Is a Forward to a Friend Considered Spam?

In an effort to expand their customer lists, many businesses are including a suggestion to forward marketing emails to others using a “Forward to a Friend” option within their emails. This is an excellent way to share information with others who may be interested in receiving promotions or newsletters, and, after all, word-of-mouth or power of suggestion is a great way to reach potential customers. The question is: are these considered spam?

According to the FTC CAN-SPAM Act, “[it] depends on whether the seller has offered to pay the forwarder or give the forwarder some other benefit.” 

In other words, if the original recipient gets any kind of perk from forwarding this email to a friend, and the original email is deemed “spam,” the company who sent the original email is responsible for any compliance issues or penalties that may result.

So, if a company decides to use this powerful, sharing feature, it is imperative that the original email follows all guidelines of the CAN-SPAM Act and it is good practice to notify recipients if there is some sort of extra benefit for forwarding this email. Also, alerting the “friend” if they will now be included in the company’s database, or if they need to opt-in, will inform all customers of the company’s intentions.