Why are Contacts being changed to 'held' status but the e-mail address is still active?

Why are Contacts being changed to 'held' status but the e-mail address is still active?

In Delivra, contact deliverability is closely monitored to protect your sender reputation. When an email address hard bounces in three consecutive campaigns, its status is automatically changed to 'Held'. This designation helps prevent continued sending to addresses that appear invalid, preserving your deliverability health.

That said, it’s not always cut and dry. Occasionally, valid email addresses can be marked as 'Held' if the receiving server sends back a bounce code that’s interpreted as a hard bounce—even if the address is technically valid.

What Does 'Held' Mean?

A 'Held' status means the receiving server has reported the address as undeliverable. Delivra temporarily suppresses emails to this contact to avoid further bounces and potential sender reputation issues.

Restoring a Contact from 'Held' to 'Normal'

If you’ve reviewed a 'Held' contact and confirmed the address is valid, you can manually revert their status:

  1. Go to the Contacts dashboard.
  2. Use the search bar to locate the email address in question.
  3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the Edit button and select Edit in new tab.
  4. On the right side of the Contact Profile, locate the Status field.
  5. Change the status from Held to Normal.
  6. Click Save.

This will allow the contact to begin receiving messages again in future campaigns.

Best Practices & Tips

  • Investigate before restoring: If a contact is marked 'Held', consider verifying the email address before changing the status. Restoring invalid addresses can increase bounce rates.
  • Use engagement data: Combine bounce history with engagement metrics to make informed decisions about which contacts to reactivate.
  • Consider automation: Build automated workflows to flag or notify your team of newly held contacts for review.

Need to Learn More?

Visit our e-Learning hub to access online modules covering contact management and other Delivra features.

If you have any questions or need a hand, reach out to our Support team at support@delivra.com.

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