Skip to content
English
More support Sign in
Go to patchretention.com
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

How to Clean Up Bounced or Invalid Email Addresses

Use bounce and validation results to improve list quality over time.

Use this guide to clean bounced and invalid email addresses in Patch so future campaigns are sent to a healthier audience.

In this article

Why bounced and invalid emails matter

Bounced and invalid emails can hurt deliverability because they show inbox providers that your list may be outdated or low quality. A few bounces are normal. Repeated or high bounce rates should be addressed before more email is sent.

Know the difference between hard and soft bounces

  • Hard bounce: The email address is invalid, closed, or cannot receive mail. These should usually be excluded from future sends.
  • Soft bounce: The email could not be delivered temporarily. The mailbox may be full, the server may be unavailable, or the message may be delayed.

Repeated soft bounces can become a sign that the contact should be excluded or reviewed.

Step 1: Find bounced or invalid contacts

Use contact filters, segments, reports, or email performance data to identify contacts with bounce or validation issues.

Create a saved segment with a clear name, such as:

  • Email - Hard Bounced
  • Email - Invalid Address
  • Email - Risky Validation Status

This makes it easier to exclude these contacts from future sends.

Step 2: Let Patch automatically exclude invalid and hard bounced emails

Patch automatically helps protect your email sending by preventing regular marketing emails from going to contacts with invalid or hard bounced email addresses.

You do not need to manually remove these contacts from every Blast or Automation.

Before sending, you should still:

  1. Review your audience or segment.
  2. Check the final send count.
  3. Confirm the audience matches who you intended to contact.
  4. Keep an eye on email performance after sending.

If a contact has an invalid or hard bounced email address, Patch will handle the suppression automatically so you can focus on sending to healthy, reachable contacts.

Step 3: Correct only obvious mistakes

If you see an obvious typo, such as gmial.com instead of gmail.com, correct it only when you are confident. Do not guess missing information.

If the email belongs to a real customer and you have another approved way to contact them, ask them to update their email address.

Step 4: Review where bad emails are coming from

If invalid emails keep appearing, check the source.

  • Is a form allowing fake emails?
  • Are staff entering placeholder emails?
  • Is an import file outdated?
  • Is a third-party system syncing old records?
  • Is a required email field forcing fake entries?

Fixing the source prevents the same cleanup work from repeating.

Step 5: Keep the cleanup process ongoing

Review bounced or invalid emails monthly or after major sends. List hygiene works best when it is part of your regular email process.

For large accounts, assign someone on your team to review bounce trends before each major campaign.

Customer Support

If you need help or are not sure which step to take next, contact Patch Customer Support at success@patchretention.com or 888.605.4429.