
- Add dedicated share links: Include visible "forward to a friend" or "share this email" buttons in every email. Make them easy to find, not buried in the footer.
- Create high-value content: Content that solves a problem, provides unique data, or offers exclusive insights is the most shareable. Ask yourself: would a subscriber find this worth sharing with a colleague?
- Use a refer-a-friend incentive: For ecommerce and subscription businesses, offer a discount or reward for referring friends via email. Track referral links separately from standard forwards.
- Include a shareable quote or statistic: Pull out a compelling data point or insight in a visually distinct block that recipients can easily screenshot or forward.
- Make forwarding effortless: Use a dedicated "forward to a friend" landing page that captures the forwarder's name and the friend's email, then sends a clean copy. Reduce friction as much as possible.
Example Calculation
If you send a newsletter to 25,000 subscribers, 300 emails bounce, and 150 forward actions are recorded:
Delivered Emails = 25,000 - 300 = 24,700
Forward Rate = (150 / 24,700) × 100 = 0.61%
A forward rate of 0.61% is above average for a standard newsletter and indicates the content resonated strongly enough that recipients wanted to share it.
Related Glossary Terms
A/B Testing
A/B testing in email marketing is the practice of sending two variations of an email to a small sample of your list to determine which version performs better before sending the winner to the remaining subscribers.
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is an automated message sent to customers who added items to their online shopping cart but left without completing the purchase. It is one of the highest-converting email types in ecommerce.
AMP for Email
AMP for Email is a Google-developed framework that allows email messages to include interactive elements like forms, carousels, accordions, and live content. It turns static emails into dynamic, interactive experiences directly inside the inbox.
Bounce Rate
Email bounce rate is the percentage of emails that were rejected by the receiving server before reaching the recipient. It is a key indicator of list health and data quality.
CAN-SPAM Act
The CAN-SPAM Act is a US law that sets rules for commercial email. It requires accurate subject lines, a physical address, a clear opt-out mechanism, and prompt processing of unsubscribes. Violations can result in penalties up to $51,744 per email.
Click-Through Rate
Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of email recipients who clicked one or more links in your email campaign. It measures how compelling your content and call-to-action are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click rate measures how many recipients clicked a link in your email to visit your website or landing page. Forward rate specifically measures how many recipients shared your email with someone else. A high forward rate indicates viral or word-of-mouth value, while a high click rate indicates direct engagement with your content or offers.
A forward rate of 0.5% or higher is good for most email types. Rates above 1% indicate highly shareable content. Newsletters and content-driven emails naturally have higher forward rates than promotional emails. Referral and viral campaign emails can achieve forward rates of 5-10% with proper incentives and design.
Use dedicated forward-to-friend links (not just relying on manual forwarding). Track clicks on share buttons, forward-to-friend form submissions, and referral link clicks. Most email platforms offer built-in forward tracking. For manual forwards, estimate using the increase in new subscribers that cannot be attributed to other acquisition sources.
Content that provides actionable value is the most forwarded: industry research and original data, how-to guides and tutorials, curated resource lists, exclusive insights or announcements, and content that makes the forwarder look knowledgeable or helpful to their network. Emotional content (inspiring stories, humour) can also drive high forward rates.
Add visible, well-designed share buttons near the top and bottom of your email. Include a specific reason to forward — "Know someone who would find this useful?" — rather than a generic "share this." Offer an incentive for successful referrals. Make the forwarded email look great (clean branding, full content). Track forward rate per campaign and identify patterns in your most-shared content.