Summary
Troubleshooting soft bounces with a 554 SMTP code in Salesforce Marketing Cloud involves addressing a multifaceted issue encompassing blocks, policy rejections, poor sender reputation, and technical configurations. Experts and documentation recommend a thorough investigation process. This includes examining the full text of bounce messages within SFMC, checking SMTP logs for specific rejection reasons, and verifying sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Additionally, focusing on improving sender reputation by practicing list hygiene (segmentation and warming), monitoring sender scores, implementing user feedback loops, and optimizing email content (A/B testing subject lines, reducing spam triggers) is crucial. Adjusting email sending practices through throttling can also mitigate the problem. Ultimately, understanding the nuances of how SFMC classifies soft bounces and leveraging the platform's data availability is paramount for effective resolution.
Key findings
- Root Cause Variability: 554 errors, while generally indicating permanent failures, are treated as soft bounces by SFMC and can be caused by blocks, policy rejections, spam content, authentication issues, or poor sender reputation.
- Actionable Bounce Data: The full text of bounce messages and SMTP logs contain valuable information about rejection sources and reasons, and SFMC provides access to bounce data.
- Reputation Significance: Sender reputation, influenced by engagement, complaint rates, and blocklisting, is a major factor in 554 errors.
- Authentication Importance: Proper implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical for ensuring deliverability.
- Proactive Mitigation: List hygiene, feedback loops, content optimization, and throttling can proactively prevent 554 errors.
Key considerations
- Detailed Analysis: Thoroughly examine bounce messages and SMTP logs to understand the specific reasons for rejections.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Use SFMC data to identify problematic domains, content, or sending patterns.
- Ongoing Reputation Management: Continuously monitor sender scores, address complaints, and remove unengaged subscribers to maintain a good reputation.
- Technical Compliance: Ensure that your email authentication is correctly configured and updated.
- Holistic Approach: Implement a comprehensive strategy that addresses both technical and reputation aspects of email deliverability.
What email marketers say
6 marketer opinions
Troubleshooting soft bounces with a 554 SMTP code in Salesforce Marketing Cloud involves addressing issues related to sender reputation, email content, and list management. Experts recommend monitoring sender score, warming up IPs gradually by segmenting lists and sending to engaged subscribers first, and reviewing email content for spam triggers, including A/B testing subject lines. Furthermore, establishing a user feedback loop with easy unsubscribe options and throttling email sending rates can help mitigate blacklisting and improve deliverability.
Key opinions
- Sender Reputation: 554 errors often indicate problems with sender reputation. Monitor your sender score and IP reputation using tools and ensure you're not on any blacklists.
- IP Warming & Segmentation: Warming up new IPs gradually and segmenting email lists can prevent triggering 554 errors. Send to engaged subscribers first.
- Spam Content: 554 errors can be caused by spam content in the email body. Test different email content and A/B test subject lines to reduce spam triggers.
- User Feedback: Importance of a user feedback loop, and ensuring the users can easily unsubscribe to avoid being reported as spam.
- Email Throttling: Throttling emails may resolve the issue. Reducing email batch sizes and increasing the time between sends reduces errors.
Key considerations
- Reputation Monitoring: Regularly check your sender reputation using tools to identify and address potential issues proactively.
- Gradual IP Warm-up: Implement a gradual IP warm-up strategy for new IPs to build a positive sending history.
- Content Optimization: Continuously review and optimize your email content to avoid spam triggers and improve engagement.
- Feedback Loop: Easy unsubscribe and feedback loops allow users to mark as spam, and reduce blacklisting.
- Sending Frequency: Adjust your email sending frequency and batch sizes to minimize the risk of being flagged as spam or exceeding server limits.
Marketer view
Email marketer from StackExchange suggests that a 554 error is caused by spam content in the email body, which has resulted in the recipient server rejecting the email. They recommend testing with different email content.
20 Dec 2024 - StackExchange
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus Community explains the importance of a user feedback loop, and ensuring the users can easily unsubscribe. They explain how easy it is to report as spam, which can have a drastic impact on blacklisting.
31 Jan 2025 - Litmus Community
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Troubleshooting soft bounces with a 554 SMTP code in Salesforce Marketing Cloud involves diagnosing blocks, policy rejections, and poor sender reputation. Experts advise examining the full text of bounce messages to identify blocking sources and reasons within SFMC, checking SMTP logs for specific rejection details, ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), improving list hygiene, implementing feedback loops, and monitoring reputation metrics (engagement, complaints, blocklists).
Key opinions
- Bounce Message Analysis: 554 bounces often indicate blocks or policy rejections. Examine the full text of bounce messages within SFMC to pinpoint blocking sources and reasons.
- SMTP Log Review: Check SMTP logs for specific rejection reasons to understand the policies being violated.
- Authentication Verification: Ensure proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve deliverability.
- Reputation Management: Poor sender reputation, influenced by low engagement, high complaint rates, or blocklisting, can cause 554 errors.
- SFMC Data Availability: Bounce information, including types and domains, is available within Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Key considerations
- Proactive Monitoring: Regularly monitor bounce messages and SMTP logs to identify and address issues promptly.
- Authentication Implementation: Implement and maintain proper email authentication protocols to improve sender credibility.
- List Hygiene Practices: Improve list hygiene by removing inactive or disengaged subscribers.
- Feedback Loop Integration: Implement feedback loops to address complaints and improve email content.
- Reputation Tracking: Track and monitor sender reputation metrics to identify and address potential issues.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a 554 response frequently involves a rejection due to poor sender reputation, often influenced by low engagement, high complaint rates, or listing on blocklists. He recommends improving list hygiene, implementing feedback loops, and monitoring reputation metrics.
12 Dec 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that a 554 SMTP bounce code classified as a soft bounce likely indicates a block. She advises checking the full text of the bounce message to identify the source of the block (e.g., Proofpoint, Barracuda) and the reason for rejection, further adding that this data should be available within Salesforce Marketing Cloud or through their support.
2 Dec 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Troubleshooting soft bounces with a 554 SMTP code in Salesforce Marketing Cloud requires a comprehensive investigation. Documentation indicates that 554 errors, while typically permanent failures, can be classified as soft bounces by SFMC, stemming from policy rejections, spam filtering, content issues, reputation problems, authentication failures, or blacklisting. Key recommendations involve examining email content against spam filters, verifying sender authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), checking engagement metrics, and reviewing error logs for further details from the receiving server.
Key findings
- SFMC Soft Bounce Classification: SFMC may classify 554 SMTP codes, typically permanent failures, as soft bounces.
- Policy Rejection: 554 errors suggest the receiving server rejected the message due to policy reasons.
- Multifaceted Causes: Potential causes include spam content, authentication failures, blacklisting, reputation problems, and recipient server issues.
- Error Log Importance: Microsoft Support highlights that 554 is 'Transaction failed' and the error log has detail.
Key considerations
- Content Review: Thoroughly review email content to minimize spam triggers and adhere to recipient server policies.
- Authentication Verification: Verify and properly configure sender authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability.
- Engagement Metric Analysis: Analyze engagement metrics to identify and address potential issues related to sender reputation.
- Error Log Investigation: Examine error logs from the receiving server to gain detailed insight into the specific rejection reasons.
- Further Investigation: Investigate exact cause to resolve content, reputation or recipient server issues.
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost details that a 554 error suggests that the receiving server has rejected the message due to policy reasons, spam filtering, or content issues. It recommends checking your email content, authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and engagement metrics.
5 Aug 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article
Documentation from Mailjet outlines that a 554 code can stem from various reasons, including spam content, authentication failures, or blacklisting. It suggests reviewing your email content against spam filters and verifying your sender authentication records.
19 Mar 2022 - Mailjet
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