Cheat Sheet : Bounce Shield

What is bounce shield and how does it help?

Bounce shield involves strategies and practices aimed at managing bounce rates effectively to improve email deliverability and protect your sender reputation.

How it works

Understanding bounce shield benefits

Implementing a bounce shield strategy reduces bounce rates, maintains a clean email list, and improves deliverability. This enhances your sender reputation and ensures better inbox placement for your cold email campaigns.

Best practices for bounce shield

Use verified emails

1. Enable email validation

• Use Smartreach.io's built-in email validation feature
• Verify all email addresses before adding them to campaigns
• Remove invalid addresses from your prospect lists

2. Clean email lists regularly

• Remove hard bounces from your lists immediately
• Delete inactive subscribers who haven't engaged
• Update outdated email addresses when possible

3. Monitor list health

• Track bounce rates across different prospect segments
• Identify problematic domains or email sources
• Maintain lists with active, engaged contacts only

Monitor and analyze

1. Track bounce rate metrics

• Monitor bounce rates regularly to identify trends
• Look for recurring issues with specific domains
• Set up alerts for unusual bounce rate spikes

2. Analyze bounce patterns

• Review which types of emails bounce most frequently
• Identify timing or content factors affecting bounces
• Use data to improve future campaign performance

Monitor sender reputation

1. Maintain good sender reputation

• Send relevant and engaging content to active subscribers
• Use email warmup tools to improve your reputation gradually
• Focus on quality engagement over quantity

2. Check blacklist status regularly

• Monitor your domain and IP addresses for blacklisting
• Use tools like MX Tool Box to check blacklist status
• Contact domain providers immediately if blacklisted

3. Protect domain reputation

• Avoid sending to purchased or low-quality lists
• Maintain consistent sending patterns and volumes
• Address reputation issues quickly when identified

Choose reliable email service provider

1. Use reputable ESPs

• Select established providers like Google Workspace or Office365
• Ensure ESP supports authentication protocols
• Verify they follow industry best practices

2. Implement authentication protocols

• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records properly
• Verify authentication is working correctly
• Update records when changing email providers

Bounce shield via Smartreach.io

1. Automatic bounce detection

• Smartreach.io automatically detects high bounce rates
• System pauses email sending when bounce rate exceeds 15% daily
• Protects your sender reputation from further damage

2. Built-in protection features

• Automatic campaign pausing prevents reputation harm
• Real-time monitoring alerts you to issues quickly
• Resume sending only after addressing bounce causes