Email Bounces
Erika Sanchez avatar
Written by Erika Sanchez
Updated over a week ago

A bounced email is an email that couldn't be delivered to its intended recipient. Having a high bounce rate could affect your email reputation with mailbox providers. You should maintain bounce rates less than 2%.

Bounce Types

There are two types of bounces: Soft and Hard bounces.

A Hard Bounce is an email that was not delivered because the email address is invalid or domain doesn't exist. GlassHive will automatically remove the contact from all the lists they are currently a part of to ensure that you don't continue sending emails to those email addresses.

A Soft Bounce is that the email reached the recipients mail server, but didn't get delivered. An example of a soft bounce is if the recipient mailbox is currently full, the server was down, the file was too large for the recipients inbox, etc.

There are several different types of soft bounces, but it will always give you an RFC code and a reason for the bounce.

How can I improve my Bounce rate?

  • Only use opt-in lists
    When you purchase or use a list of recipients you haven't verified wish to receive email from you, you can be marked for spam or send to invalid emails. If you happen to send to a honeypot trap, it can land you on a blacklist, further damages your sending reputation.

  • Be careful using emails from form submissions
    Using form submissions to capture email addresses is a great way to grow your list, but always monitor the information visitors put in. Sometimes fake emails will be used, and sending to a fake email can increase your bounce rate.

  • Authenticate your domain
    Mailbox providers are getting much more selective about what email to accept. If you are sending from marketing@techcompany.com, but you did not set up authentication for techcompany.com, your email could be rejected.

  • Monitor your bounces
    Sometimes, you'll be placed on a blacklist or spam list for a specific reason. Keep an eye on the bounces that show up and read the reason. This will typically give you insight on how to resolve it.

  • Keep your lists clean
    Confirm that your prospects have an valid email address and would like to continue to receive emails from you. This should be something you continually do as you market.

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