Understanding Email Bounce Rates
An email bounce occurs when your message cannot be delivered to the recipient's inbox. Industry benchmarks suggest keeping your bounce rate below 2%. Anything above 5% is a serious red flag that requires immediate attention.
Types of Email Bounces
Hard Bounces
Hard bounces are permanent delivery failures. The email address simply cannot receive mail, ever. Common causes include:
- Invalid addresses: Typos like john@gmial.com or completely fabricated emails
- Deleted accounts: Former employees or abandoned personal accounts
- Non-existent domains: The company went out of business or changed domains
Action Required: Remove hard bounces from your list immediately. Continuing to send to these addresses damages your reputation.
Soft Bounces
Soft bounces are temporary delivery issues. The address exists, but something prevented delivery:
- Full mailbox: Recipient hasn't cleaned their inbox
- Server issues: Temporary problems at the receiving mail server
- Message too large: Attachments exceeded server limits
- Auto-reply: Out-of-office or vacation responses
Action Required: Monitor soft bounces. If an address soft bounces 3+ times, treat it as invalid.
What Causes High Bounce Rates?
1. Purchased or Rented Lists
Buying email lists is never a good idea. These lists often contain:
- Outdated addresses (40%+ invalid is common)
- Spam traps set by ISPs
- People who never consented to receive your emails
2. Old Lists Without Maintenance
Even organically built lists decay over time. If you haven't emailed your list in months, expect higher bounce rates when you resume.
3. No Email Validation at Signup
Without validation, your forms collect typos, fake emails, and disposable addresses that will bounce later.
4. Single Opt-In Without Verification
Single opt-in makes signup easy but doesn't verify the address actually exists and belongs to the person signing up.
Strategies to Reduce Bounce Rates
1. Validate Your List Before Sending
Use a bulk email validation service like ValidateList to identify and remove invalid addresses before they bounce. This is the single most effective way to reduce bounce rates immediately.
2. Implement Double Opt-In
Require new subscribers to confirm their email address by clicking a link. This ensures:
- The address is valid and receives email
- The person actually wants your emails
- You have proof of consent
3. Add Real-Time Validation to Forms
Validate email addresses at the point of entry. Catch typos before they enter your database.
4. Send Regularly
Maintain consistent sending schedules. Long gaps between emails increase the chance addresses have gone stale.
5. Monitor and Remove Inactive Subscribers
If someone hasn't opened or clicked in 12 months, consider removing them or running a re-engagement campaign with validation first.
6. Keep Your List Clean
Make list hygiene a regular practice:
- Remove hard bounces immediately
- Flag soft bounces for monitoring
- Validate quarterly at minimum
Benchmark: What's an Acceptable Bounce Rate?
| Rating | Bounce Rate | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Under 1% | Maintain current practices |
| Good | 1-2% | Monitor closely |
| Concerning | 2-5% | Clean list immediately |
| Critical | Over 5% | Stop sending, deep clean list |
Take Action Now
High bounce rates compound over time. Every bounced email slightly damages your sender reputation, making future emails more likely to land in spam. Use ValidateList to clean your email list for free and get your bounce rate under control before your next campaign.