Should I block disposable email addresses from my email list?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from ZeroBounce explains that disposable email addresses can negatively impact email deliverability, sender reputation, and overall marketing ROI. They advise actively identifying and removing disposable email addresses from your list to maintain a healthy and engaged subscriber base.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that blocking disposable email addresses can improve sender reputation and reduce bounce rates. However, it may also lead to missing out on potential customers who initially use disposable emails before converting to regular ones. They suggest a balanced approach, monitoring engagement and potentially nurturing disposable email users.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign argues that although blocking disposable emails may seem best, it might limit customer aquisition. They suggest monitoring engagement and nurturing those leads to identify actual disposable email usage instead of potential new customers.
Email marketer from StackExchange shares their opinion that there is no real 'list' of disposable email address due to their nature in changing all the time. They state that the best way is to identify usage patterns or low engagement from particular domains.
Email marketer from Email Hippo shares that disposable email addresses are a risk for email marketing campaigns due to their temporary nature and potential for generating spam traps and bounces. They recommend using email verification services to identify and remove these addresses from your list, ensuring better deliverability and ROI.
Email marketer from Forbes explains users mainly use disposable email addresses to protect their privacy and avoid spam. They also state for marketers that these addresses often result in low engagement and can lead to deliverability issues.
Email marketer from MarketingProfs recommends marketers carefully weigh the cost of potentially losing out on new leads against the benefit of avoiding problems when thinking about blocking temporary emails. Consider list hygiene and engagement rates to make the best decision.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that disposable email addresses are often used by people who hunt for discount vouchers. Blocking them right away may prevent them from becoming loyal customers. He suggests using an email address verification API to flag disposable addresses, and then adapting content to encourage them to sign up with their 'real' email address.
Email marketer from Litmus points out that disposable email addresses often lead to inaccurate campaign metrics and skewed engagement rates. They recommend implementing validation processes to maintain clean data and avoid misleading results.
Email marketer from NeverBounce shares that using disposable email addresses can damage sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues and reduced engagement. They recommend employing real-time email verification services to identify and prevent disposable emails from entering your marketing database.
Email marketer from Reddit shares their experience of seeing a high bounce rate from sign ups. They recommend checking where the majority come from - you can often see the same domain being used repeatedly. They suggest blocking these to save future deliverability issues.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that some disposable mailboxes do open emails, but their purpose is usually single use. As a subscriber, such an email address is mostly useless, but he would not exclude it from transactional communications.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise addresses that DEAs are problematic for several reasons, which includes increasing your spam complaints, bounces and other negative engagement metrics. It is stated that some senders will remove these address upon signup, or after a period of inactivity.
Expert from Email Geeks shares a list of disposable email address domains and explains that he prevents sending to such domains in SFMC. He assumes that users of such domains are not interested in an ongoing relationship, saving costs and deliverability impact.
Expert from Spamresource explains that disposable email addresses pose a significant threat to sender reputation and deliverability. They emphasize the importance of implementing robust email verification processes and regularly scrubbing your list to remove these addresses, as they often lead to bounces, spam complaints, and ultimately, damage your ability to reach legitimate subscribers.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Kickbox explains that disposable email detection identifies temporary email addresses used for avoiding spam or protecting personal information. Kickbox's service helps determine if an email is disposable and provides insights on deliverability risks associated with such addresses, allowing users to make informed decisions about list management.
Documentation from RFC Editor provides the technical specifications and considerations for identifying and handling disposable email addresses. It discusses various methods for detecting temporary email domains and offers guidelines for email service providers to manage these addresses effectively.
Documentation from Spamhaus focuses on the negative technical impact of disposable email addresses on sender reputation and blacklist status. They advise taking proactive measures to prevent disposable emails from infiltrating your list to avoid being flagged as a spam source.
Documentation from IETF states what defines a disposable email address including but not limited to, the purpose, use case and method of how they work. They are often used for nefarious purposes such as avoiding spam filters or tricking users into signing up for fake offers.
Documentation from SendGrid states that disposable email addresses are often used for spam or temporary registrations. They recommend monitoring signup sources and implementing validation measures to reduce the number of disposable emails on your list. They also suggest using suppression lists to block known disposable email domains.