A bounce is an email that couldn't be delivered. Your email bounce rate is one of the clearest signals inbox providers use to judge whether you take care of your list, so it's worth keeping an eye on.
Hard bounces vs soft bounces
- Hard bounce: a permanent failure, such as an address that doesn't exist. Remove these immediately.
- Soft bounce: a temporary problem, such as a full inbox or a server that's down. These often clear up, but repeated soft bounces should be treated as hard.
What is a good bounce rate?
Many email marketers aim to keep bounces low, often under 2%. Benchmarks vary by industry and provider, so treat that as a rough guide rather than a rule.
How to lower your bounce rate
- Check addresses at signup. A confirmation email or a simple typo check catches many mistakes.
- Remove hard bounces right away. Don't keep mailing dead addresses.
- Retire or re-engage old contacts. Addresses go stale as people change jobs and providers.
- Never use bought or scraped lists. They're full of bad addresses and spam traps.
- Check your bounce report after every campaign. A sudden jump usually points to a list or setup problem.
Why it matters
A clean list isn't just good manners. It protects your sender reputation and helps every future email land where it should.
Next steps
With Zaap Mail you can import your contacts from CSV or Excel, track bounces and feedback in your analytics, and export your lists any time.