High bounce rates in sequences - what are the risks?

[MAgosta]

Hi, 

We did some prospection campaigns recently and our campaigns reached a quite high level of bounce rates : 8% and 9%.

Before importing our contacts, we did use tools to verify emails and tried to be sure that emails were corrects so I was really disappointed of these high rates.

Anyway, my question is : from what % should we be worried ? What do HubSpot to prevent this to happen ? And can we be blocked at some point ? 

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[MAgosta]

Hi, and thank you both for your answers and inputs! Our list was indeed a bit old.

We will change our prospection strtategy and opt for smaller campaigns with only few targeted contacts, from fresd searches.
Have a good day! 

[Mike_Eastwood]

Hi @MAgosta 

I've seen accounts locked for a 5% bounce rate!

This typically happens when an old list is imported, even after it's been "cleaned".

If in doubt I'd break your list into small lists and send batches of emails as a test.

One of the benefits of using HubSpot is they shut down sends with a high bounce rate. A mail server with a high bounce rate will be blocklisted and deliverabilty plummets. So, while it may be annoying now it's good in the long term. 

Have fun

-Mike

p.s. thanks for the mention @kvlschaefer 

[kvlschaefer · Accepted solution]

Hi @MAgosta,

Thanks for reaching out!

I wanted to refer you to this blog post that has helpful tips on how to reduce your bounce rate. You can also try a different outreach tactic and mix in calls into your outreach sequences as well.

When a contact bounces, HubSpot will automatically unenroll them from the sequence as mentioned in this help article.  Your email client also receives a full bounce response explaining why these contacts bounced since sequence emails are directly sent through your email client as documented here. 

Here's a handy snippet from the linked help article that explains how HubSpot detects 1:1 email bounces and its limitations: 

I would recommend reviewing the full bounce responses in your email as they will give you some further insight and allow you to determine how you can clean up your contact lists. 

HubSpot would not suspend your account due to a high bounce rate from sequences, but your email client can suspend your sending privileges if it appears that you are spamming contacts. When you have a high bounce rate, your email client's reputation can be negatively impacted. Your email client is able to see the lack of engagement or if an email was undeliverable, unopened or unsubscribed. 

If your email client ever suspends you, the solution is to partner up with your IT Department/Mail Administrator. They would need to use Postmaster to gauge your sending and domain reputation.  

I also wanted to invite our subject matter experts to this conversation to see if they have any insight.

Hi @Josh, @johnelmer, @Mike_Eastwood, @karstenkoehler - Do you have any tips you would like to share with @MAgosta regarding sequences and bounce rates? 

I hope this helps!

Best,

Kristen