How to reduce email bounce rate? (10 proven ways)

A bounce rate above 5% is a critical red flag in email marketing. It’s like shouting into a void, given the high email bounce rate.

As a marketer, you spend time crafting the perfect email. However, with high email bounces, a significant portion of your audience never even sees it.

Fortunately, the solution to handling high email bounces is just a healthy, engaging email list and improving your sending practices.

In this article, we’ve shared 10 proven methods that’ll reduce your email bounce rate.

Let’s dive in.

What is email bounce rate?

Email bounce rate is the percentage of emails that couldn’t be delivered to the recipient’s inbox out of the total number of emails you sent. The lower your email bounce rate, the better your email deliverability. Ideally, aim for a bounce rate lower than 2%.

(Number of bounces / Number of delivered emails) x 100 = your email bounce rate

Hard bounce vs soft bounce

Property	Hard bounce	Soft bounce
Cause	Permanent delivery failure.	Temporary delivery failure.
Action required	Immediate removal from your email list.	No immediate action is needed. Your ESP will retry sending the email for a set period.

Related reading: Email Drip Campaign: How to Create + Best Practices

10 Proven methods to reduce email bounce rates

No matter how strong your email marketing strategy is, if your emails bounce, it results in wasted marketing spend. To ensure your emails do not get bounced or flagged as spam, we have 10 proven methods.

Here are the 10 effective ways to reduce bounce rates:

1. Regularly clean your list: remove inactive and unengaged contacts
2. Implement double opt-in
3. Remove hard bounces immediately
4. Authenticate your domain: Understanding SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
5. Use a branded sending domain
6. Segment your audience
7. Stick to a consistent email schedule
8. Avoid spam-triggering content
9. Always include an unsubscribe link
10. Monitor your email metrics

Related reading: 10 Best Back in Stock Email Examples (Tips + Benefits)

1. Regularly clean your list: remove inactive and unengaged contacts

An email list filled with inactive or invalid subscribers is the #1 cause of email bounces.

Consistently sending emails to fake addresses or unengaged contacts hurts your sender reputation. Over time, this leads to higher bounce rates and, in the worst case, your domain or IP could be permanently blocked by ISPs.

The good news? There’s a simple fix: regular email list cleaning.

Here’s how to keep your list healthy:

• Never buy email lists: Purchased lists are full of invalid addresses, spam traps, and uninterested contacts. They damage your reputation and can even get you blocked.
• Maintain a suppression list: Maintain a list with unsubscribes, complaints, and previously bounced addresses so you don’t email them again.
• Remove hard bounces immediately: These addresses are invalid and will never deliver successfully. Keeping them only damages your reputation.
• Re-engage inactive subscribers: Before removing disengaged contacts, run a win-back campaign. If they still don’t respond, remove them to protect deliverability.
• Set a cleaning schedule: Make a list hygiene routine, ideally every 3–6 months or whenever you see a sudden spike in bounce or unsubscribe rates.
• Enable double opt-in: This ensures new subscribers confirm their email, reducing typos and fake signups.
• Validate emails at signup: Use real-time validation in popups and signup forms to catch common mistakes (e.g., gmial.com instead of gmail.com).

Related reading: 8 Email Capture Best Practices to Grow Email List

2. Implement double opt-in

Implementing double opt-in is the best way to create a clean list. It effectively filters out invalid email addresses. Moreover, it ensures that only interested contacts are subscribing to your emails.

The double opt-in method protects you from mistyped email addresses and even spam bots.

Here’s how it works:

• A user enters their email address into your sign-up form.
• They receive an automated confirmation email with a link they must click to verify their address.
• After they click the link, they will be added to your email list.

How you can implement double opt-in for your email marketing

• Turn on the double opt-in feature in your email marketing software.
• Add a short message to your sign-up form telling users to check their inbox.
• Design a simple, branded email with a clear subject line and a prominent “Confirm” button.
• After they click the button, send users to a confirmation page that reinforces their subscription and provides immediate value.
• Sign up for yourself to ensure the entire process works correctly before going live.

Related reading: 10+ Email Acquisition Strategies To Grow Email List

3. Remove hard bounces

Hard bounces represent a permanent email delivery failure. The email address is either invalid, a typo, or no longer exists. Continuing to send emails to a hard-bounced address is a major red flag to Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

How to remove hard bounces

Most modern Email Service Providers ESPs make this process automatic. When an email results in a hard bounce, the ESP will:

• Automatically suppress: The ESP will automatically flag and “suppress” that email address from all future sends. You will not have to remove it from your list manually.
• Provide reports: You can view a report of all your hard-bounced emails within your ESP’s campaign analytics. This allows you to track your bounce rate and identify any potential issues with your list source.

Even with automatic suppression, it’s a best practice to regularly check your bounce reports to ensure your list hygiene is in good standing. This proactive monitoring helps you improve your overall email deliverability.

4. Authenticate your domain: Understanding SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

Your email list and your sending domain setup are equally important in reducing email bounce rate.

Authenticating your domain tells a recipient’s email server: “This email is legitimately from who it says it’s from, and it hasn’t been tampered with.”

Domain properties	SPF	DKIM	DMARC
What it is	Lists all authorized servers and IP addresses allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain.	A digital signature is added to your email’s header that uses encryption to prove the email’s authenticity.	A policy that tells a receiving server how to handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM authentication checks.
What it does	Verifies that an email is being sent from a server on your approved list.	Confirms that the email content was not altered in transit and that the email truly originated from your domain.	Defines a clear action (none, quarantine, or reject) for unauthenticated emails and provides you with reports on all sending attempts from your domain.

5. Use a branded sending domain

Using a branded sending domain (e.g., [email protected]) instead of a generic address is one of the most effective ways to reduce bounce rates.

It signals professionalism, builds trust with subscribers, and proves to ISPs that your emails are authentic.

If you’re just starting with email campaigns, it’s best to warm up your branded sending domain.

How to warm up your email domain:

• Start small: Send a low volume of emails (e.g., 50–100/day) in the first week.
• Gradually increase volume: Double your sending volume week by week, only if bounce and spam complaint rates stay low.
• Target engaged subscribers first: Send your warm-up campaigns to your most active contacts (people who open/click frequently). ISPs track engagement as a sign of trustworthiness.
• Mix up your content: Don’t just send promotional blasts. Include newsletters, updates, or even transactional emails to look natural.
• Monitor your metrics: Keep an eye on open rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints. If deliverability dips, pause volume increases until it stabilizes.

Related reading: What is Targeted Email Marketing? Beginner’s Guide & Examples

6. Segment your audience

Not every subscriber on your list has the same level of interest or engagement. Without email segmentation in place, you’ll be sending irrelevant emails, and eventually, it may lead to soft bounces.

Why segmentation reduces email bounces

• Higher engagement = better deliverability: When subscribers open, click, and interact, ISPs see your emails as valuable.
• Prevents fatigue: Not all subscribers want the same frequency or type of emails. Segmentation lets you match content to interest.
• Identifies risky contacts: You can spot inactive subscribers and run win-back campaigns before removing them, instead of letting them drag down your sender score.

How to segment your email list

• By engagement level
  • Active subscribers (open/click often) – send regular campaigns.
  • Inactive subscribers – send reengagement emails or suppress if unresponsive.
• Demographical segmentation
  • Age, location, occupation, or language for localized content that feels relevant.
• Behavioral segmentation
  • Purchase history, browsing behavior, or cart activity.
  • Example: Send a replenishment reminder for consumables or a discount on a product they viewed.
• By preferences
  • Allow subscribers to choose the type of content they want (e.g., newsletters, offers, product updates).
• By the marketing funnel stage
  • New subscribers – send a welcome series.
  • Loyal customers – Thank you emails with exclusive discounts.
  • Dormant users – run reactivation campaigns.

7. Stick to a consistent email schedule

One of the most overlooked reasons for high bounce rates is inconsistent sending patterns. If you send emails irregularly, ISPs may flag this as suspicious behavior.

On the subscriber side, inconsistency can also cause disengagement, which indirectly hurts deliverability.

Say, nothing for weeks, and then a sudden blast to your entire list = Higher Bounce Rate

Why consistency matters

• Builds trust with ISPs: A steady, predictable sending pattern makes your domain look reliable rather than spammy.
• Keeps subscribers engaged: Regular communication sets expectations. Subscribers know when to expect your emails, which boosts open rates.
• Reduces sudden spikes: Sudden jumps in email volume can trigger higher bounce rates.

How to maintain a consistent schedule for preventing email bounces

• Define your email cadence: Choose a frequency that fits your audience and stick to it. E.g., weekly newsletters or monthly digests.
• Gradually increase volume: If you’re scaling up, don’t send 10,000 emails overnight. Ramp up slowly to avoid deliverability issues.
• Automate where possible: Use email automation to ensure a steady flow of messages without overwhelming your team.
• Align with subscriber behavior: Analyze when your audience is most active and schedule sends accordingly. For example, midweek mornings often see higher open rates in B2C.
• Avoid long silences: Dormant periods followed by sudden bursts of emails can trigger bounces and unsubscribes. Even if you don’t send discount emails, send value-driven content (like tips or updates) to stay connected.

8. Avoid spam-triggering content

Spammy content doesn’t usually cause hard bounces (invalid addresses). However, it can increase soft bounces and harm your sender’s reputation.

If your content looks suspicious, it can get filtered, rejected, or ignored — all of which contribute to higher bounce rates in the long run.

How to avoid content that triggers bounces

• Write clear, honest subject lines: Misleading or “shouty” subject lines can trigger spam filters and increase rejections.
• Balance text and images: An email that’s all images or overloaded with visuals may be blocked by some mail servers. Aim for a healthy text-to-image ratio.
• Limit links and attachments: Too many links, URL shorteners, or large files often cause emails to bounce back.
• Use discount emails, Adding subscriber names or tailored product recommendations makes your email look legitimate and relevant.
• Test before sending: Run your email through spam and deliverability testing tools (e.g., Mail-Tester, GlockApps) to catch issues before they cause bounces.

Related Reading: 10 Email Design Best Practices for 2025

9. Always include an unsubscribe link

It may feel counterintuitive, but making it easy for subscribers to leave your list actually helps reduce bounce rates. When people can’t find a quick way to opt out, they often mark your email as spam or simply stop engaging.

Both outcomes hurt your sender’s reputation. It can lead to more soft bounces and, eventually, higher overall bounce rates.

Moreover, Regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM legally require an unsubscribe option. Failing to include one can get your emails blocked entirely.

Best practices for unsubscribe links:

• Make it easy to find: Place it in the footer, but ensure it’s visible without needing to hunt for it.
• Use simple wording: Avoid confusing language like “Manage your subscription preferences” if the only option is to unsubscribe.
• One-click process: Don’t force subscribers to log in or jump through hoops. The easier it is, the less frustrated they’ll be.
• Offer preferences before full unsubscribe: Give subscribers the option to reduce frequency or select types of emails before they completely opt out. You can even include a Pause Subscription option.
• Confirm removal politely: A short “Sorry to see you go” message keeps the door open for future re-engagement.

10. Monitor your email metrics

Regularly checking your email metrics allows you to identify trends, catch potential problems early, and adjust your strategy for better results.

Key metrics to monitor

• Bounce rate: This is your primary metric. A sudden spike in your bounce rate is a red flag that indicates a problem with your email list or a potential issue with your sender reputation.
• Open rate: A declining open rate can be a sign that your emails are being filtered into the spam folder. It could also indicate that your subject lines are not compelling enough or that your audience is losing interest.
• Click-through rate (CTR): Your CTR shows how many people are engaging with the links in your email.
• Spam complaint rate: A high spam complaint rate tells ISPs that your recipients are not interested in your content.
• Unsubscribe rate: The content might not be relevant anymore.

Wrap up!

Your email bounce rate isn’t just a number; it’s a reflection of your sender reputation, list quality, and overall email strategy. High bounce rates waste marketing spend, damage deliverability, and limit the reach of your campaigns.

The good news? You can reduce your bounce rate effortlessly with tools like Retainful. Setting up your domain, suppression lists, reports, and segmentation – all of it is taken care of.

Remember, reducing bounces isn’t a one-time task but an ongoing practice. Regular monitoring, segmentation, and automation will keep your subscribers engaged and your ROI growing.

Also read:

• How to make money with Email Marketing (10 Proven Ways)
• How Much Does Email Marketing Cost in 2025?
• How to Embed Images in Emails (Guide + Best Practices)

Frequently asked questions