Should I Delete Bounced Emails in Mailchimp?
If you send bulk emails via programs like Mailchimp, maintaining a pristine contact list is similar to possessing a precious gem. However, if you've faced issues with bounced emails, it's crucial to take corrective measures before your emails become susceptible to penalties or suspension.
To ensure the deliverability of your emails and safeguard your sender reputation, it's recommended by many experts to keep your email bounce rate below 2%, although Mailchimp states below 5%. Mailchimp, among others, adheres to specific thresholds and is mandated to enforce them. If your bounce rates exceed acceptable limits, it may result in either a warning or the suspension of your account.
If you find yourself short on time to clean up bounced subscribers within your email marketing program, consider reaching out to Mint Agency for assistance.
What are Bounces?
Bounces are emails that could not be delivered to an email address. When an email bounces, Mailchimp classifies it as either a soft or a hard bounce.
Hard bounces occur when an email address does not exist, or an unexpected error occurs during sending. On the other hand, soft bounces are recognised by the recipient's email server but are returned to the sender for various reasons, such as the mailbox being full or delivery being temporarily unavailable to that service.
Photo credit: Mailchimp
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What Does ‘Cleaned’ Mean in Mailchimp?
When an email is marked as ‘Cleaned’ in Mailchimp, it indicates that either the last email sent to that address hard bounced, or there have been multiple repeated soft bounces in a row.
A hard bounce occurs when an email could not be delivered to the intended address for permanent reasons, such as an incorrect or fake email address, an unregistered email domain, or a server refusing to accept the emails due to a security filter. In most cases, it's advisable to remove an email that hard bounces from your email list, as high bounce rates can negatively impact your email reputation.
A soft bounce is an email that isn’t delivered for reasons that could be temporary, such as an inbox being full or an email being too large. While you may want to attempt mailing to soft bounces again, continued soft bounces might lead to discontinuing sends to that person. The ‘cleaned’ feature in Mailchimp helps enforce best practices regarding how to handle bounced emails.
It's generally recommended to keep your bounce rate below 2%, as exceeding this threshold can result in deliverability issues and harm your email sender reputation. Cleaned addresses assist in maintaining a healthy bounce rate.
So when Mailchimp marks an email as ‘cleaned,' it signals that those emails have been removed from your list due to a single hard bounce or multiple soft bounces — effectively unsubscribed contacts. This is beneficial because these are emails that you would likely want to remove from your list. Your email domain's reputation is a critical aspect.
However, keep in mind that typos are guaranteed to hard bounce. For instance, if a contact entered their email as “lisa@mitn.com” instead of “lisa@mint.com,” the email is likely to bounce. Fixing these emails rather than removing them is often preferable.
This issue underscores the broader concern of data cleanliness and data cleansing in Mailchimp. 'Cleaned' contacts should not only be seen as unsubscribed contacts but also as an opportunity to improve the quality of your email list.
Maintaining a clean and effective email list is crucial for successful email marketing. If you're using Mailchimp, understanding and addressing bounced emails and 'cleaned' contacts are essential steps in optimising your email campaigns. Mint Agency is here to assist you in navigating these challenges and ensuring your email marketing efforts are both efficient and effective.
