What does hard bounce mean?
The term ‘hard bounce’ means that a permanent issue has prevented the delivery of an email to its intended recipient.
If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: What is the difference between a soft bounce and a hard bounce?
The biggest difference between a soft bounce and a hard bounce is that the former is permanent while the latter is a temporary problem and can be resolved.
Question #2: What happens when I have a high hard bounce rate?
A high hard bounce rate can put your email and IP address at risk of being flagged for spam by ISPs and email service providers, resulting in your emails either ending up in your recipients’ spam folders or being completely blocked. This can persist even if you try to use a different IP address.
Question #3: What causes it?
There are a few reasons why your emails might permanently bounce, including:
- Inputting the incorrect email address
- Sending to an email address that does not or no longer exists
- Sending to a recipient that has reported you for spam
Question #4: How do I prevent this from happening?
There are several ways you can prevent hard bounces from happening, including:
- Practicing good email list hygiene
- Monitoring email blocklists
- Implementing a double opt-in system
- Send better emails
Let us take a look at each one in more detail:
First, make sure to regularly remove email addresses that always bounce from your list. Not only can they negatively impact your reputation as a sender—which can, in turn, cause ISPs and email service providers to actively block your emails.
Second, you can also check email blocklists to see if your email and/or IP address are included. If they are, address the issue immediately so you can minimise your hard bounce rate.
Third, implement a double opt-in system for your email list. This is where after a lead signs up, you ask them to verify their email address (and intent to sign up) before you actually add them to your list, ensuring no invalid email addresses get through.
Finally, you should also make it a point to send valuable, relevant emails. If your subscribers opted in for emails about home improvement, do not pull a bait-and-switch and suddenly send them emails about other things. It is the quickest way to not only lose subscribers, but worse, get reported for spam—which, in turn, can bump up your bounce rate.
But just sending emails under the topic your email list signed up for is not enough. You also need to make sure each email is interesting enough to not only be opened, but encourage the recipient to take action as well.
You can do this by:
- Writing catchy, compelling subject lines
- Writing an equally compelling email body
- Segmenting your email list
- Doing email A/B testing
- Personalising your emails
Let us take a look at each one in more detail:
First, you need to write subject lines that make people want to actually hear what you have to say. Whenever you can, highlight a clear benefit. If that is not possible, craft your subject line in an intriguing way that piques the recipient’s curiosity.
Second, you also need to make sure the body of your email is interesting, compelling, and valuable enough so the recipient does not feel as if you have wasted their time. You need to make sure you give them something in return for opening your email. It can be something as simple as new knowledge or as grand as an exclusive special offer.
Third, you can also explore segmenting your email list to make it easier for you to send more targeted and relevant emails.
Fourth, if you are not sure if your email would work, craft two or more versions and test them out with a small subset of your email list and then send out the best version to the rest.
Finally, you can also add a touch of personalisation to your emails. It can be something as simple as addressing the recipient by name.
For more information on the hard bounce, you can check this helpful article from Campaign monitor.