hardbounced

A hard bounce in email marketing signifies a permanent delivery failure. This means an email cannot be delivered to a specific email address, and it is unlikely that the address will ever become valid again. Common reasons for a hard bounce include an invalid email address, such as a mistyped domain or a non-existent username, or a permanently blocked email address by the receiving server.

Email service providers and marketers treat hard bounces with importance because sending emails to hard bounced addresses can negatively impact sender reputation. A consistently high hard bounce rate can lead to emails being flagged as spam by internet service providers (ISPs), resulting in emails not reaching the intended recipients' inboxes. To maintain good deliverability and avoid potential blacklisting, it is crucial to promptly remove hard bounced email addresses from mailing lists.

When a hard bounce occurs, the sending email server receives a Non-Delivery Report (NDR) or bounce message from the recipient's server, which explicitly states the reason for the permanent failure. Regularly monitoring bounce reports and implementing a strategy to clean email lists by removing hard bounced addresses are essential practices for effective email marketing campaigns. This proactive approach helps ensure that marketing efforts reach engaged subscribers and maintain a positive sender reputation.