Email list cleaning: how often, what tools, and why it matters more than ever

We clean our list quarterly and the impact on deliverability is significant every time. Here is our process.

Step 1: Remove hard bounces immediately

Any email that hard bounces should be removed from your list instantly. Most ESPs do this automatically, but verify your settings.

Step 2: Sunset unengaged subscribers

After 90 days of no opens or clicks, move subscribers to a re-engagement segment. Send 2-3 win-back emails. If no response, remove them.

Step 3: Email validation

Run your list through a validation service (ZeroBounce, NeverBounce) to catch typos, disposable addresses, and role-based emails. We typically remove 3-5% of our list each quarter.

The impact

After our last cleaning cycle, our domain reputation score improved from 87 to 94 on Google Postmaster Tools. Open rates increased 8% across the board.