Soft Bounce Email Definition: What It Means & How to Fix It!

If you’ve ever sent an email campaign, you’ve likely encountered “soft bounces.” They’re more than just a temporary hiccup—they impact your email deliverability and sender reputation, affecting how many people actually see your message.

In fact, 20% of emails fail to reach inboxes due to bounces. Jump in to learn what full bounce vs soft bounces mean, why they happen, and how to fix them for a healthier, more effective email strategy!

What is a Soft Bounce?

A soft bounce happens when an email you send doesn’t reach the recipient's inbox, but the failure is temporary.

It means that the email tried to go through, but there was an issue along the way that could be fixed, like a no error message, full inbox or a problem with the recipient's server.

What Causes Soft Bounces?

1. Full Inbox

A common cause of soft bounces is when the recipient's inbox is full. When an inbox or mailbox is full at capacity, no new emails can be accepted. Imagine it like a full mailbox outside your house—until it’s emptied, no new mail can fit.

How to Fix It: Unfortunately, you can’t control the recipient’s inbox. However, you can try resending the email later. Sometimes, the recipient clears space, allowing more tips of your message to get through.

2. Invalid Email Addresses

Another reason for soft bounces is entering an invalid email address. Maybe the address has a typo, or it doesn’t exist. This can lead to a bounce message.

How to Fix It: Double-check email addresses before adding them to your list. Many email service providers offer tools to help verify addresses. A clean, verified email list reduces the chances of emails bouncing.

3. Recipient's Email Configuration Issues

Sometimes, the recipient’s email server has issues or configurations that temporarily block incoming messages. This can happen due to server downtime, updates, or even certain spam filters.

How to Fix It: Use an email service provider that maintains a high sender reputation. A good sender's reputation with servers increases your chances of getting emails delivered. Also, ensure your emails comply with best practices like using double opt-in and avoiding spammy words.

"Secure Your Sender Reputation withAlore’s Domain Health Checks – Avoid Bounces and Improve Deliverability!"

4. Greylisting

Greylisting is a method used by some email servers to block messages from unknown senders temporarily. When an email is greylisted, it is delayed and may need to be resent. This helps the email server check if the sender’s email server is legitimate and not spam.

How to Fix It: If you encounter greylisting often, try using an email service provider that has a strong sender reputation. Most greylisting systems allow emails through after a short delay, so resending the email can also help.

5. Mailbox Storage Limits by Domain

Sometimes, specific email domains set storage limits for their users’ mailboxes. If the recipient’s mailbox storage is full due to these limits, your email may bounce back temporarily.

How to Fix It: Unfortunately, you can’t change the recipient’s mailbox limit. However, try resending the email at a later date, as the recipient's email address may clear space. Keeping your emails short and avoiding large attachments can also help them get through.

6. Temporary DNS Issues

DNS (Domain Name System) is what connects your email to the recipient’s server. If there is a temporary DNS issue with the recipient's email server, your email may bounce back. This could happen due to a connection error or a recipient's mail server being temporarily down.

How to Fix It: In this case, you can retry sending the email after a short period. If your email service provider offers it, you can also set up automated retries for bounced messages to improve email campaign's deliverability.

Key Differences Between Soft vs. Hard Bounce

When sending emails, you might notice some emails bounce back. These bounces can be either soft bounced or hard, and understanding the difference helps you improve email deliverability.

What is Hard Bounce?

A hard bounce occurs when an email cannot be delivered because of bounce is a temporary or permanent issue. Think of it as a "no entry" sign. Common causes include:

• Invalid Email Address: If the email address doesn’t exist or is incorrect, your message will bounce back.
• Recipient’s Email Server Block: Sometimes, the recipient’s email server blocks the sender permanently.

When an email “hard bounces,” it means the email will never reach the recipient. The best practice for hard bounces is to remove these email addresses from your contact list. This helps maintain a healthy sender reputation with email service providers.

Key Differences

1. Type of Issue:

• Soft Bounce: Caused by a temporary issue, like a full inbox or temporary server issue. The email might get delivered if you retry sending it later.
• Hard Bounce: Caused by a permanent issue, like an invalid email address or blocked address. Retrying will not help.

2. Effect on Sender Reputation:

• Soft Bounce: Soft bounces don’t hurt your sender reputation too much, especially if they happen occasionally. However, repeated soft bounces on the same address could be a sign that the email address is problematic.
• Hard Bounce: Hard bounces can harm your sender reputation more because they indicate your list may contain invalid addresses. Regularly clearing out hard bounced addresses helps improve deliverability.

3. How to Handle:

• Soft Bounce: For soft bounces, try resending the email at a later date. Use tools to track if the recipient’s inbox becomes available.
• Hard Bounce: For hard bounces, it’s best to remove these addresses from your email list. This keeps your email bounce rates low and your campaigns effective.

How to Reduce Soft Bounces in Your Emails

1. Monitor and Manage Your Contact List

Keeping a clean contact list is key to reducing soft bounces. Invalid email addresses and outdated information can lead to email bounces.

How to Do It:

• Regularly check your contact list for invalid email addresses, typos, and inactive recipients.
• Remove any emails that consistently bounce or show as inactive.
• This way, you’ll improve your sender reputation, helping more of your emails reach the inbox instead of bouncing back.

2. Use a Reliable Email Service Provider (ESP)

Choosing a dependable email service provider (ESP) helps ensure your emails are delivered successfully. A reliable ESP works with various email servers to make sure your messages don’t get lost or blocked.

How to Do It:

• Select an ESP known for good sender reputation and email deliverability.
• Reliable ESPs often have features to manage bounce rates and offer insights into soft and hard bounces.
• This support can help you monitor any delivery issues and keep your sender reputation healthy.

3. Check Email Size and Attachment Limits

Email messages that are too large can be rejected by the recipient's email server, leading to a soft bounce. Large attachments or heavy media files can slow down the email delivery process.

How to Do It:

• Limit the size of attachments and avoid using large images in your emails.
• Keep your emails light and easy to load by compressing images and avoiding heavy files.
• Many email servers have size limits, so staying within these limits will help reduce soft bounces.

4. Avoid Spam Triggers

Spam filters look for certain words and patterns in email messages that might signal spam. If your email message is too large with many spam-like phrases or symbols, it might not make it to the recipient’s inbox.

How to Do It:

• Avoid using all caps, excessive exclamation marks, or words like “free” or “urgent” too often in your email content. Instead, keep your language natural and friendly.
• Also, include a clear option to unsubscribe at the bottom of each email to show that your emails are legitimate.

5. Respect Frequency Limits

Sending emails too often can lead to a higher bounce rate. If a recipient receives too many messages, their email server might block your emails or send them to the spam folder.

How to Do It:

• Limit your email frequency to a reasonable level.
• Sending one or two emails a week is often enough to keep your audience engaged without overwhelming them.
• Test different schedules to see what works best for your audience. This balance can help improve deliverability rates and keep your email bounces low.

6. Authenticate Your Emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

Authentication adds a layer of security to your emails, showing email servers that your messages are trustworthy. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are tools that authenticate your emails to protect your sender reputation.

How to Do It:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) ensure that only authorized email servers can send emails from your domain.
• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) helps you monitor and control authentication results.
• Set up these records with your email service provider to strengthen email security and reduce bounces.

7. Keep an Eye on the Server Status

Sometimes, soft bounces happen because of issues with your email server. If your mail server is down or experiencing problems, your email may not get delivered.

How to Do It:

• Monitor your email server status regularly. Many email service providers offer server status updates or alerts when there’s an issue.
• By staying informed, you can avoid sending emails when your server might not be functioning well. This step can help keep your email bounce rates low and improve deliverability.

8. Verify Recipient Domain Health

Soft bounces can also occur if the recipient’s domain has issues. For example, if the recipient’s server is down or has strict filtering rules, your email might bounce back temporarily.

How to Do It:

• Before sending emails, verify that the recipient’s domain is active and healthy.
• You can use online tools to check domain status and health.
• If the recipient’s email server frequently causes issues, it might be best to remove that address from your list to protect your sender reputation.

9. Utilize a Consistent Sending Schedule

Sending emails to new subscribers on a consistent schedule can improve your sender reputation. Irregular email patterns can sometimes cause email service providers to flag your messages as unusual, leading to soft bounces.

How to Do It:

• Plan a regular sending schedule that doesn’t overwhelm recipients. For example, sending weekly or bi-weekly updates works well for many audiences.
• Stick to your chosen schedule so that recipients and email providers recognize your emails as consistent and reliable.

"Personalize and Protect Your Emails – Explore Alore’s Advanced Email Sequences and Domain Security!"

Conclusion

Understanding the soft bounce email definition helps improve your email deliverability. By managing your email list, checking server status, and using best practices, you can reduce soft bounces and keep your sender reputation strong. Follow these steps to ensure more of your messages reach the recipient's inbox, enhancing the success of your email and content marketing campaigns.

‍