In the world of email addresses, there is a means to create a solution that enables one to accept all email addresses.
Naturally, you would think that such a thing doesn’t seem that necessary. After all, why would you want to catch all emails when so many of them are irrelevant, spammy, or even dangerous?
According to DataProt, roughly 57 percent of all incoming emails are junk. That’s more than half. So, would you accept all emails knowing the risk? Maybe, if it’s beneficial to accept all emails – but should you catch all email accounts? And what does it even mean to catch all email servers?
Who would be interested in accepting all email addresses?
The first question to answer is who would consider a catch all email address to be a valuable proposition.
Businesses that want to avoid missing out on any potential leads are arguably the frontrunners for such a position. They send marketing emails and often receive spam complaints, which then affects the sender reputation negatively.
A recipient’s inbox should have a spam folder, but the server still perceives incoming mail as a threat and bounce it. However, emails remain one of the go-to options in digital communication since pretty much everyone has an inbox for personal or work uses.
Add the fact that there are tools to scrape email addresses and send emails automatically, and the whole marketing setup is pretty much done for you.
What are accept all email addresses?
The accept all email addresses concept, also known as catch all email addresses, can be defined as mechanism to ensure that legitimate emails reach their destination even if the sender used the wrong email addresses.
Here is an example. Imagine a customer who wants to follow-up on your newsletter about a recently added feature to the service. Instead of using the support@domain.com inbox, they send their email to hello@domain.com.
The purpose of the catch all email addresses is not just to “catch” them. It’s also to accept all email addresses that make sense.
Instead of letting the email service providers treat these messages as invalid emails, they work as a catch all inbox and redirect the sender’s email to its intended destination. These are valid emails, so it would be a waste to ignore the message because the sender made a slight error on their part.
For businesses that treat an email campaign as a significant chunk of their marketing strategy, failing to utilize the catch all feature would be a waste. This is especially true for small businesses that have less room for error.
The catch all emails concept is something many overlook. It’s not as popular as it probably should be. Perhaps the reason behind that is because the idea comes with a few disadvantages. On the other hand, there are benefits, too.
Pros of using the catch all email addresses
1. It’s easier to manage your emails
Cold emails and other email marketing ventures often require running multiple inboxes to ensure a smooth experience.
For instance, one inbox might struggle with email deliverability, redirecting emails to spam. Another might be blocked for a certain domain, making it harder to reach specific audiences.
From an incoming email point of view, there are also many things that can have a negative impact on your campaign.
If you can streamline all incoming emails and use the catch all email as your primary email account, then you should have fewer issues. Remember, someone making a typo while sending an email could be the difference between receiving and missing an email.
2. It’s easier to ensure better customer service
Since you have an easier time catching incoming emails, you will have fewer problems responding to customer questions.
Somebody might send you an email and think it fails to reach the intended inbox because the email domain has problems with its bounce rate or sender reputation.
In addition, even if they see an error about an invalid email address, their message will still reach the recipient because the catch all and accept all email address feature is in place.
3. It’s easier to receive all relevant messages
If you accept all addresses, you will catch all addresses. A proper setup minimizes the risks of sending platforms to miss your inbox.
Cons of using the catch all email addresses
1. Bounce rate and sender reputation
When you have many incoming emails, your mail server might react negatively and treat it as a problem that affects the bounce rate and sender reputation.
Email deliverability gets all wonky when the incoming emails are not in small batches but rather a non-stop stream of all kinds of messages.
2. Spam and hackers
The catch all inboxes attract spammers and hackers. Since the inbox accepts everything it receives, it might miss sketchy emails. It’s up to the service provider to ensure the safety of the inbox owner, especially if the owner themselves fails to take even the basic safety precautions.
3. Overwhelming email amount
While the idea of receiving all relevant emails sounds attractive, don’t underestimate just how much you might have to go through.
Sometimes, the email amount causes mayhem, making you go through hundreds, if not thousands, of emails daily. Ask if that really is the most efficient use of your time.
How to set up a catch all email account?
Here are the steps to set up a catch all email account:
- Find a reliable email service provider that offers the feature;
- Go to the domain settings via the control panel of your catch all domain;
- Open the email settings;
- Enable catch all email and specify which inbox or inboxes to use;
The processes should be more or less the same for most email service providers. In case you run into trouble, don’t hesitate to reach out to customer support or look for detailed instructions on the ESP’s website.
How catch all email addresses help with marketing
Email marketing becomes easier when you enable a catch all emails inbox, but you need to be mindful of a few key aspects:
- Pay close attention to how senders interact with emails received by the catch all inbox. You might notice a significant drop in open rates from the messages you send. If so, the root of the problem could be the catch all inbox.
- Use verification services to confirm whether incoming emails are legit or not. It’s not always easy to figure that out from the email contents alone. Since you have to go through many emails, you may miss a crucial detail.
- Prepare outlines and tailor your responses so that they don’t appear too spammy. Personalize them where possible so the content appeals to the recipients.
General tips for your catch all email inbox
Prepare to spend some time managing your catch all email inbox. Regular monitoring is required to ensure that the inbox’s health is where it should be.
Take advantage of filters to slowly create a list of email address exceptions that you no longer wish to receive. Over time, the list will become hefty, but taking spammy addresses out early will benefit the overall inbox health.
If you want, you can also set up alerts for specific emails to inform yourself when somebody important responds.
If keeping the information in the inbox becomes too much, save details on your computer, cloud storage, or an external storage accessory. Just be sure to avoid potential troubles like the hard drive not readable on Mac or your Google Drive account not opening. You don’t want to lose the information and struggle to recover it later.
Finally, look for various tools that complement the catch all and other email inboxes you manage. From cleaning up the junk to increasing security and privacy, there are plenty of great email tools to consider.
Wrapping up
To sum everything up, catch all emails are a great way to reduce the odds of missing an important email.
For businesses, such a thing is a given. Having said that, if you are an individual, don’t discard catch-all emails as a benefit either.
Still, remember that maintaining an inbox that catches all emails requires effort, even if you automate some tasks and streamline the process.
FAQ
What is a catch-all mailbox?
A catch-all mailbox is a domain-wide setting that captures all emails sent to non-existent addresses within a domain. This ensures no messages are missed, but can lead to higher bounce rates if not monitored.
How does an accept all configuration affect email verification?
An accept all configuration, or catch alls, means the server accepts emails to any address at the domain. This complicates verification, increasing the original invalid percentage as the exact status of emails cannot be determined.
Why is a high bounce rate problematic when sending emails?
A high bounce rate indicates many emails are not reaching their intended recipients, often due to invalid addresses. This can harm your sending status with email providers, affecting future deliverability.
Can a verification tool help reduce unsolicited emails?
Yes, a verification tool can significantly reduce unsolicited emails by verifying email addresses set for contact. This ensures you have a fairly clean list, lowering the risk of sending to invalid addresses and decreasing bounce rates.
