What causes bounce spikes on French ISPs like Orange, SFR & La Poste, and how can I troubleshoot them?

Summary

Bounce spikes on French ISPs (Orange, SFR & La Poste) are multifaceted, stemming from aggressive spam filtering, sender reputation issues, content triggers, strict DMARC policies, or technical problems. These ISPs employ multi-layered filtering incorporating reputation, content analysis, and user feedback. Diagnosing requires examining SMTP replies/bounce codes, particularly accessing raw messages since ESP categorizations are estimations. Troubleshooting involves ensuring IPs are not blacklisted, optimizing authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), improving list hygiene, and adapting content for French audiences. IP reputation monitoring and adherence to local regulations are also vital. Tools such as GlockApps, Sendinblue and Litmus can aid in issue identification. It is also worth checking to see if Vade is causing problems.

Key findings

  • Multifactorial Issues: French ISP bounce spikes are caused by a complex interplay of factors, not a single issue.
  • Stringent Filtering: French ISPs have stricter-than-average filtering based on multiple factors including content, reputation and audience engagement.
  • Data is Key: Raw bounce messages and SMTP replies offer the most accurate details of why messages were blocked.

Key considerations

  • Prioritize Sender Reputation: Build and maintain a strong sender reputation, which heavily influences deliverability.
  • Optimize Authentication: Ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is correctly configured.
  • Tailor Content: Adapt email content to the cultural nuances and legal requirements of the French market.
  • Monitor & Troubleshoot: Proactively monitor deliverability metrics and investigate specific bounce codes for rapid issue resolution.
  • Access Raw Bounce Data: Find the raw bounce messages, do not just rely on the categorisations.

What email marketers say
13Marketer opinions

Bounce spikes on French ISPs like Orange, SFR & La Poste can stem from various factors, including aggressive spam filtering, sender reputation issues, content triggers, strict DMARC policies, or temporary server problems. Troubleshooting involves checking SMTP replies and bounce codes for specific information, monitoring sender reputation, optimizing sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), improving list hygiene, and adapting content to align with French cultural sensitivities. Tools like Mailjet, GlockApps, Sendinblue, and Litmus can assist in identifying and addressing deliverability issues. Vade is also a possible cause.

Key opinions

  • Multiple Factors: Bounce spikes can result from a combination of factors, including spam filtering, sender reputation, content, and technical issues.
  • ISP-Specific Filtering: French ISPs have stringent filtering practices that require adaptation to local cultural nuances and ISP-specific policies.
  • Importance of Reputation: Maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial for ensuring email deliverability in France.
  • Authentication Matters: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for passing ISP spam filters.
  • Vade: Vade could be a cause of issues with multiple French ISPs.

Key considerations

  • Monitor SMTP Replies: Regularly check SMTP replies and bounce codes for specific reasons behind delivery failures.
  • Use Deliverability Tools: Leverage deliverability tools to monitor IP reputation, identify blacklist issues, and simulate inbox placement.
  • Adapt Content: Adjust email content and sending practices to comply with French anti-spam regulations and cultural sensitivities.
  • Maintain List Hygiene: Keep email lists clean by removing inactive or invalid addresses to improve sender reputation.
  • Investigate Vade: Check if Vade is causing issues with email deliverability.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Talos Intelligence explains that a good step to troubleshoot spikes is to check the IP and Domain reputation, and that a bad reputation will cause the French ISPs to block the email.

November 2022 - Talos Intelligence
Marketer view

Email marketer from MailerCheck shares that deliverability issues with French ISPs often stem from poor IP reputation, improper email authentication, or spammy content. They advise closely monitoring blacklist status and adjusting content to comply with French anti-spam regulations.

December 2023 - MailerCheck
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests the issue with multiple French ISPs (Orange, SFR & La Poste) could be related to Vade and advises checking the full SMTP replies.

October 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that deliverability issues with French ISPs often stem from strict DMARC policies or content triggers. They advise closely monitoring sender reputation and adjusting content to align with French cultural sensitivities.

February 2024 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus explains that email deliverability in France requires adapting to local cultural nuances and ISP-specific filtering practices. They suggest using Litmus' email testing tools to ensure emails render correctly across different devices and email clients used in France.

January 2025 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps shares that monitoring IP reputation is crucial for deliverability in France due to strict ISP filtering policies. They recommend using GlockApps' tools to track IP reputation, identify blacklist issues, and simulate inbox placement across different French ISPs.

October 2021 - GlockApps
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that improving deliverability to French ISPs requires careful monitoring of sender reputation, engagement metrics, and adherence to best practices. They suggest using Mailjet's deliverability tools to identify and address any issues.

November 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Validity explains that sender reputation with French ISPs is influenced by factors such as email volume, complaint rates, and engagement metrics. They recommend regularly monitoring these metrics and adjusting sending practices to maintain a positive reputation.

May 2024 - Validity
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that the raw bounce reason should be visible within the Klaviyo app and that Klaviyo support should be able to provide instructions on how to find it. They note that logs are only accessible for 14 days. They also suggest looking at the raw JSON of the bounce event on the profile to see the raw reason there.

August 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that bounce spikes on French ISPs could be due to aggressive spam filtering, sender reputation issues, content issues, or temporary server problems on the recipient side. They recommend checking bounce codes for more specific information.

January 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost explains that common reasons for deliverability challenges often involve poor list hygiene, high spam complaint rates, or sudden changes in sending volume. They advise senders to regularly clean their email lists and gradually ramp up sending volume to establish a positive sender reputation.

October 2024 - SparkPost
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that SMTP replies are found in SMTP logs. If using an ESP, the ESP may hide them, but their documentation might provide a way to access them. They also shared a link to the SMTP Field Manual for understanding the meaning of SMTP replies and a link to the Vade Sender Tool, suggesting the ESP should use it to contact Vade.

January 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that improving email deliverability in France involves optimizing sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), segmenting email lists, and personalizing email content. They recommend using Sendinblue's platform to manage email campaigns and track deliverability metrics.

December 2023 - Sendinblue

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Bounce spikes on French ISPs like Orange, SFR & La Poste often stem from stringent filtering based on sender reputation, content, and engagement. ESP bounce categorization is often just a guess, so it's important to find raw bounce messages for details. Troubleshooting involves checking bounce codes and error messages, validating email lists, reviewing sending infrastructure and authentication, monitoring sender reputation, testing email content, implementing feedback loops, and analyzing engagement metrics. Building a positive reputation and adapting content to meet French expectations are key.

Key opinions

  • Filtering Issues: French ISPs use stringent filtering based on sender reputation, content, and engagement.
  • Raw Bounce Messages are Key: ESP bounce categorization is an estimate; raw bounce messages contain more accurate information.
  • Proactive Troubleshooting: Multiple steps can be taken to troubleshoot bounce spikes including checking codes, validating lists, and reviewing authentication.

Key considerations

  • Obtain Raw Bounce Messages: Request raw bounce messages from your ESP to understand the precise reasons for delivery failures.
  • Focus on Reputation: Prioritize building and maintaining a positive sender reputation with French ISPs.
  • Tailor Content: Adapt your email content to align with French cultural expectations and avoid spam triggers.
  • Implement comprehensive troubleshooting: Consider all the advice given to help troubleshoot the deliverability issues.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource advises that to troubleshoot bounce spikes you should, Check bounce codes and error messages, Validate your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses, Review your sending infrastructure and email authentication, Monitor your sender reputation, Test email content and subject lines, Implement feedback loops and unsubscribe mechanisms and Analyze engagement metrics.

February 2025 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks recommends asking SFMC support for examples of raw bounce messages or SMTP bounce replies for the domains in question and reviewing the bounce message data, which typically contains human-readable text and a link to more information.

March 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that bounce categorization is done by the ESP platform based on their own rules and is essentially a 'best guess'. They emphasize that a raw bounce message always exists and contains more information, regardless of whether it's readily found.

March 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that deliverability issues with French ISPs often arise from stringent filtering based on sender reputation, content, and engagement. She advises senders to focus on building a positive reputation, authenticating their emails correctly, and tailoring their content to meet French cultural expectations.

March 2022 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

French ISPs (Orange, SFR, La Poste) utilize multi-layered spam filtering incorporating reputation-based systems, content analysis, and user feedback. Bounce spikes are often linked to SMTP error codes. Resolving deliverability issues requires ensuring IP addresses aren't blacklisted, email content isn't flagged as spam, proper email authentication is in place, and understanding the specific reasons for bouncebacks provided in SMTP error messages.

Key findings

  • Multi-Layered Filtering: French ISPs use a combination of reputation, content analysis, and user feedback to filter emails.
  • SMTP Error Codes: Bounce spikes frequently correspond with specific SMTP error codes indicating the nature of the delivery problem.
  • Importance of Reputation and Content: IP address reputation and email content are critical factors in determining email deliverability to French ISPs.

Key considerations

  • Check Blacklists: Ensure your IP addresses are not listed on any relevant blacklists.
  • Analyze Content: Carefully review email content to avoid spam triggers.
  • Authenticate Emails: Properly authenticate your emails to improve deliverability.
  • Review Error Codes: Thoroughly review the SMTP error codes of bounce messages to understand why emails are being rejected.
Technical article

Documentation from Orange shares that Orange employs multiple layers of spam filtering, including blacklists, content analysis, and user reports. Senders should review their sending practices and ensure compliance with Orange's guidelines to avoid being blocked.

October 2024 - Orange
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that bounce spikes are often related to SMTP error codes returned by the receiving mail server. Analyzing these codes can provide valuable insights into the reasons for delivery failures, such as temporary server outages or permanent blocking due to spam-like content.

September 2023 - RFC-Editor
Technical article

Documentation from SFR explains that SFR uses a combination of reputation-based filtering, content analysis, and user feedback to filter spam. Senders experiencing deliverability issues should ensure their IP addresses are not blacklisted and their email content is not flagged as spam.

December 2022 - SFR
Technical article

Documentation from La Poste shares that La Poste uses a combination of technical measures and user feedback to protect its users from spam and phishing. Senders experiencing deliverability issues should check their IP reputation and ensure their emails are properly authenticated.

November 2022 - La Poste
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that bounce email messages include an error code and a description explaining why the email was not delivered. Analyzing these messages provides valuable information on the specific delivery issue, such as a full mailbox or spam filtering.

February 2022 - Microsoft Support