How to troubleshoot soft bounces with 554 SMTP code in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Summary
What email marketers say6Marketer opinions
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.
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.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid shares that A/B testing your subject line is an easy solution that reduces spam triggers. They recommend you test different subject lines to see if it resolves the issue
Email marketer from Reddit recommends segmenting email lists and warming up new IPs gradually to avoid triggering 554 errors. This involves sending to your most engaged subscribers first and slowly increasing volume.
Email marketer from Gmass shares that throttling the emails may resolve the issue. They recommend reducing the amount of emails that are sent in a single batch and increasing the time between emails being sent to see if it reduces the errors.
Email marketer from EmailGeek Forum shares that a 554 error often points to issues with sender reputation. He advises monitoring your sender score and IP reputation using tools like SenderScore.org and ensuring you're not on any blacklists.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
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.
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.
Expert from Email Geeks confirms that the bounce information including bounce types and domains is available within Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) and offers to share information on how to retrieve it.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that 554 bounces often indicate policy rejections by the receiving server. They recommend checking SMTP logs for specific rejection reasons, ensuring proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and reviewing email content to avoid spam triggers.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
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.
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.
Documentation from Salesforce Help explains that 554 SMTP codes typically indicate a permanent failure but can be classified as soft bounces by SFMC. Further investigation is needed to determine the exact cause, such as content issues, reputation problems, or recipient server issues.
Documentation from Microsoft Support explains that a 554 error is 'Transaction failed' and often the receiving email server will provide more detail. They recommend looking at the error log and finding out why it failed.