> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.rechat.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.rechat.com/guides/marketing/email-deliverability/understanding-bounces-and-unsubscribes.md). # Understanding Bounces and Unsubscribes Understanding how your emails perform after sending is key to maintaining strong deliverability.Two important metrics to monitor are **bounces** and **unsubscribes**. ### **What is a Bounced Email?** A bounced email occurs when a message cannot be delivered to the recipient’s inbox. #### **Hard Bounce (Permanent Failure)** A hard bounce means the email cannot be delivered permanently.Common reasons: * Invalid or non-existent email address * Domain does not exist * Recipient server has blocked the email 👉 **What to do:**Remove these contacts immediately to protect your sender reputation. #### **Soft Bounce (Temporary Issue)** A soft bounce is a temporary delivery issue.Common reasons: * Recipient’s inbox is full * Email server is temporarily down * Message is too large Rechat will retry sending these emails for a period of time (typically up to 72 hours).If delivery continues to fail, the email may eventually be treated as a hard bounce. #### **In Rechat** * Multiple soft bounces may appear with a red badge (e.g. “Bounced7”) * This indicates multiple delivery attempts ### **What is an Unsubscribe?** An unsubscribe occurs when a recipient chooses to stop receiving your emails.This means: * Your email was successfully delivered * The recipient opted out of future communication ### **Why This Matters** * **Bounces = delivery problem** * **Unsubscribes = engagement choice** Both impact your sender reputation in different ways. ### **Best Practices** * Remove hard bounces immediately * Monitor repeated soft bounces * Respect all unsubscribe requests * Regularly clean your contact list {% hint style="info" %} A healthy email list is not about size—it’s about engagement.Smaller, high-quality lists will always outperform large, unengaged ones. {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.rechat.com/guides/marketing/email-deliverability/understanding-bounces-and-unsubscribes.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.