Why List Hygiene Matters
Mailbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo continuously evaluate your sending behavior. They use signals from your recipient list quality to decide whether your emails deserve the inbox or the spam folder. Poor list hygiene leads to a compounding cycle of damage:| Problem | Consequence |
|---|---|
| High bounce rates | Providers flag you as a careless sender |
| Spam complaints | Providers actively block your emails |
| Low engagement | Providers deprioritize your messages |
| Spam traps on your list | Immediate reputation damage and potential blocklisting |
Validate at the Point of Collection
The best time to prevent a bad address from entering your list is before it gets there.Client-Side Format Validation
Catch obvious typos and formatting errors before the address is submitted:Client-side validation catches formatting mistakes but cannot confirm the address actually exists. Always pair it with a confirmation email.
Confirmation Emails
After a user submits their address, send an immediate confirmation email to verify it is real and reachable:Double Opt-In Flow
Double opt-in is the gold standard for list quality. It ensures every address on your list is valid, reachable, and belongs to someone who genuinely wants your emails.User submits email address
Collect the address through your signup form with client-side validation.
User clicks the confirmation link
This proves the address is valid and the owner consented to receive emails.
Handle Bounces in Real Time
When an email bounces, you need to act immediately. Continuing to send to bounced addresses tells mailbox providers that you are not maintaining your list.Bounce Types
| Type | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Hard bounce | Address is permanently invalid (e.g., doesn’t exist) | Remove from your list immediately |
| Soft bounce | Temporary issue (e.g., mailbox full, server down) | Retry automatically; remove after repeated failures |
Webhook Handler for Bounces
Set up a webhook endpoint to process bounce events from Lettr as they happen:Lettr Auto-Suppression
Lettr automatically adds hard-bounced addresses to your account’s suppression list. Even if the address remains in your application database, Lettr will not attempt delivery to a suppressed address.Lettr’s auto-suppression protects you from repeated hard bounces, but you should still update your own database to keep your list accurate. You can view and manage your suppression list in the Lettr dashboard.
Process Spam Complaints
Spam complaints are more damaging than bounces. A bounce means the address is bad. A complaint means a real person is telling their mailbox provider that your email is unwanted. Providers weigh complaints heavily.Why Complaints Are Worse Than Bounces
- A hard bounce is a technical failure — providers understand addresses go stale.
- A spam complaint is a human judgment — providers interpret it as evidence that you send unwanted email.
- Even a complaint rate of 0.3% can trigger spam filtering for your entire sending domain.
Webhook Handler for Complaints
Remove complainants from your list immediately and never email them again:Re-Engage or Remove Inactive Subscribers
Subscribers who never open or click your emails are dead weight on your list. Mailbox providers notice when a large portion of your recipients ignore your emails, and they use that as a signal to deprioritize your messages for everyone.Define Your Inactivity Window
A subscriber is typically considered inactive if they have not opened or clicked any email in the past 6 to 12 months. The right window depends on your sending frequency:| Sending Frequency | Recommended Inactivity Window |
|---|---|
| Daily | 3–6 months |
| Weekly | 6–9 months |
| Monthly | 9–12 months |
Re-Engagement Campaign Strategy
Before removing inactive subscribers, give them a chance to re-engage:Segment inactive subscribers
Identify subscribers with no opens or clicks within your inactivity window.
Send a re-engagement email
Use a clear subject line like “We miss you — do you still want to hear from us?” Include a prominent call-to-action to confirm their interest.
Send a final reminder
For those who didn’t respond, send one last email explaining they will be removed unless they take action.
Sunset Policy
A sunset policy is a standing rule that automatically removes subscribers after a defined period of inactivity. Implement this as an automated process rather than relying on manual cleanup:Avoid Purchased or Scraped Lists
Sending to purchased, rented, or scraped email lists is one of the fastest ways to destroy your sender reputation and get blocked.Why Purchased Lists Are Harmful
- No consent: Recipients never asked for your emails. Expect high complaint rates.
- Spam traps: Purchased lists frequently contain spam trap addresses maintained by mailbox providers and blocklist operators. Hitting a spam trap leads to immediate blocklisting.
- Invalid addresses: These lists are rarely maintained and are full of outdated, invalid addresses that produce hard bounces.
- Low engagement: Even valid addresses will not engage with emails they did not ask for, dragging down your sender reputation.
Legal Risks
| Regulation | Risk |
|---|---|
| CAN-SPAM (US) | Fines up to $51,744 per email sent to recipients who did not opt in. Requires functioning unsubscribe and physical address. |
| GDPR (EU/UK) | Fines up to 4% of annual global revenue or 20 million EUR. Requires explicit consent before sending marketing emails. |
| CASL (Canada) | Fines up to $10 million CAD per violation. Requires express or implied consent. |
Regular List Audits
Don’t wait for deliverability problems to appear. Schedule a quarterly audit to proactively identify and resolve list quality issues.Quarterly Review Checklist
Review bounce rates
Pull your bounce data for the past quarter. If your hard bounce rate is above 2%, investigate the source of bad addresses and tighten your collection process.
Review complaint rates
Check your spam complaint rate. If it’s above 0.1%, review your email content, frequency, and whether your unsubscribe link is clearly visible.
Identify inactive subscribers
Segment subscribers with no engagement in the past 6–12 months. Run a re-engagement campaign or apply your sunset policy.
Check for role-based addresses
Remove or suppress role-based addresses like
info@, admin@, support@ — these often go to shared inboxes and generate complaints.Verify list growth sources
Review where new subscribers are coming from. Ensure every source uses proper opt-in and validation.
Review suppression list
Check your suppression list in the Lettr dashboard. Ensure suppressed addresses have not been accidentally re-added to active lists in your application.
Key Metrics to Monitor
Track these metrics consistently to gauge the health of your recipient list:| Metric | Healthy Target | Warning Threshold | What It Tells You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bounce rate | < 2% | > 5% | Whether your list contains invalid addresses |
| Complaint rate | < 0.1% | > 0.3% | Whether recipients consider your emails unwanted |
| Unsubscribe rate | < 0.5% | > 1% | Whether your content and frequency match expectations |
| List growth rate | Positive | Negative (shrinking) | Whether you are acquiring subscribers faster than losing them |
| Engagement rate (opens + clicks) | > 15% | < 10% | Whether your list is active and interested |
If you notice any metric crossing into the warning threshold, investigate immediately. Small problems become big ones quickly in email deliverability. If you need help diagnosing an issue, contact support@lettr.com.