In Mailchimp, a \u2018cleaned\u2019 contact can no longer receive emails from you. As in, it has been \u2018cleaned\u2019 from your list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This happens when an email bounces. A bounce is when a sent email doesn\u2019t arrive in a contact\u2019s inbox. There are 2 types of bounce:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hard bounce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A hard bounce means there is a permanent block on emails landing in an inbox. Common reasons for hard bounces include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Incorrect email addresses<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Fake email addresses<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Issues with the email domain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Email server security settings rejecting certain types of mail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Mailchimp cleans an email address from your list at the first hard bounce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soft bounce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A soft bounce is a temporary delivery fault. Common causes of soft bounces include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- A full inbox<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- An email server is down<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- An email is over the file size limit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Mailchimp will only clean an email address from your list after multiple soft bounces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note that Cleaned in Mailchimp is different to Unsubscribed. Unsubscribed contacts are those who choose to no longer receive emails from you. Mailchimp will also not send to unsubscribed email addresses. But the difference matters when it comes to list hygiene and verification. Email verification services<\/a> like Bouncer<\/a> can help you with cleaned contacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>What Happens to Cleaned Contacts?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On the face of it, Mailchimp\u2019s cleaning tool is a good thing. It\u2019s important to keep bounce rates down. The anti-spam bots and filters that protect email accounts take note of high bounce rates. It\u2019s a sign that someone is sending unsolicited or possibly fraudulent emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In short. If you don\u2019t control your bounce rates, your sender reputation will take a hit. And then you\u2019ll find it harder to land emails in people\u2019s inboxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Mailchimp is doing you a favour. If you get a hard bounce from any email address, you need to remove it from your list. Even if it\u2019s a typo and you can\u2019t add a corrected email address, they have to sign up again. If you get several soft bounces, it\u2019s a sign that an email account is no longer used. You need to remove it from your list for the same reason. Mailchimp does the job for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there is a drawback to Mailchimp\u2019s approach. Strictly speaking, Mailchimp doesn\u2019t remove a cleaned email address from your lists. You can\u2019t send to it anymore, sure. But the contact remains on the list. You can see it there, with the \u2018cleaned\u2019 tag next to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The issue is, Mailchimp bases its pricing on how many contacts you have. And that\u2019s all contacts – even those you can\u2019t send to. The same email address even counts as more than one contact for pricing purposes if it\u2019s in more than one list. So with a cleaned contact, you might be paying more than once for an address you can\u2019t even send to. This is one of the reasons why many marketers, switch to Mailchimp alternatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s not ideal for anyone paying for an email marketing service. The answer? If you use Mailchimp, clean your contact lists before Mailchimp does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How to Clean Your Email List Automatically<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The best way to keep your email list clean is to use an email verification tool. That\u2019s a good rule to follow in all situations. But if you use Mailchimp, it\u2019s even smarter advice. Using an email verification tool can prevent any of your contacts from being \u2018cleaned\u2019 by Mailchimp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So which email list cleaning service to choose? Read our guide with the best email list cleaning services<\/a> to learn more about the options available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in this case, the best option is a list cleaner that integrates directly with Mailchimp. And for that, you can\u2019t beat Bouncer<\/a>. Learn more about its features, pricing, pros, and cons in our full Bouncer review<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bouncer<\/a> is a great email verification service full stop. It\u2019s easy to use and you can even start checking your lists for free<\/a>. It\u2019s accurate and covers all the main reasons why email addresses in your list might be suspect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plugged into Mailchimp, it automatically scans your contact lists and highlights any that are likely to bounce. That way, you can remove them before Mailchimp flags them as cleaned. You protect your sender reputation. And only pay for contacts you can actually send to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you have a Bouncer account, here\u2019s how to set up the Mailchimp integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try Bouncer for free here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Connect your Bouncer account to Mailchimp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"connect](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/connect-email-marketing-CRM-integration-Bouncer.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the main Bouncer menu, select Verify List. Then click Add new integration. Choose Mailchimp Import and then Connect with Login.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bouncer](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bouncer-Mailchimp-integration-API-login.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis takes you to a custom Mailchimp login screen. Input your Mailchimp account details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bouncer](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bouncer-Mailchimp-integration-login.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOnce you are logged in, you will be asked to authorize the connection between Mailchimp and Bouncer. This is a standard disclaimer from the Mailchimp side. Click Allow and then Verify List again. Your Bouncer and Mailchimp accounts are now connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Choose the list you want to verify<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Once your accounts are connected, you are taken back to Bouncer. You\u2019ll see a pop-up screen showing your Mailchimp mailing lists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bouncer](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bouncer-email-validation-Mailchimp.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nChoose the list you want to verify and click Load. Be aware that the maximum list size Bouncer will check is 10,000 email addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Clean your list<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bouncer](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bouncer-cleaned-contacts-preview-bounce-estimate.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAs soon as you load your list, Bouncer will automatically check your list. The results will tell you 3 things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- If you have any invalid email addresses in your list. These will cause a hard bounce.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If you have any duplicate contacts. Remember, in Mailchimp you will be paying for duplicates twice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A \u2018Bounce Estimate\u2019, or the percentage of addresses Bouncer thinks will cause a bounce. These are for reasons other than an invalid address format.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
For Mailchimp purposes, it\u2019s the Bounce Estimate that\u2019s most important. Any email in your list at risk of bouncing is at risk of being cleaned by Mailchimp. So this is your chance to act first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, you need Bouncer to analyse the reasons for these bounces. The reason why will become clear shortly. To do this, click Start Now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note that Bouncer tells you how many credits this analysis costs. It\u2019s one credit per email address. You get 100 credits to use on a free Bouncer account. So if you have more than 100 Mailchimp contacts, you will need to upgrade to a paid Bouncer account<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The results look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bouncer](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bouncer-list-hygiene-cleaned-contacts.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe green \u2018deliverable\u2019 addresses are ok. Red \u2018undeliverable\u2019 means you will get a hard bounce sending to those addresses. Orange \u2018risky\u2019 means there\u2019s a risk of getting a hard or a soft bounce. And unknown means Bouncer wasn\u2019t able to verify. So you\u2019re taking another risk sending to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Export your list back to Mailchimp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bouncer doesn\u2019t remove email addresses from your list. Instead, it tags them using the deliverability<\/a> statuses explained above. Then you can choose how you handle them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, you have to export your list with the new tags back to Mailchimp. On the same page with the list analysis results, click Export. You\u2019ll see the button also has the Mailchimp monkey logo on it. That means it exports directly to your linked Mailchimp account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bouncer](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bouncer-Mailchimp-export-cleaned-contacts.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe next page gives you 4 export options. \u2018All\u2019 exports your entire list, with the new tags for every address. Safe to Send will only export addresses tagged as deliverable. Send with Caution will export all addresses except those tagged undeliverable. You can also create a custom selection, such as Deliverable plus Unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"export](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/export-cleaned-contacts-Bouncer-Mailchimp.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you want to remove suspect emails from your list full stop, choose Safe to Send. You can still avoid Mailchimp cleaning even if you send the full list back. You can use the new tags to segment out any suspect addresses. If you don\u2019t send to them, you won\u2019t get bounces. So Mailchimp won\u2019t act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, with the Safe to Send option, you won\u2019t be paying for contacts you\u2019re not sending to anyway. So it makes more sense. Note that Bouncer still shows a low bounce estimate. That\u2019s just Bouncer playing it safe. There are still soft bounce risks even from apparently \u2018healthy\u2019 accounts. When you\u2019ve made your choice, hit Export again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try Bouncer for free here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Segment your list in Mailchimp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Now you’re ready to use your list in Mailchimp again. Remember, Bouncer doesn\u2019t remove any email addresses. It just tags them. Even if you chose the Safe to Send export option, the risky emails are still in your Mailchimp list. But you can use the tags to make sure you\u2019re not sending to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do this, you need to turn the tags into a segment. Segments are in effect lists within a list. You can choose to send to just a segment of a list, rather than the whole thing. And you can create segments from tags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Click the Audience drop-down in the main Mailchimp menu. Select Segments and then click Create Segment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"creating](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/creating-a-segment-in-Mailchimp-for-email-marketing-campaigns.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNext, give your segment a name and click Add Filter. Choose Tags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Mailchimp](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Mailchimp-segment-builder.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nChoose the tag you want to create a segment out of. It\u2019s up to you if you want to add other filters to narrow down the segment further. But if you just want to send to addresses verified by Bouncer, just the tag works fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"creating](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/creating-a-segment-in-Mailchimp-from-Bouncer-cleaned-contact-tags.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen you are done, click Review Segment. You\u2019ll see a list of all the email addresses included. If you want to change some manually, click Edit Segment. If you\u2019re happy, click Save Segment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"reviewing](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/reviewing-a-segment-in-Mailchimp.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd that\u2019s it. Your segment is now ready to send to. If you have a campaign ready to send, you can do it from the Segments page. Just click the drop-down menu tag next to your new segment and click Send Regular Campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"sending](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sending-an-email-campaign-to-verified-contacts-in-Mailchimp.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCheck out our full Mailchimp review<\/a> for more details about segmentation and contact management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Prevent Cleaned Contacts in Mailchimp with Email Verification at Signup<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Bouncer](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bouncer-Email-Verification-Validation-API.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBouncer offers another way to clean up contacts before they get \u2018cleaned\u2019 by Mailchimp. Its Email Verification API can stop risky emails from getting onto your Mailchimp list in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bouncer\u2019s API lets you directly plug email verification into the signup forms on your website. When someone signs up, the Bouncer API automatically runs a check. If someone mistypes or uses a disposable or fake email address, it gets checked and tagged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means you can filter out \u2018bad\u2019 emails from the very start. This will lead to lower bounce rates and a better sender reputation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n