Handling Bounces and Complaints

Understanding Bounces

Bounces occur when an email fails to be delivered to the recipient. mySMTP categorizes bounces into two main types:

Hard Bounces

A hard bounce indicates a permanent delivery failure. Common reasons include:

• The recipient’s email address does not exist
• The domain of the recipient is incorrect
• The recipient’s email server has blocked delivery

Hard bounces should be removed from mailing lists immediately to maintain sender reputation and avoid deliverability issues.

Soft Bounces

A soft bounce is a temporary delivery failure, typically due to:

• The recipient's mailbox being full
• The recipient's mail server being temporarily down
• The email message being too large

Soft bounces can be retried a few times before being treated as a hard bounce if delivery remains unsuccessful.

Managing Suppression Lists

A suppression list helps prevent emails from being sent to addresses that have previously bounced, complained, or unsubscribed. mySMTP maintains suppression lists to improve email deliverability and compliance.

Automatic Suppression

mySMTP's MailWizz adds email addresses to the suppression list when:

• A hard bounce occurs
• A recipient submits a complaint (via feedback loops with email providers)
• A recipient unsubscribes

Manual Suppression

Users can manually add email addresses to the suppression list to prevent sending unwanted emails.

Handling Complaints

When a recipient marks an email as spam, it is considered a complaint. mySMTP integrates with feedback loops (FBLs) from major email providers to detect complaints.

Reducing Complaints

To minimize complaints:

• Ensure recipients have explicitly opted in to receive emails
• Use a recognizable sender name and email address
• Provide a clear and easy-to-use unsubscribe link
• Avoid excessive or irrelevant emails

Monitoring and Best Practices

Regularly monitor bounce and complaint reports within mySMTP’s dashboard to maintain a high sender reputation. Follow best practices:

• Clean email lists periodically to remove inactive or invalid addresses
• Segment email lists to send targeted and relevant content
• Use authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve email deliverability

By proactively managing bounces and complaints, users can maximize the effectiveness of their email campaigns while maintaining a strong sender reputation.