What is an Email Bounce?
An email bounce is a message that failed to deliver. The email server sends it back to you. It also gives you a reason for the failure. Bounces are a normal part of email marketing. But too many bounces can be a problem. They can make your email sender reputation bad. This can cause your good emails to go to spam. Therefore, it is key to understand bounces. You must also know what to do about them.
The Two Types of Bounces
There are two main types of bounces. One is called a hard email data bounce. This is a permanent problem. The email address will never work. This might be because the address does not exist. Or there might have been a spelling mistake. The second type is a soft bounce. This is a temporary problem. The email might fail to deliver for a short time. Maybe the person's inbox is full. Or their server is down. It's important to know the difference between them.
Hard Bounces: The Permanent Problem
A hard bounce means the email address is invalid. It will never be a working address. This might be because the person left their job. Or it might be a fake email address. Most email services will remove these from your list automatically. This is a very helpful feature. It stops you from trying to send emails to an address that is no good. This keeps your list clean without much effort.
Soft Bounces: The Temporary Problem
A soft bounce is not permanent. It means the email did not get delivered for a short time. Maybe the person's inbox is full. Or their server is down for a moment. Most email tools will try to send the email a few more times. If the problem continues, it will eventually stop trying. It will then mark the email as a soft bounce. This helps you know who you might need to clean from your list later.
What a Good Bounce Rate Looks Like
A "bounce rate" is the number of bounced emails. It is a percentage. For example, if you send 100 emails and 5 bounce, your bounce rate is 5%. A good bounce rate is low. It should be less than 2%. If your bounce rate is high, it means you have a messy list. You should work to keep your bounce rate very low. This shows that your list is full of good emails.
The Connection to Your Reputation
A high bounce rate is bad for your reputation. Your "reputation" is how email servers see you. If you send many emails that bounce, they might think you are a spammer. They might start sending your good emails to the spam folder. This is why a low bounce rate is so important. It shows that you are a good and trustworthy sender.
How to Reduce Your Bounce Rate
A low bounce rate is a good thing. It means your emails are getting delivered. To reduce your bounce rate, you need to have a clean list. You also need to get your leads in an ethical way. You should never buy an email list. Building your own list is the best way to get a low bounce rate.
Building Your Own List
You should always build your own list. This means people give you their email directly. For instance, they sign up on your website. Or they ask to join your newsletter. When a person gives you their email, you know it is a real address. You also know that they are interested in your content. Building your own list is the best way to get a clean list.