If many of your credentials are never opened or shared, the cause is almost always something you can fix. Most badges are lost in the first few days, long before sharing comes into it.
Where badges get lost
Think of each badge's journey as a series of steps. Each one loses some people:
Issued, but to an old or mistyped email address.
Delivered, but caught by a spam filter or company firewall.
Opened, if the recipient recognises it and was expecting it.
Claimed, if viewing the badge is quick and works on a phone.
Shared, if the recipient knows why it is worth sharing and what to say.
Check your analytics to see which step loses the most people, and fix that one first.
The fixes that make the most difference
Tell recipients about the badge before they earn it. Show them an example at the start of the course, and explain what it proves.
Collect personal email addresses. Work addresses stop working when people move jobs.
Issue as soon as possible after the achievement. Motivation to share is highest in the first few days.
Give them a specific ask. "Add it to your LinkedIn profile" works better than "share your achievement". Suggested post wording helps even more.
Send one or two reminders to people who haven't opened or shared their badge, around one and three weeks after issuing.
Congratulate people who share. Comment on and reshare their posts from your organisation's account. Others notice.
Go further
Our free guide How to get your digital badges claimed and shared covers each step in detail, including delivery emails, timing and how to measure your claim and share rates.
For a structured course, the free Digital Badge Practitioner pathway in Certify Academy covers launching and growing a programme, and you earn a badge when you pass.