Reputation Builder
Bounce rate auto-pause
Inbox Boost can automatically pause Inbox Boost when bounces exceed a percentage you set. This guide explains the threshold input, how the rate is measured, and what happens in common scenarios.
Where to find this setting
Open Reputation Builder → Inbox Boost, select your domain, and go to Edit setup. Under Auto-pause on high bounce rate, you configure:
- Toggle, turn auto-pause on or off
- % bounce rate threshold, the single number input (e.g.
5or10) - Measure bounce rate, Today only or Entire Inbox Boost
- Apply threshold change, Today only or All future days (shown when you are bounce-paused or changing the limit during active Inbox Boost)
The Overview tab also shows a Bounce guard panel when Inbox Boost paused because of bounces, including the current rate and effective threshold.
Default: 5%
New domains start with a 5% bounce rate threshold unless you change it during setup. Turning the auto-pause toggle off saves 0, which disables bounce auto-pause entirely.
Auto-pause only runs after at least 5 sends are included in the measured window (so a single early bounce does not pause Inbox Boost immediately).
The threshold input (one number box)
The input is always the same thing: pause Inbox Boost if bounce rate goes above this percentage.
| Value you enter | Meaning |
|---|---|
5 | Pause if bounce rate exceeds 5% (recommended starting point) |
10 | More tolerant, pause only above 10% |
0 (toggle off) | Never auto-pause for bounce rate |
Example: threshold 5, 100 sends today, 6 bounces → rate is 6% → Inbox Boost auto-pauses.
Two separate choices (do not confuse them)
These answer different questions:
| Setting | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| Measure bounce rate | How is the percentage calculated? (today's mail only, or all mail since Inbox Boost started) |
| Apply threshold change | How long does the number in the input box apply? (just today, or your new permanent default) |
Measure bounce rate: Today only
Formula: bounces today ÷ sends today × 100 (using your domain's send timezone).
- Resets each local send day at midnight in your chosen timezone
- Yesterday's bounces do not affect today's rate
- Best for most users
Measure bounce rate: Entire Inbox Boost
Formula: all bounces since Inbox Boost started ÷ all sends since Inbox Boost started × 100.
- Does not reset at midnight
- One bad day keeps affecting the cumulative percentage until you restart Inbox Boost
- Stricter, useful when you want cumulative reputation protection
Apply threshold change: Today only
The value in the input box (e.g. 10) is a temporary override for the current local send day only. Your saved default (e.g. 5) returns at the next local midnight.
Use this when Inbox Boost paused for bounces and you need a higher limit to resume today without keeping that higher limit tomorrow.
Apply threshold change: All future days
The value in the input box becomes your permanent default until you change it again.
Four common configuration scenarios
Below, assume the threshold input is 10 (10%). These match the combinations you can select in Edit setup.
Scenario 1, Entire Inbox Boost + All future days
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Threshold input | 10% |
| Measure | Entire Inbox Boost |
| Apply | All future days |
Behavior: Bounce rate is cumulative for the whole Inbox Boost run. 10% is your permanent limit. Example: 500 total sends and 40 total bounces → 8% (OK). If bad mail pushes you to 11% overall → auto-pause.
Good for: strict, long-term reputation guardrails.
Scenario 2, Today only + All future days
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Threshold input | 10% |
| Measure | Today only |
| Apply | All future days |
Behavior: Each day starts fresh for the rate calculation. 10% is your default every day. Example: today 100 sends, 8 bounces → 8% (OK). Tomorrow: 0 bounces counted for rate purposes, threshold still 10%.
Good for: normal daily monitoring with a fixed limit (common default-style setup, but with 10% instead of 5%).
Scenario 3, Today only + Today only
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Threshold input | 10% |
| Measure | Today only |
| Apply | Today only |
Behavior: Rate is calculated from today's sends only. 10% applies only today. At the next local midnight, the bounce count resets and the threshold returns to your base default (e.g. 5%).
Example (recovery): Paused at 20% today (2 bounces / 10 sends). Set threshold to 25, choose Today only for both measure and apply, save, then Resume. Sending continues today. Tomorrow: fresh day, threshold back to 5%.
Good for: temporary relief after a bounce spike without keeping a high limit forever.
Scenario 4, Entire Inbox Boost + Today only (avoid this combination)
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Threshold input | 10% |
| Measure | Entire Inbox Boost |
| Apply | Today only |
Behavior: The rate stays cumulative (does not reset at midnight), but the threshold drops back to your base default (e.g. 5%) tomorrow.
Example problem: Day 1: 10 sends, 2 bounces → 20% cumulative → paused. You raise the limit to 25% (today only) and resume. Next day: threshold returns to 5%, but cumulative rate is still 20% → Resume may be blocked even if you had zero new bounces today.
Recommendation: If you measure Entire Inbox Boost, use All future days for the threshold. Do not combine entire-Inbox Boost measurement with a today-only threshold override.
Recommended starting setup
| Setting | Recommended value |
|---|---|
| Auto-pause toggle | On |
| Threshold input | 5 |
| Measure bounce rate | Today only |
| Apply threshold change | All future days |
Recovering after bounce auto-pause
- Open the domain Overview tab, read the pause reason and Bounce guard stats (current rate, effective threshold, base default).
- Fix the underlying issue if you can (DNS, list quality, invalid recipients on seeds, etc.).
- Go to Edit setup. Raise the threshold input to a value above your current bounce rate (e.g. rate is 20% → enter at least
21or higher). - Choose Measure: Today only and Apply: Today only if you only need to finish today; otherwise use All future days if you want the new limit permanently.
- Save settings, then click Resume on Overview.
Resume is blocked if the bounce rate is still above the effective threshold, raise the limit first, then resume.
What resets at a new local send day
| Item | Today only measure | Entire Inbox Boost measure |
|---|---|---|
| Bounce count used for rate | Resets (fresh day) | Does not reset |
| Today-only threshold override | Cleared, base default applies | Cleared, base default applies |
| Permanent default threshold | Unchanged | Unchanged |
What auto-resumes vs stays paused
At local midnight, Inbox Boost does not automatically resume for most pause reasons. You resume manually when ready.
| Pause reason | Auto-resume at new local day? |
|---|---|
| Plan daily send limit reached | Yes, resumes when the new day's quota is available |
| Bounce rate exceeded | No, you must review, adjust threshold if needed, and click Resume |
| Manual pause (you clicked Pause) | No |
| DNS no longer verified | No, fix DNS first |
Alerts
When bounces occur during Inbox Boost, SenderSignal can alert your team (email, Slack, webhook depending on your alert configuration):
- Individual bounce, each bounced Inbox Boost message
- Threshold exceeded, when auto-pause triggers because the rate crossed your limit
Quick reference
INPUT BOX → Pause when bounce rate goes above this % MEASURE → Count bounces from today only, or from whole Inbox Boost? APPLY → Is this % just for today, or my new permanent default? Default threshold: 5% Minimum sends before auto-pause: 5 Disable auto-pause: turn toggle off (saves 0%)