Forward Rate

Forward rate measures the percentage of recipients who forward your email to another person using the “Forward” button or a dedicated forward-to-a-friend link. It is a key engagement metric that reflects how shareable and valuable your email content is.

What Is Forward Rate?

Forward rate is an email marketing metric that shows how often recipients share your email with others. Unlike open rate or click-through rate (CTR), which measure individual engagement, forward rate indicates viral potential and the effectiveness of your content in prompting referrals.

This metric is especially important for campaigns designed to encourage sharing, such as referral programs, event invitations, and promotional offers. High forward rates typically indicate strong trust in your brand and the relevance of your message.

Forwarding can occur in two ways:

• Manual forwarding: The recipient uses the email client’s forward function
• Tracked forwarding: The recipient clicks a dedicated “forward to a friend” link within the email

Only the latter can be tracked reliably through email analytics.

How Does Forward Rate Work?

Forward rate is calculated using this formula: (Tracked Forwards ÷ Delivered Emails) × 100

For example, if you send 10,000 emails and 200 are forwarded using your tracked link, the forward rate is:  (200 ÷ 10,000) × 100 = 2%

However, because most manual forwards aren’t tracked, the actual sharing rate is usually higher than reported. Some marketers use proxy metrics like increased sign-ups or clicks from non-subscribers to gauge the true impact of email sharing.

Why Is Forward Rate Important?

Forward rate matters for several reasons:

• Measures content virality: High forward rates indicate your content resonates and is worth sharing
• Drives organic growth: Shared emails can attract new subscribers and customers without additional costs
• Signals strong engagement: Subscribers who forward emails demonstrate a high level of trust and satisfaction
• Supports referral programs: Forwarding is often a key action in incentive-driven campaigns

Internet service providers (ISPs) and email service providers (ESPs) don’t use forward rate as a deliverability factor, but it can influence engagement-based segmentation and campaign optimization.

Common Use Cases

Marketers track forward rate for:

• Referral campaigns: Measuring the success of “invite a friend” promotions
• Event invitations: Encouraging subscribers to share webinars or product launches
• Content distribution: Gauging how often newsletters or educational content is shared
• Brand advocacy analysis: Identifying subscribers who actively promote your brand

Example scenario: A SaaS company launches a referral program offering account credits for each friend invited through a tracked link. Monitoring forward rate helps measure campaign impact and optimize incentives.

FAQs About Forward Rate

Why is my forward rate low?

Reasons may include a lack of shareable content, unclear forwarding options, or limited perceived value for recipients.

How can I improve my forward rate?

By creating valuable, relevant content and including clear “forward to a friend” links or social sharing buttons in your emails.

Is forward rate an accurate metric?

Not entirely, since most manual forwards aren’t tracked. Using referral codes or dedicated landing pages can help capture more accurate data.

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