How to Add Email This Option to Your WordPress Posts

I’ve noticed that a lot of WordPress users forget about email sharing when adding social sharing buttons to their posts. But this simple feature can actually go a long way.

Sometimes, sharing an article on Facebook or X (Twitter) isn’t the right fit. Your readers might just want to send your post directly to a friend by email — maybe someone they know would find it helpful.

When a reader shares your article by email, it’s a personal recommendation. They’re saying, “Hey, I thought you’d like this.” That kind of message builds trust in a way social media can’t.

That’s why we always add email sharing options to our posts on WPBeginner. We’ve seen firsthand that it works — people are more likely to check out a tip or guide when it comes from someone they know and trust.

The good news is that adding email sharing buttons in WordPress is quick and easy. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to do it using a free plugin I’ve tested on my demo site. It’s simple to set up and gives your visitors an easy way to share your content. ✅

Here’s a quick overview of what I’ll talk about in this article. Feel free to use the jump links to skip to a specific section:

• Should You Add an 'Email This' Button to Your WordPress Posts?
• How to Add the 'Email This' Option to Your WordPress Posts
• 🎁 Bonus: Displaying Your Email List Subscriber Count
• Frequently Asked Questions About the 'Email This' Button

Should You Add an ‘Email This’ Button to Your WordPress Posts?

Yes — and here’s why. Not everyone likes sharing things on social media.

Some people want to keep work tips separate from their personal life. Others just feel more comfortable sending a link directly to a friend, coworker, or family member.

Adding an ‘Email This’ option gives your readers a quick and easy way to share your post without making it public. It feels more personal, like saying, “Hey, I thought this could help you.”

Plus, when a recommendation comes directly from someone you trust, it means a lot more.

This small feature can make a big difference. It helps you reach more people, build trust, and bring in new visitors — all without doing extra work.

A lot of site owners forget about this option, but it’s one of the easiest ways to make your content more shareable.

Without further ado, I’ll show you exactly how to set it up in just a few minutes.

How to Add the ‘Email This’ Option to Your WordPress Posts

The easiest way to add an ‘Email This’ button to your WordPress posts is by using a plugin. I recommend AddToAny Share Buttons because it’s simple, free, and works really well.

I’ve tested this tool myself and found it super easy to set up. I also liked that it lets you add an email sharing option along with social media buttons. A lot of plugins skip the email feature, but this one includes it.

Plus, you don’t need any technical skills to use it.

First, you need to install and activate the AddToAny Share Buttons plugin. If you don’t know how to do that, then check out our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once you’ve activated the plugin, head over to the Settings » AddToAny page from your WordPress dashboard.

Here, you can start by choosing the icon size. You’ll see an option to set the icon size in pixels — this controls how big the share buttons look on your site.

Next, you can customize the background and foreground colors. You can add your own colors, make the background transparent, or simply leave the default settings.

I personally recommend keeping the original colors. This way, the ‘Email This’ button and any other social media icons you add will appear in their familiar colors.

After that, scroll down to the ‘Share Buttons’ section and click the ‘Add/Remove Services’ button

This will open a list of all the services supported by the plugin. These are the platforms your readers can use to share your content.

Here, you need to find and select the ‘Email’ option.

You’ll also see options for Gmail and Yahoo Mail. However, if you choose those, your content can only be shared through Gmail or Yahoo accounts.

That’s why I recommend selecting the standard ‘Email’option. It works with any service, so more of your readers will be able to use it.

Next, scroll down and expand the ‘Universal Button’ section. Then, select the ‘None’ option to turn off universal sharing.

By default, the plugin shows a plus (+) icon next to your other sharing buttons. This icon allows users to access extra sharing services that you didn’t specifically add.

For example, if you didn’t include a Facebook share button, users could still find and share your post on Facebook by clicking the plus icon.

While this might seem helpful, it can actually overwhelm readers with too many choices, a user experience issue known as ‘decision fatigue.’

I recommend turning it off to keep your sharing options clean, simple, and focused on the services you’ve chosen.

Next, expand the ‘Sharing Header’ section and add a heading that will appear above your email sharing icon. This helps readers understand what the icons are for.

I suggest using something simple and clear like, ‘Share This Post’ or ‘Send to a Friend.’

Once that’s done, it’s time to choose where your email sharing icon will appear on your site.

By default, the plugin lets you show the icons on posts, pages, excerpts, media pages, your site feed, and the front page.

You can select as many locations as you like, but I recommend choosing ‘Display at the top of posts.’

This is one of the best places for sharing buttons because readers can see them right away. That’s why at WPBeginner, we also display our share icons, including the email button, right at the top of every article.

When you’re happy with your settings, just click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store everything.

Now, go ahead and open any post on your WordPress site. You should see the email sharing button added to your content, just like you set it up.

If you chose to display it at the top of the post, it will appear right above your content — easy for readers to spot and click.

🎁 Bonus: Displaying Your Email List Subscriber Count

After adding the email sharing option to your site, you should also consider displaying your email subscriber count to give social proof and encourage more readers to sign up.

Showcasing your subscriber count can act as a powerful incentive, indicating that others find your content valuable and trustworthy.

To do this, you can use an email marketing service like Constant Contact. Simply log in to your account, view your subscriber total, and then add this number to your site.

Then, you can add that number to a sidebar widget or another prominent place on your site.

Just keep in mind that with this method, you’ll need to update the number by hand every so often to keep it current.

To follow along step-by-step, you can read our guide on how to display your email list subscriber count in WordPress.

Frequently Asked Questions About the ‘Email This’ Button

Here are some questions frequently asked by our readers about the ‘Email This’ button:

Can I track how many people are using the ‘Email This’ button?

Most basic sharing plugins, like AddToAny Share Buttons, don’t include built-in tracking for email shares.

However, you can get insights by using Google Analytics with a plugin like MonsterInsights.

The ‘Email’ button uses a special mailto: link, not a standard webpage link. MonsterInsights can be configured to track clicks on these types of links as an ‘event’ in Google Analytics.

This lets you see which posts are being shared most often via email, giving you valuable insight into what your audience finds most helpful.

For more information, see our guide on how to track link clicks and button clicks in WordPress.

Will the email share button open a form or send the email directly?

The email sharing button doesn’t send the email itself — it opens the user’s default email app with your post link pre-filled.

This keeps things simple and doesn’t require any setup on your side. Readers can edit the message and choose who to send it to. It works with apps like Outlook, Apple Mail, Gmail, and mobile email clients.

Will the email sharing button slow down my website?

Not at all. Email buttons are very lightweight because they don’t rely on external scripts like Facebook or X (Twitter) buttons do.

AddToAny Share Buttons is also optimized for performance. It loads fast and doesn’t affect your page speed, especially if you’re only using a few icons like Email, Facebook, or WhatsApp.

I hope this article helped you learn how to easily add the ‘Email This’ button to your WordPress posts. You may also like to see our beginner’s guide on how to do a Twitch giveaway in WordPress and our proven ways to grow your email list.

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