Bounce No More: How to Tackle Email Bouncing
Table of contents
Sometimes, when you’re trying to help a customer via email, your message doesn’t reach their inbox. Instead, you get a notification from the email provider saying your email has bounced.
If you’ve ever scrolled through Reddit, you’ve probably seen frustrated users ranting about their emails getting bounced. Email bouncing is a common and frustrating issue, especially if it’s a vital client email or a newsletter launch.
HostingAdvice says a bounce rate of 0% to 2% is considered normal, while anything above 5% risks getting your campaigns flagged as spam.
And yes, email bounces can still happen, even if you think you’ve got a perfect list of opt-in subscribers.
Table of Contents
- What Is an Email Bounce?
- An Overview of the Different Types of Email Bounces
- Common Causes of Email Bounces
- Cut Email Bounces and Boost Deliverability
- Increase your email deliverability with Hiver
So, what does this all mean? Why does it happen? And what can you do when you see a bunch of your emails bouncing back? Let’s break it down!
What Is an Email Bounce?
An email bounce happens when your email doesn’t reach the intended recipient and gets returned to you. It’s like mailing a letter that gets sent back because the address is wrong.
Bounces usually occur for two reasons:
- either the recipient’s email address is invalid (a hard bounce),or
- there’s a temporary issue with their inbox (a soft bounce).
Soft bounces can happen if the mailbox is complete, the server is down, or the email is too large to deliver.
A high bounce rate means a significant portion of your emails isn’t reaching your audience, which can hurt your campaign or customer support experience. Even worse, if your bounce rate stays high, it could damage your sender’s reputation, making it more likely that future emails will end up in spam folders or get blocked.
To calculate your bounce rate, divide the number of bounces by the total number of emails sent and then multiply by 100.
Keeping an eye on your bounce rates helps you spot problems early, clean up invalid email addresses, and make sure that your messages reach the right people.
After all, what’s the point of crafting the perfect email if no one gets to read it?
An Overview of the Different Types of Email Bounces
Whether you’re running an email campaign for a product launch or a simple newsletter, an email bounce can quickly become a roadblock. But not all bounces are created equal.
Let’s break down the types of email bounces, what causes them, and why keeping tabs on them is essential for email deliverability.
Hard Bounces
A hard bounce is like sending a letter to a house that doesn’t exist. When an email bounces back due to a hard bounce, the message is permanently undeliverable. It cannot reach the intended recipient because something is fundamentally wrong.
Causes of Hard Bounces:
- Invalid email addresses: If the email address you’re sending to doesn’t exist or was entered incorrectly, the email will bounce back.
- Domain issues: Sometimes, the domain name (the part of the email after the “@” symbol) doesn’t exist or has been deactivated.
- Blocked email addresses: Sometimes, the recipient’s email server could block your address, making it impossible to deliver your email.
Impact on Email Deliverability
Hard bounces can harm your sender’s reputation. Email service providers (ESPs) monitor bounce rates closely, and if too many of your emails are bouncing, you could get flagged as a spammer. This can lead to poor deliverability, where your emails land in spam folders or are entirely rejected.
That’s why it’s critical to clean up your email list regularly. Remove invalid email addresses and make sure that you’re only sending emails to recipients who are genuinely interested in receiving them.
A lower bounce rate means higher chances of your emails landing where they should: in your customer’s inbox.
Soft Bounces
These types of email bounce fall under the “Try Again Later” category. A soft bounce is a temporary roadblock—it’s not permanent, and there’s still hope your email will be delivered later. In other words, the door is shut but not locked.
Causes of Soft Bounces
- Full inboxes: Sometimes, your email can’t be delivered because the recipient’s inbox is full. Once they clear it, your email might get through.
- Temporary server issues: If the recipient’s email server is down or undergoing maintenance, your email will bounce back temporarily.
- Message size too large: Emails with large attachments or heavy files can trigger a soft bounce if the recipient’s server has size limitations.
Impact of Soft Bounces
While soft bounces don’t hurt your sender’s reputation immediately, they could signal more significant deliverability issues if they keep happening. It’s worth watching soft bounces to prevent future delivery problems.
Most email service providers will automatically retry sending the message several times. If the issue gets resolved (e.g., the inbox is cleared or the server is back online),your email will eventually be delivered. However, if the problem persists after a few attempts, it’s best to flag that email address for review.
Common Causes of Email Bounces
While complex and soft bounces cover the primary categories, a deeper dive into common issues can help you understand and prevent email bounces.
Incorrect or Misspelled Email Addresses
This is another major cause of email bounces. A simple typo—like “yopail.com” instead of “yopmail.com”—can lead to a failed delivery.
Double-checking email addresses before sending or implementing an email validation tool can drastically reduce this issue.
Domain Name Errors
Even if the local part of the email (everything before the “@”) is correct, an error in the domain name can still result in a hard bounce. For example, “[email protected]” instead of “[email protected]” will cause a delivery failure because “exampl.com” is not a valid domain.
Always verify domain names (tools like Whois Lookup, email-checker, and mailboxvalidator can help) before adding them to your email list.
Email Server Issues
Email server problems can trigger both hard and soft bounces. If the recipient’s server is down, your email may temporarily bounce back. However, you’ll get a hard bounce if their server has been decommissioned or isn’t accepting messages.
Keeping your sending domain in good standing (using DKIM, SPF, and DMARC authentication) can help avoid these problems.
Blocked IP Addresses
Sometimes, the recipient’s email server might block your IP address, especially if you’ve sent multiple emails that were flagged as spam.
To prevent this, it’s essential to maintain a good sender reputation ( third party tools like Sender score, SpamHaus Microsoft SDNs. ) can help keep your email list clean, and adhere to best practices in email marketing.
Spam Filters and Blocklisting
ESPs have spam filters in place to protect users from unwanted emails. If your emails exhibit spam-like behavior (such as using too many links, heavy graphics, or deceptive subject lines),they can be caught by these filters.
Validity’s report shows that senders with a score of 91-100 had 92% inbox delivery, while those with scores of 81-90 and 71-80 had 68% and 45%, respectively. A good sender score is generally considered to be above 80, but the closer you can get to 100, the better. This is because a higher sender score indicates a more reputable sender
If your IP gets blocked due to multiple spam reports, all emails from that IP may bounce back. Monitor your sending practices, address complaints promptly, and consider using a dedicated IP or working with your email provider to resolve the issue.
Cut Email Bounces and Boost Deliverability
A high bounce rate kills the momentum of a great email campaign. Imagine spending hours crafting the perfect message, only to have it never reach your audience because of bounces. It’s frustrating!
But the good news is there are working strategies to minimize bounces and keep your campaigns on track.
#1 Maintain a Clean Email List
A clean email list reduces the chances of hard bounces (when the email address is invalid or non-existent) and soft bounces (temporary delivery failures due to issues like a full inbox). If you keep sending emails to bounced addresses, your sender reputation can take a hit, making it more likely your future emails will end up in the dreaded spam folder.
Maintaining a clean list is not only about reducing email bounces—it’s about protecting your deliverability and maintaining engagement.
How to keep your list clean:
- Use email validation tools to weed out invalid addresses before you send.
- Monitor bounce rates and remove addresses that consistently cause email bounces.
- Re-engage with inactive subscribers or remove them if they remain unresponsive.
Regularly Update and Verify Email Addresses
People change their email addresses, domains expire, and inboxes can become inactive. A proactive approach to verifying addresses can save you from sending emails that can result in delivery issues. This minimizes email bounces and engages with natural, active users, increasing your campaign’s overall performance.
How to verify email addresses :
- Email verification tools: Use third-party verification services to check for invalid or non-existent email addresses automatically. These tools can help identify addresses likely to bounce before you even hit send.
- Ask subscribers to update their info: Periodically, encourage your subscribers to update their contact information. Sending a friendly reminder email can help clean up old or incorrect addresses.
Implement Double Opt-In Processes
One of the best strategies to reduce email bouncing is implementing a double opt-in process when collecting new subscribers. Double opt-in guarantees users genuinely want to receive your emails and that the email addresses provided are valid.
What is double opt-in?
Double opt-in is a two-step process. First, when a user signs up for your email list, they receive a confirmation email. Only after they click a link in that email to confirm their subscription are they added to your list. This way, you eliminate fake or mistyped email addresses from the start.
Bonus: It also enhances the quality of your list. People who go through the double opt-in process are more likely to be genuinely interested in your content, leading to higher open and click-through rates.
Segment Your Audience for Targeted Campaigns
Imagine you work for a company that provides both technical support for a software product and billing inquiries for subscription-based services. Your company sends out customer service emails, but not all customers need the same information. Segmenting your audience can help you target specific groups with relevant content, which reduces email bounces and improves engagement.
What is audience segmentation?
Segmentation divides your email list into smaller groups based on specific criteria, such as behavior, preferences, location, or purchase history. Sending targeted emails to these smaller groups increases the likelihood of engagement. It reduces the chances of recipients marking your emails as spam or ignoring them altogether, which can lead to soft bounces.
Why it works:
By sending more relevant content, you keep your subscribers engaged, which decreases the likelihood of them abandoning their email addresses (a common cause of bounces). Engagement metrics like open and click-through rates directly impact your sender’s reputation. B2B email open rates average 15.14%, slightly lower than the 19.78% for B2C emails. This difference is often linked to sender reputation, as B2B emails target smaller, more specific audiences, while B2C sends to larger lists, benefiting from stronger sender reputation and higher deliverability.
The more engaged your audience is, the better your reputation will be, and the fewer email bounces you’ll encounter.
How to segment efficiently:
- Use data from previous campaigns to identify patterns in behavior and preferences.
- Conduct segmentation based on demography, purchase history, or levels of engagement.
- Tailor your messaging to each segment to keep your content relevant and engaging.
Ensuring Compliance with Anti-Spam Regulations
If you’re sending emails to people who never wanted them in the first place, you’re bound to see high bounce rates, spam complaints, and possibly even blocklisting. Complying with anti-spam laws like the CAN-SPAM Act or GDPR helps prevent email bounces by ensuring you’re only sending emails to people who genuinely want them.
How to ensure compliance:
- Always provide a clear opt-out option in your emails.
- Send emails only to people who gave you explicit permission.
- Make sure your emails include your business’s physical address and contact information.
By following these regulations, you’re being ethical, protecting your sender’s reputation, and reducing email bounce from recipients marking your emails as spam.
Increase your email deliverability with Hiver
In email marketing, reducing email bounces isn’t a one-time fix—it requires ongoing attention and management.
Regularly cleaning and updating your email list, verifying addresses, and segmenting your audience are all essential strategies to keep your email campaigns running smoothly. These actions prevent email bounces, protect your sender’s reputation, and improve delivery.
But managing all of this can be time-consuming, which is where Hiver comes in. Hiver’s powerful email management system can help you streamline your email processes by automating critical tasks like list management, tracking email performance, and ensuring that your communications stay organized. Hiver offers a robust platform for monitoring and managing team email conversations, making collaborating easier while ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
With Hiver, you can centralize and manage your email efforts easily, keeping your campaigns on point and reducing the chance of bounces. Want to see how Hiver can change your email management and reduce bounce rates?
Book a demo today and experience how Hiver’s innovative tools can help you improve deliverability and email campaign success!
