| Campaign Monitor | |
|---|---|
| Their stated threshold | Campaign Monitor's guidance treats bounce rates above 2% as a list quality problem and they contact accounts that sustain higher rates. |
| What happens if you cross it | Campaign Monitor reviews accounts for list quality and can restrict sending. On an agency account, a problem with one client's list can draw attention to the whole login, which is a risk worth managing. |
| Where the bounce data lives | Within a client, Reports then the campaign, with bounces split into hard and soft. Lists and subscribers shows bounced subscribers per list. |
| How bounces are classified | Campaign Monitor removes hard-bounced subscribers from the list automatically and tracks soft bounces across sends before doing the same. |
Bringing the rate down
Each step is an action inside Campaign Monitor, in the order worth taking them.
Audit clients separately
Bounce data lives inside each client. An agency reading one client's report has no view of the others, and the weakest client is the one creating risk for the login.
Find out where each client's list came from
Agencies inherit lists with no provenance story. Ask before the first send, because the answer decides whether verification is enough or whether the list should not be mailed at all.
Set a standard for lists you accept
A written rule about list age, source and verification before onboarding protects the agency account from one client's bad data.
Send a small test before the full campaign
Sending to a few hundred addresses first gives you the bounce rate before the whole list is exposed. On an inherited list this is worth doing every time.
Verify per client and bill it through
At our volume pricing this is a small line item next to a campaign fee, and it turns an unknown risk into a known cost.
The mistake people make here
A bounce report mixes two causes that need opposite responses: addresses that do not exist, and receivers refusing mail they could have delivered. The first is fixed by checking the list. The second is a sending problem and no amount of cleaning will move it.
Questions people ask
How does Campaign Monitor's client structure affect bounces?
Reporting is separated per client, so you check each one individually. The underlying sending reputation is not separated in the same way, which is why one client's bad list is everyone's problem.
What bounce rate should an agency accept from a client list?
Under 2% on the first send. Above that, stop and go back to the client about where the list came from rather than sending the next campaign.
Can I test a list before sending to all of it?
Yes, and on an inherited list you should. A few hundred addresses gives you the bounce rate before the whole list is exposed.