FAQs: Email Deliverability

Q: One of my recipients was marked as “successfully sent,” but they never received my email. Why?

There are two possible reasons:

1. The email was delivered but placed in the recipient’s Promotions or Spam folder. Ask them to check these folders.
2. The email was sent successfully through Smore, but the recipient’s email provider or firewall may have blocked it. In this case, it’s best to contact the recipient’s IT department or email provider.

Q: Why is there a gray dot next to a recipient?

A gray dot means the system is still attempting to send the newsletter. This can take some time depending on various factors on both Smore’s side and the recipient’s side.

Q: How long will delivery take? Should I resend the email?

Smore attempts to send each email three times. During these attempts, a gray dot may remain visible.

• If the email is eventually delivered or bounces, the gray dot may not update right away.
• This is a reporting issue we are working to resolve.

If you’re unsure whether an email was delivered, please reach out to [e-mail] for confirmation.

Q: What does “bounced” mean?

A bounced email means the message failed to be delivered. This can happen for many reasons (e.g., invalid address, server issues).

👉 Learn more about bounced emails here.

Q: What’s the difference between “bounced” and “dropped”?

• Bounced (red “X” in your Email Report):
  1. Typically means the email address does not exist (misspelled, invalid, or inactive).
  2. These addresses are automatically moved to a blacklist to protect deliverability.
  3. To avoid bounces, verify addresses using an email verification service.
• Dropped:
  1. The email address exists, but something prevented delivery (e.g., recipient’s mailbox full, server busy, or temporary blocks).
  2. These are “soft” bounces, and Smore does not blacklist them.
  3. If this happens, try resending. If the issue continues and the address is valid, contact us at [e-mail]. 

Q: If my emails bounce, do I get my credits back?

Yes. If an email bounces, the credits are automatically returned to your account.

Q: What is the difference between unsubscribed and blocked?

• Unsubscribed: The recipient chose to stop receiving your newsletters.
• Blocked: The email was prevented from being delivered by the recipient’s email system (e.g., spam filters or firewalls).

👉 Learn more about this here.

Q: What if all of my emails bounce?

This can happen if you’re sending to multiple recipients on the same domain (e.g., a school or district email system). The domain may have strict spam filters blocking Smore emails.

✅ Solution: Ask your IT department to whitelist Smore.

👉 Learn how to unblock Smore here.