In the world of email communications, encountering bounce backs is quite common. Understanding the difference between a "hard bounce" and a "soft bounce" can help you maintain a healthy email list and improve your email delivery rates. In this article, we will explore what hard and soft bounces are, along with examples to help you easily differentiate between the two.
What is an Email Bounce Back?
An email bounce back occurs when an email fails to deliver to the intended recipient's inbox. The email server sends a message to the sender explaining why the email could not be delivered. Bounce backs can be categorised into two main types: hard bounce and soft bounce.
Hard Bounce
A hard bounce is a permanent delivery failure, indicating that the email cannot be delivered to the recipient's inbox. The primary reasons for a hard bounce include:
Invalid Email Address: The email address does not exist. For example, you intended to send an email to hello11@example.com but mistakenly typed hello1@example.com.
Domain Issues: The domain name does not exist or is unavailable.
Blocked Email: The recipient's server has blocked the sender's IP or email address.
Examples of Hard Bounce
Sending an email to non-existent email address: user1234@nonexistentdomain.com
Typographical errors in the email address: johndoe@gmial.com instead of johndoe@gmail.com
Note: Stampede automatically removes email addresses that cause hard bounces from your list since these email addresses certainly do not exist, helping to maintain the quality of your email list.
Soft Bounce
A soft bounce is a temporary delivery failure, suggesting that while the email address is valid, the email cannot be delivered at the moment but might be deliverable later. The primary reasons for a soft bounce include:
Mailbox is Full: The recipient's mailbox has reached its storage limit, and cannot accept new emails until space is freed up.
Server Issues: The recipient's email server is temporarily down or experiencing technical issues.
Email Message Issues: The email message is too large, or contains attachments that are too large to be accepted by the recipient's server.
Examples of Soft Bounce
Sending an email to a full inbox: hello@example.com where the recipient's mailbox has exceeded its storage capacity.
Email server downtime: A temporary issue with the recipient's email server, making it unable to process incoming emails.
Note: Despite the temporary issues causing soft bounces, Stampede retains these email addresses in your list, as they may successfully receive future emails once the issues are resolved.
Conclusion
Understanding the differences between hard and soft bounce backs can help you manage your email communications more effectively. By paying attention to the type of bounce back and the reason provided, you can take appropriate actions to ensure successful email delivery in the future. Keep a close watch on your bounce-back rates and adjust your email strategy as needed to foster a positive sender reputation.