What is a hard bounce? Undeliverable email explained
A hard bounce is an email that comes back undelivered for a lasting reason, such as an address or domain that does not exist. A soft bounce is a temporary failure, such as a full mailbox.
Hard vs. soft bounces
- Hard bounce: the address cannot receive mail, and sending again will not help.
- Soft bounce: a temporary problem, such as a full mailbox or a busy server. A later attempt may succeed.
Why it matters for newsletters
Sending again and again to dead addresses makes a sender look like it does not manage its list.
Google suggests automatically unsubscribing recipients whose messages bounce repeatedly, and reducing volume when messages start to bounce or get deferred. Yahoo advises monitoring hard and soft bounces and removing invalid recipients promptly.
How to handle it
- Stop sending to addresses that hard bounce.
- Use double opt-in so bad addresses do not get on the list in the first place.
- Consider a reconfirmation email for subscribers who have been inactive for a long time, as Yahoo suggests.
How Newsletter Ready handles this
Bounced addresses and spam complaints are suppressed automatically.
Each issue shows sends, opens and clicks.
Email newsletter glossary
- What is SPF? Sender Policy Framework explained simply
- What is DKIM? Email signatures explained simply
- What is DMARC? Email spoofing protection explained simply
- What is double opt-in? Confirmed subscriptions explained
- What is a preheader? The preview text next to your subject line
- What is one-click unsubscribe? RFC 8058 explained simply
- What is CAN-SPAM? The U.S. email law explained simply
Sources
This page is general information, not legal advice.