Soft Bounce

Soft Bounce is a term used in email marketing to describe a temporary failure to deliver an email to a recipient’s inbox. Unlike a hard bounce, which signals a permanent issue such as an invalid address, a soft bounce means the email address is valid but the message could not be delivered at that time. Common reasons for soft bounces include a full inbox, a temporarily unavailable server or an email that is too large to process.

When a soft bounce occurs, most email service providers will attempt to resend the message for a limited number of times, usually over the course of a few hours or days. If delivery still fails after multiple attempts, the address may be flagged for review. Because soft bounces are often caused by issues on the recipient’s side, they do not necessarily indicate a problem with your email list. However, repeated soft bounces from the same address can affect sender reputation and deliverability.

Monitoring soft bounces is an important part of email campaign management. A high rate of soft bounces may point to larger issues such as outdated contact lists, overly large file attachments or poor email formatting. To improve deliverability, marketers should follow best practices including list hygiene, proper email authentication and formatting emails to meet size limits and server standards. By keeping an eye on bounce patterns and taking proactive steps, you can maintain a healthy sender reputation and ensure your messages reach your audience reliably.