A quick intro to bounces
The first thing to know in the email world is that bounces are going to happen. Period. Some can be avoided and some cannot; it is important to know the difference.
There are two main categories of bounces that exist: Soft and Hard
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Soft Bounces typically are due to temporary issues (e.g. a full inbox).
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Hard Bounces typically are due to more serious issues (e.g. an address that no longer exists).
To learn more about the two types, their differences, and the way our platform processes them, please check out this article.
Bounce rate benchmark quick-tips
A note before we begin: When it comes to returning the contact status of an address from “Error” back to “Active,” it is important to first troubleshoot why it bounced in a previous mailing, then make sure to verify with the subscriber that their address is still active and able to receive emails.
The reason for this is repeated attempts to deliver emails to a problematic address can damage your overall deliverability over time.
Refer to these quick tips to determine what you can do about the different types of bounces:
2% or lower
Single Mailing:
- If mostly soft bounces, it is more than likely a temporary issue.
- If mostly hard bounces, you will want to double-check your list gathering methods / resources to make sure you are not sending to old lists or have a spam-bot problem on your signup forms.
- Continue to keep an eye on it just in case you see a trend.
Multiple Mailings:
- If there is a trend in domain(s) or addresses, reach out to support for further investigation.
- If not, keep an eye out for a trend moving forward.
2-5%
Single Mailing:
- Investigate for trends or possible changes in sending / content habits.
Multiple Mailings:
- Double-check your list health to make sure it isn’t filled with old, inactive subscribers, as they will hurt both deliverability and, eventually, delivery.
- Reach out to support for further investigation.
5-10%
Single & Multiple Mailings:
- Check that you didn’t accidentally re-enable old addresses or lists.
- Double-check that all signup forms are secured with some form of reCAPTCHA.
- Reach out to support for further investigation even for a single occurrence, as this could be a sign of something serious.
10% or higher
Single Mailing:
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Check that your authentication records are all in place and that no major changes have been made to your domain.
- Reach out to support for further investigation even for a single occurrence, as this could be a sign of something serious.
- Discontinue sending until a resolution corrects this from happening moving forward.
Domain-Specific Quick-Tips
Freemail-Domain Sensitive Topics (i.e. Gmail, Yahoo, etc.):
- Make sure you are cleaning out old, inactive subscribers over time.
Private-Domain Sensitive Topics (i.e. irs.gov, tn.gov, etc.):
- Make sure subscribers have added your sender address into their Address Book / Safe-Sender List.
- Make sure (when feasible) to have your IPs set up internally with allowlisting.
6 things you can do to protect against bounces
1. Add reCAPTCHA to all signup sources.
2. Set up DKIM Authentication with your sending domain.
- Instructions found here.
3. Avoid signup methods that don’t clearly advise what they are signing up for.
- Sharing lists between family brands.
- Stopping access to online content unless a user provides an email address.
- Scraping addresses from attended conferences.
- Etc…
4. Implement maintenance on your lists at least once a month.
- Re-engage subscribers who have not engaged recently.
- Remove subscribers who have not engaged in the last 12 months.
5. Suppress old bounces from previous platforms.
- Being on a new ESP does not change the validity of an address.
- For more onboarding tips, read this article.
6. Do not import old, inactive addresses / lists at any point.
- Permission is limited to 12 months since the last contact activity, like opening an email or making a purchase.
- Anything sent after that is considered spam.
- One of the most damaging things you can do to your deliverability is to send to an old list.
The wonderful thing about email is that by following best deliverability practices, you’ll help protect against the worst kinds of delivery experiences while also providing a greater ROI for your marketing content.
For more advice around what can help or hurt your deliverability, check out our “The Dos & Don’ts of Email Deliverability” article.
Want to know more about how you are doing in your industry? Check out this great resource.