Forward Rate
01 Definition
Forward Rate meaning: The share of recipients who forward or share an email with others.
Forward rate measures how often recipients pass an email along, usually via a share or forward link, divided by emails delivered or opened. It signals content people find worth sharing. Native email forwarding is hard to track, so measured forward rates capture mainly the tracked share buttons, not every forward.
Also called
Why it matters
How Forward Rate fits the work
Shared emails can extend reach beyond your list and hint at which content resonates strongly enough that readers want others to see it.
In context
If 8,000 delivered emails produce 80 tracked forwards, the forward rate is 1 percent by that measure.
Practical note
Manual forwards from a recipient's own mail client rarely register, so the true rate is usually higher than the tracked number your platform reports.