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Email Bounces

What is the difference between soft and hard bounce emails and why do they occur?

Michael Stephenson avatar
Written by Michael Stephenson
Updated over 2 months ago

Overview

What is a Soft Bounce?

A soft bounce indicates an email was temporarily undeliverable despite reaching the recipient's server. Common reasons for a soft bounce include:

  • Email server is down

  • Inbox is full

  • Email is not configured correctly

  • Mailbox is currently inactive

What is a Hard Bounce?

A hard bounce occurs when an email is permanently rejected either by the recipient’s email server or because the email address is invalid. Common causes include:

  • Invalid email address

  • Non-existent domain

  • Recipient's email server has blocked your emails


Multiple Soft Bounces

If an email address records five soft bounces, it is given a hard bounce milestone. After reaching this threshold, the system will automatically cease sending marketing messages to this address.


Impact on Your Email Campaign

Email deliverability and bounce rates are critical metrics that affect the success of your marketing campaigns. High bounce rates can negatively impact your sender reputation, reducing the overall deliverability of your campaigns. To enhance your campaign's performance, regularly update your email lists and address issues promptly.

By understanding and managing both soft and hard bounces, you can significantly improve the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.


The Campaigns Module is only available with the Element Ignite and Engage packages.

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