How E-Mail Bounces Occur and How to Reduce Them
An e-mail bounce is an error message sent by the e-mail server indicating an undeliverable e-mail. E-mail bounces are primarily returns from a mailing. The term “bounce” comes from English and translates to “bounce back.” There are hard and soft e-mail bounces. A hard e-mail bounce occurs when the e-mail address no longer exists or the recipient blocks the e-mail. If this happens, you can remove the e-mail address from your mailing list. A soft bounce, on the other hand, occurs due to a temporary error. This could be due to a full inbox or an out-of-office assistant, for example.
When an e-mail bounce occurs, the address is temporarily blocked. The duration of the block depends on whether it’s a hard or soft bounce and the number of failed delivery attempts.
The Reasons Why E-Mail Bounces Occur Can Vary:
- The e-mail address no longer exists, the account has been deleted.
- The e-mail address was entered incorrectly.
- The recipient’s e-mail inbox is full.
- The recipient is unreachable due to maintenance.
- The recipient domain has been deleted.
- The recipient’s server is moving and is down for an extended period.
- The sender’s e-mail address is classified as spam and is directly moved to the spam folder by the server.
- The contents of the sent e-mail signal spam (e.g., trigger words like “porn,” “sex,” or too many images or attachments may cause the e-mail not to land in the inbox).
Reducing E-Mail Bounces
Many companies use newsletters for customer retention. It is important to keep the bounce rate as low as possible. Here are some actions you can take to minimize your e-mail bounce rate:
- You should only contact e-mail addresses for which you have received a Double-Opt-In.
- Use your blacklist before every mailing.
- Include a Captcha mechanism on your website for newsletter sign-ups to prevent manipulation or abuse of your site.
- Use only active addresses and avoid sending to anyone you haven’t contacted in a long time. They probably don’t even remember who you are.
Hard & Soft Bounces
Good e-mail bounce management is essential. Hard bounces should be removed from your mailing list immediately. Soft bounces should only be removed after several occurrences. The reason for this is that technical issues causing soft bounces are usually only temporary.
Your Contact for E-Mail Bounces and Campaigns:
Of course, in new customer acquisition, we only work with publishers who have a low e-mail bounce rate and maintain their data properly. You don’t want to pay for e-mails that never reach your recipient’s inbox. Tanja Hensler (hensler@trebbau.com, Tel.: 0221/37646 – 330), our online specialist, will be happy to provide you with a custom offer for a campaign. It’s best to contact her via e-mail or phone and discuss the details with her.