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Original
2026-01-01
Modified
2026-03-10
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<p>A<strong>soft bounce</strong>happens when a recipient’s email server temporarily rejects your email because the<a>subscriber’s</a>inbox is full, their<a>email server</a>is down, or their email account is on hold. This can happen due to several reasons, including:</p>
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<p>A<strong>soft bounce</strong>happens when a recipient’s email server temporarily rejects your email because the<a>subscriber’s</a>inbox is full, their<a>email server</a>is down, or their email account is on hold. This can happen due to several reasons, including:</p>
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<ul><li>Invalid<a>email address</a>or<a>sending domain</a></li>
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<ul><li>Invalid<a>email address</a>or<a>sending domain</a></li>
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<li>A message exceeds the size limits set by the recipient’s mail server</li>
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<li>A message exceeds the size limits set by the recipient’s mail server</li>
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<li>A high volume of emails sent to the same recipient in a short period</li>
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<li>A high volume of emails sent to the same recipient in a short period</li>
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<li>Email being flagged as<a>spam</a>by a content filter</li>
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<li>Email being flagged as<a>spam</a>by a content filter</li>
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<li>Missing DNS records for the sender’s domain</li>
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<li>Missing DNS records for the sender’s domain</li>
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<li>Poor sender reputation due to previous email<a>bounces</a>or spam complaints</li>
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<li>Poor sender reputation due to previous email<a>bounces</a>or spam complaints</li>
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</ul><p>If you’re using certain marketing automation platforms and a soft bounce happens more than 3 times, they’ll be converted to a<a>hard bounce</a>i.e., the recipient will be removed from your<a>email list</a>. But unlike hard bounces, which indicate permanent delivery failures, soft bounces are often temporary and can be resolved.</p>
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</ul><p>If you’re using certain marketing automation platforms and a soft bounce happens more than 3 times, they’ll be converted to a<a>hard bounce</a>i.e., the recipient will be removed from your<a>email list</a>. But unlike hard bounces, which indicate permanent delivery failures, soft bounces are often temporary and can be resolved.</p>
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<h2>How to prevent soft bounces</h2>
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<h2>How to prevent soft bounces</h2>
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<p>Use these strategies to prevent soft bounces and improve your<a>email deliverability</a>:</p>
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<p>Use these strategies to prevent soft bounces and improve your<a>email deliverability</a>:</p>
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<ul><li><strong>Optimise content and size:</strong>Avoid link shorteners, balance text and images, and keep emails under 110KB to prevent rejections due to content issues.</li>
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<ul><li><strong>Optimise content and size:</strong>Avoid link shorteners, balance text and images, and keep emails under 110KB to prevent rejections due to content issues.</li>
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<li><strong>Manage sending frequency:</strong>Gradually ramp up your sending volume and reduce the number of emails sent to specific mailbox providers if rejections occur.</li>
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<li><strong>Manage sending frequency:</strong>Gradually ramp up your sending volume and reduce the number of emails sent to specific mailbox providers if rejections occur.</li>
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<li><strong>Check sender and DNS records:</strong>Ensure your sender address is valid and all necessary DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are in place to maintain deliverability.</li>
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<li><strong>Check sender and DNS records:</strong>Ensure your sender address is valid and all necessary DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are in place to maintain deliverability.</li>
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<li><strong>Improve sender reputation:</strong>Track deliverability metrics and reevaluate<a>sunsetting</a>windows. If need be, temporarily suppress inactive segments to maintain a strong sender reputation.</li>
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<li><strong>Improve sender reputation:</strong>Track deliverability metrics and reevaluate<a>sunsetting</a>windows. If need be, temporarily suppress inactive segments to maintain a strong sender reputation.</li>
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</ul><p>With a marketing automation platform like Klaviyo, you can easily check and reduce bounce rates.</p>
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</ul><p>With a marketing automation platform like Klaviyo, you can easily check and reduce bounce rates.</p>
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<p><a>Sign up for Klaviyo</a>and get detailed reporting on soft bounces to improve your email deliverability.</p>
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<p><a>Sign up for Klaviyo</a>and get detailed reporting on soft bounces to improve your email deliverability.</p>
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