What does a "soft bounce" mean in email terms?

A "soft bounce" in email terminology refers to an email that is rejected due to a temporary issue. This could include situations such as the recipient's mailbox being full, the server being down, or the message size being too large. Unlike a "hard bounce," which indicates a permanent issue (like an invalid email address), a soft bounce suggests that the email may be successfully delivered at a later time once the temporary issue is resolved.

Understanding soft bounces is important for email marketing because they can affect deliverability rates and sender reputation over time. When an email soft bounces, it is generally recommended to keep trying to send emails to that address for a certain period before deciding to remove it from the mailing list, as conditions may change and allow for successful delivery in the future.