7 Proven Methods to Reduce Email Bounce Rate and Improve Deliverability

Creating email campaigns and expecting to get new leads, isn’t that your goal?

But for some reason, it doesn’t happen. Then you notice your emails bounce and don’t reach where they should.

We don’t want this to happen with your messages. That’s why we created this article for you and share our tips on how to reduce email bounce rates.

But we’re here to tell you it’s going to be okay, because there’s plenty you can do to reduce your email bounce-backs. Don’t give up.

No more waiting. Let’s get started.

What Is Email Bounce Rate?

Before going to tips and insights, let’s define what email bounce rate is.

Email bounce rate is the percentage of emails that don’t reach the inbox and bounce back. To calculate it, divide undelivered emails by total emails sent, then multiply by 100.

To fully understand this, let’s learn about the types of bounce rate, hard and soft.

Hard bounce rate is about permanent failures, when your emails will never be delivered. The reason behind this can be invalid or deleted email addresses.

Soft bounces are temporary issues that may fix themselves.

First, let’s see what a good bounce rate looks like. Around 2% is normal. Between 2% and 5% means you should keep an eye on it. Anything higher than 5% means there’s a problem and you need to fix it quickly.

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Why Bounce Rate Can Make or Break Your Emails

You may wonder if this is really an issue, and whether it deserves your attention. The answer is yes, because a high email bounce rate can:

 

• Hurt your sender reputation

Email providers track bounce rates, and consistently high rates signal that your list may be unclean or that you are sending spam emails.

 

• Reduce visibility

A poor sender reputation can cause your emails to go to spam or be blocked entirely, meaning fewer people see your messages.

 

• Waste your resources

Sending emails to invalid or unwanted addresses wastes time, money, and effort on messages that never reach anyone. Research shows nearly 1 in 6 marketing emails never reach the inbox.

 

• Lower engagement and deliverability

The more emails that fail to reach inboxes, the fewer people see your content, which reduces engagement with your audience.

 

All of this means you should take every step possible to lower your email bounce rate.

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Reduce Email Bounce Rate: 7 Key Tactics

Now, we come to the most important part of the article: how you can actually reduce bounce rates and ensure higher deliverability.

Invest in Email Authentication

Wondering how to lower your email bounce rate?

Investing in email authentication should be the first step we advise you take. By verifying that your emails are coming from a trusted source, you improve deliverability, protect your sender reputation, and ensure more of your messages reach the inbox.

Here are the three protocols that do this:

SPF: Proves your email comes from your actual server.

DKIM: Shows your email wasn’t altered during delivery.

DMARC: Tells email providers what to do with suspicious emails.

You can set these up by adding DNS records to your domain through your hosting provider or email service platform.

Do this and you will enjoy better deliverability and better email campaign results.

Clean Your Email Lists Regularly

The more email addresses in your list, the better? Actually, it’s not entirely true. If you do have this mentality, you need to change it.

So, the next thing we suggest is regularly cleaning your email list. Why? It will minimize bounce rates and secure better email campaign results.

Here is how you can make your email database healthier.

• Get rid of fake and misspelled email addresses

These will always bounce and hurt your sender reputation with every campaign you send.

• Remove invalid or inactive email addresses. 

Dead addresses drag down your engagement rates and signal to email providers that your list is outdated.

• Verify you email addresses

Use email verification tools to identify and remove invalid addresses before they can harm your campaigns. Catching bad addresses upfront prevents damage to your deliverability before it starts. But wait, we will speak about this in the next point in more detail.

P.S.

Make email list cleaning a habit and do it regularly like , such as every three to six months, or when you notice high bounce rates. Don’t forget to use email security tools alongside verification to ensure that your list stays free from harmful or risky addresses that could compromise your campaigns.

Verify Your Email List 

Do you need to put effort and energy into sending to the addresses that are invalid or  inactive? Of course not. 

 

Your email list is all the people you’re reaching out to via your emails. Sending emails to invalid addresses increases your email bounce rate, which lowers your deliverability score, and sends your emails to spam!

 

Verifying your email list prevents this by telling you which email addresses on your list are undeliverable or invalid.

 

There are a few simple steps you can take to:

• Choose an email verification tool that matches your needs and goals:
• Upload your list in the format you prefer –  CSV, XLS, or TXT.
• Then the email verification tool will start its job and will check all your email addresses.
• Nothing is left to do at this stage. Just download the clean list and later send your offers to real, valid email addresses.

Lastly, once your list is verified, email warm up tools can help you gradually introduce new subscribers to your campaigns, improving deliverability from the start.

Use Double Opt-In for New Subscribers

 “Measure twice, cut once.”

This saying is true for your email deliverability too. One thing we recommend is using a double opt-in.

Double opt-in means that before adding someone to your email list, you send them a confirmation email to make sure they want to receive your messages and that their email address is correct.

Some may think this slows down list growth, but here’s why it helps:

• You collect only real, active email addresses, which reduces bounce rates.
• It improves list quality, protects your sender reputation, and reduces spam complaints.
• It ensures subscribers genuinely want your emails, improving engagement.
• You get more valuable leads who are genuinely interested in your content.

Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Someone enters their email on your sign-up form.
Step 2: You send them a confirmation email asking them to verify their subscription.
Step 3: They click the link in the email to confirm, and now they’re officially on your list.

This way, your list is full of subscribers who are genuinely interested in what you do, whether you’re promoting a product or a service.

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Segment Your Email List Strategically

Segmenting your audience can seem like extra work. So why not just send the same message to your entire email list? Don’t do this. Instead, segment your contact list to ensure your messages reach the most relevant audience. 

Segment your audience by:

• Demographics – Age, gender, location, or occupation can help you tailor messages that feel personal and relevant.
• Purchase history – Collecting buying data and knowing what your contacts have bought before allows you to recommend products or offers they’re more likely to be interested in.
• Interests – Splitting your list based on hobbies, preferences, or past engagement helps deliver content that resonates with each segment.
• Engagement level – Identify how active your contacts are with your emails and target them accordingly to maintain interest and avoid disengagement.

Then,  create more targeted campaigns for each group. This will result in a lower email bounce rate and better deliverability. Using email deliverability tools can help you monitor performance and ensure your messages reach the inbox.

 

Stay Away From Spam Triggers 

Do you ever wonder why your emails bounce so much? It could be that you’re not careful enough to avoid spammy words. Maybe you want to create a sense of urgency to make people open your emails. But actually, using spammy language can cause your emails to bounce.

Here are some examples of these words:

• Urgency – “Urgent,” “Limited time offer,” “Act now”
• Money-related – “100% free,” excessive use of the dollar sign ($$)
• Formatting issues – Too many exclamation marks, overly promotional copy

Such language signals spam and can increase your soft bounce rates. To prevent your emails from being flagged by spam filters, always scan them for spammy language before sending. 

You can do this by using email testing tools or spam-checker software that highlights risky words and suggests safer alternatives, and by reviewing your content to make sure it’s clear, concise, and professional.

Maintain Consistency

Put yourself in your email subscribers’ shoes. Imagine receiving five messages a week from one business, then hearing nothing for a long period. This not only damages the relationship with your email leads but also signals to email service providers that your emails may be spammy.

After segmenting your contact base, the next step is deciding on a regular sending schedule. Here are some examples:

• Weekly newsletters – Send every Tuesday or Thursday to keep your audience engaged without overwhelming them.
• Monthly roundups – Summarize key content, promotions, or announcements to maintain touchpoints with less active subscribers.
• Behavior-triggered emails – Send messages based on actions like purchases, downloads, or abandoned carts, keeping your content timely and relevant.

A consistent schedule helps build trust with your subscribers and improves your overall email deliverability.

To wrap up

Building a healthy email list is an ongoing process. Today, we’ve shared some ways to help you reduce your email bounce rate.

It’s really important to pay attention to this. While it’s not always easy, building strong email deliverability is definitely possible.

Do your “homework,” stay consistent, and watch your campaigns achieve better results.