Email bounces can be a common occurrence in email marketing campaigns, affecting the success of your messages reaching recipients’ inboxes. In this article, we will explore the reasons behind email bounces and provide practical solutions to help you reduce your bounce rate. By understanding the different types of bounces and implementing effective strategies, you can enhance your email deliverability and improve your overall marketing performance.

What is an Email Bounce?

An email bounce, also known as a bounce back, refers to an error message received when an email fails to be delivered. This Non-Delivery Report (NDR) is generated by either your email server or the destination mail server, providing information about the cause of the delivery failure. To comprehend bounce back emails, it is essential to understand the steps involved in email delivery.

  1. Addressing and Sending the Email: Fill out the “From” and “To” fields and click the “Send” button.
  2. SMTP Server Processing: Your email is handed over to the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server, which functions as a local post office.
  3. DNS Verification: The SMTP server checks your email against the Domain Name Server (DNS), which acts as an address book for domain names and server IP addresses.
  4. Delivery Handover: Once the recipient’s server is identified, your message is passed to their MTA (Mail Transfer Agent) for final delivery, similar to a postman.
  5. Successful Delivery: Your email is delivered to the recipient’s inbox.

However, sometimes the final step doesn’t go as planned, resulting in a bounced email. Let’s explore the causes behind email bounces and how you can address them effectively.

Understanding the Causes of Email Bounces:

Various factors can contribute to an email bounce, ranging from temporary issues to permanent problems. It is crucial to troubleshoot bounce backs based on the specific category your email falls into. Let’s examine the three types of bounce backs and their causes:

  1. Soft Bounce Emails:

Soft bounces occur when an email is temporarily rejected by a server. These issues are usually temporary and most email services attempt to resend messages that have experienced a soft bounce. Common reasons for soft bounces include:

  • Mailbox Full: If a recipient’s mailbox is full, your email will bounce back until space becomes available.
  • Email Size: Emails with large attachments or heavy images may be bounced back due to filtering restrictions.
  • Server Issues: Unreachable servers may be down, overloaded, or undergoing maintenance, requiring you to resend the email later.
  • Autoreply: When recipients set up auto-replies, your emails might bounce back temporarily.

2. Hard Bounce Emails:

Hard bounces indicate permanent delivery failures to an email address. Causes of hard bounces include:

  • Fake Email Address: Some users provide fake email addresses, particularly when obtaining something in exchange online. Implementing double opt-in can help reduce these bounces.
  • Incorrect Email Address: Typos in email addresses can lead to undeliverable emails.
  • Email Blocking: Certain sender domains or intentionally blocked email addresses can result in hard bounces. In the former case, consider asking recipients to add you to their contacts.

It is crucial to remove hard bounced email addresses from your mailing list to maintain list hygiene and avoid being blacklisted.

3. Blacklisted Emails:

Email blacklists are designed to filter out harmful or exploitative content, such as spam or malware. Getting blacklisted can significantly impact your email deliverability. Causes for being blacklisted include:

  • Spam Complaints: Frequent spam complaints can result in your emails being sent to spam folders or blocklists.
  • High Bounce Rates: Poor email list hygiene and accumulated bounce rates may raise red flags.
  • List Size or Email Volume Surge: Rapid list growth or sending a large number of emails can trigger spam suspicions.
  • Poor Content: Using spammy words or aggressive marketing tactics in subject lines can lead to blacklisting.

To get off a blocklist, you can wait for removal over time, contact the blocklist holder, maintain list hygiene, provide valuable content, and consider changing your email service provider if necessary – Nearly 85% of emails sent daily are considered spam.

Strategies to Reduce Email Bounce Rate:

Lowering your email bounce rate is crucial for maintaining a positive sender reputation and improving the success of your email campaigns. Here are some effective strategies to reduce bounce rates:

  1. Clean Your List Regularly: Identify and remove unengaged or abandoned email addresses from your list, and ensure your email platform automatically handles hard bounces.
  2. Use Permission-Based Lists: Only send emails to individuals who have explicitly given consent to receive your campaigns. Consider implementing a double opt-in process to validate subscribers.
  3. Send Emails Regularly: Maintain consistent communication with your subscribers without overloading their inboxes. Regular engagement leads to fewer spam complaints and lower bounce rates.
  4. Offer User Preferences: Provide subscribers with a preference center where they can control the type and frequency of emails they receive.
  5. Authenticate Your Emails: Utilize email authentication measures to strengthen your reputation. Many email service providers automatically handle authentication.
  6. Segment Your List: Segment your email list based on engagement levels and send emails to the most active subscribers first. This demonstrates positive content and engagement results to email service providers’ spam filters.
  7. Focus on Continuous Improvement: Although complete elimination of bounces is not possible, address technical issues promptly and nurture your permission-based list to ensure high-quality email campaigns.

Conclusion:

Understanding why emails bounce back and implementing strategies to reduce your bounce rate is crucial for successful email marketing. By addressing the specific causes of bounce backs, regularly cleaning your list, using permission-based lists, and following best practices, you can improve your email deliverability, maintain a positive sender reputation, and increase the effectiveness of your email campaigns. Remember, lowering your bounce rate is an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and attention to detail. Having issues with your email? Let’s talk!