Hard Bounce Vs. Soft Bounce

I get this question a lot: what is the difference between a hard and a soft bounce?

A “bounce” means the email didn’t arrive, for any of a number of reasons. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean the email address is bad.

Good addresses can bounce if the mailbox is full, the server is having temporary issues, or if it gets blocked or put in junk folders. This is called a soft bounce and is considered a temporary error, most commonly “Mailbox Full.” So, this does not necessarily mean the email address is bad; RatePoint will keep trying and will not automatically remove this address from your contacts list.

A hard bounce typically means the email address itself is bad. Ratepoint will automatically remove these from your contacts list, but you’ll still be able to see them for reference under Contacts -> Undelivered Contacts.

An exception is a Hard Bounce – Spam Content, which just means the email got put in a junk folder–RatePoint won’t remove those from your list. Best case scenario here if for these recipients to see your email in their junk folder, see value in the email, and ultimately add you to their address book; or, if you know them well enough you can ask them to add you to their address book.

In general a SOFT BOUNCE = Temporary error, and a HARD BOUNCE = permanent error.