Fail or Pass

By Julia, Deliverability Expert

A saga of bounces and deferrals

As many of you are aware, we track the amount of fails each email encounters while it is attempting to send to your list of recipients. And, as some of you can attest, this can lead to some rather overwhelming statistics.

Before we get ourselves too worked up over a few failed email sends, let’s get a better idea of what we’re dealing with.

Our system, like many others of a similar nature, recognizes 2 types of failures:

Let’s think of soft fails as ‘deferrals’ – an email can defer multiple times & still ultimately go through. These can signify an impending block or simply be how that server delivers emails with a high volume of recipients.

Some servers, such as Verizon & Comcast, slowly deliver their messages so it can actually be common for them to have thousands of soft fails without having any hard fails. In some cases, a few messages may “time out.” This is still not necessarily a hard block.

Think of it as a waiting room with hundreds of people – they are either going to wait their turn (send) or they are going to get impatient and leave (time out).

Let’s think of hard fails as ‘bounces’ – an email can only bounce once. It either signifies a bad/invalid email, a server block, or the final soft fail.

It is important to look into these errors especially. Invalid emails should ALWAYS be removed from a recipient list; Server blocks always need appropriate attention and, when necessary, mitigation; and too many soft fails that permanently bounce means that we may be sending at too high of a volume.

Oftentimes, soft fails can be used proactively while hard fails generally require us to work reactively & learning how to best respond to both is key to successful email marketing. It is crucial to have an understanding of these types of errors because the quicker we respond to factors affecting our deliverability, the less damage they are able to cause.

When you're working to drive change—whether in a campaign, nonprofit, or advocacy organization—you deserve a tech partner that’s just as committed to your mission as you are.

At Campaign Nucleus, client success isn’t a help desk ticket. It’s a promise. From day one, we work with you side-by-side to ensure your team has the tools, training, and guidance to thrive. We were born out of political campaigns and understand what it takes to get your initiaitve off the ground.

We’re Mission-Oriented—Just Like You

We understand the urgency and pressure that comes with building movements and running campaigns, because we’ve been there too. Our team is made up of people who care deeply about the work our clients do, and we treat your goals as our own.

Your success is personal to us—and it shows in how we support you.

Comprehensive Onboarding, Every Step of the Way

When you join Campaign Nucleus, you’re not dropped into the deep end. We provide a guided onboarding experience designed to get your team up and running fast:

• Personalized walkthroughs tailored to your unique situation
• Goal-based setup and strategic sessions
• Hands-on support from real people, not bots

Self-Serve Resources That Empower Your Team

Prefer to learn at your own pace? No problem. We offer a rich resource library full of:

• Step-by-step tutorials
• How-to videos
• Best practice guides
• Troubleshooting tips

It’s like having an expert on call, 24/7.

Ongoing Webinars & Training for Every Skill Level

As your team grows or takes on new challenges, we’re here to help you level up. Our regular webinars and live trainings cover both platform features and digital organizing strategy. At Nucleus we are constantly innovating and releasing new features – and our team will also make sure you are up to date as our product grows.

Responsive, Human Support When You Need It Most

Got a question? Facing a deadline? Need to troubleshoot something fast?

Our client services and support team is available and responsive, with real humans who know the platform inside and out. Whether you need help configuring your account, launching a campaign, or managing data—we’re here.

When you work with Campaign Nucleus, you're not just getting access to powerful tools. 

We’re thrilled to roll out a fresh lineup of features in Campaign Nucleus, from tools that simplify data to options for more customized options. These updates bring a fresh approach to understanding your supporters and maximizing your impact. Let’s dive into these spooky good features!

Agency Module

Revamped for Ultimate Efficiency! Access your agency module with enhanced clarity—view total tenants, profiles, emails, and texts in one go! Quickly access tenant overviews, manage agency users, and streamline your exports to stay ahead.

Voter File UI

Elevate Your Voter Insights with Our New UI Update! If you’re using voter file integrations, you can now view these seamlessly in CRM profiles and during each voter search. A smoother experience for sharper decision-making!

Export Check-ins

Event Planning Made Easier! Events can be intense, but we’ve got you covered. Export your check-ins effortlessly with our new signup export feature, keeping you organized and ready for the big day!

Universe Exports

Power Your Operations with Precision Data Exports! Email universe data with ease, selecting exactly the information you need to include. Every insight matters, and now you have complete control over it!

Event Custom Fields

Endless Customization for Your Events! We’re expanding possibilities for your event signups—now you can create custom fields tailored to your needs. Personalize every detail and elevate your attendees’ experience!

Stay tuned for more features soon!

Email marketing can be really hard, we know! Sometimes, what we think is a carefully curated email with stunning visuals just isn't performing as well as we hoped, and you don't know why. That is where A/B email testing comes in to highlight aspects of emails, whether they be copy or subject lines, that your subscribers like to interact with more. So what is A/B testing, and how does it work? A/B testing, also referred to as split testing, is a method used to compare the performance of two different versions of something in order to determine which one is more effective. A/B testing can be used in marketing in many different ways, not just in emails but in web designs, print marketing, and more! So, we have incorporated this tool into Nucleus to take your email marketing to the next level!

Why use A/B testing: 

When using testing for an email, the purpose to to find the most successful email combination for a specific message or campaign. For example, if you are trying to test an email with the goal of getting subscribers to click a link to get an ice cream coupon. Our platform, allows you to then create 2 different variations of the email and then see what email gets more traffic.

Here are some tips & tricks:

- Test on emails that are not urgent or need to be delivered in a tight time frame (testing takes a little while to gather the performance of the test and pick the winning one to send out the rest of)

- Keep notes of what you are trying to test so you can track performance with the stats you receive back

- Try to test the campaign frequently to get the most accurate 

- Intentionally target out elements to test, such as subject line, sender, CTA, etc.

- Think of even testing different variations against different audiences.

Benefits of using:

• Open and Response Rates: Identify factors that contribute to higher open rates by testing different subject lines, preheader text, and send times.
• Content Engagement: Test various versions of your email content to determine which version receives more clicks and prompts readers to take action.
• Cost-Effective: Utilize A/B testing as an affordable method to make data-driven decisions and gain insights from your campaigns.
• Ease of Analysis: Analyze test results using straightforward metrics to easily identify the better option.
• Increased Sales: Implement optimized changes to boost sales, enhance user experiences, build brand trust, and foster customer loyalty.
• Enhance Deliverability: Ensure your emails are sent correctly from your application and are received by users.
• Spam Testing: Identify characteristics that might make an email appear untrustworthy.