Sequencer
Auto-pause on bounces
When EmailPal pauses a campaign for you. The bounce pause, its threshold (5% by default, adjustable from 0.5% to 5%), the 200-send minimum, how to opt a campaign out, and how to fix the cause and resume.
What auto-pause is
EmailPal pauses a campaign when too many of its emails bounce, because continuing would hurt your mailboxes and your domains. It is a safety net, not a verdict on you. You see the reason on the campaign as a message beginning Paused automatically, and Diagnose shows it as Paused automatically.
A paused campaign keeps its leads where they are. Nothing is deleted. Fix the cause, then use Resume. Resume runs the launch checks again. Launch checklist.
The bounce pause
| Trips when | Default limit | Can you switch it off? |
|---|---|---|
| At least 200 emails sent, and hard bounces reach the bounce limit | 5% | Yes, per campaign, with Bounce protection |
Only hard bounces count. The default limit is 5%. Change it in the Engage workspace settings under Pause a campaign when bounces pass, anywhere from 0.5% to 5%. A lower limit pauses sooner. A single campaign can turn Bounce protection off under Advanced options, Deliverability, but you should leave it on.
5% is the highest you can set because it is also where EmailPal protects each mailbox. When 5% of a mailbox's cold mail is rejected by the receiving server, that mailbox's campaign sending is paused automatically, whatever limit you chose and whether or not Bounce protection is on. It needs at least 100 finished sends in the last 7 days, or 3 rejections, before it acts. A warning email goes out at 3%. After you resume a paused mailbox, it cannot be paused again for 7 days while you clean the list.
The message is: "Paused automatically: N of M emails bounced (limit X%). Clean the list before resuming."
What to do: remove the bounced addresses, verify the rest of the list, then resume. Importing leads and verification, Six verification verdicts.
Complaints and unsubscribes
Complaints and unsubscribes do not pause a campaign. Each one suppresses that contact so they are never emailed again, and the campaign keeps sending to everyone else. Keep an eye on both in your campaign analytics: if people are complaining or opting out in numbers, the targeting or the copy needs a look. Blocklist and unsubscribes.
What counts toward the numbers
The pause counts emails sent since the campaign last resumed, looking back at most 14 days. After you resume, the numbers that tripped the pause do not trip it again straight away, but a repeat will.
Repeat pauses
A pause only ever stops the one campaign that tripped it. Your other campaigns keep sending, and the paused one is yours to resume once you have fixed the cause. If the same problem keeps coming back, fix it at the source: verify the list again and tighten the targeting. EmailPal's team also sees automatic pauses, so if something looks wrong with your account you may hear from support.
FAQs
Can I resume a campaign that auto-paused?
Yes, once the launch checks pass. Fix the cause first. If you resume without changing anything, the pause can trip again.
Why did my campaign not pause until 200 sends?
The bounce pause needs at least 200 sends before it judges a rate, so a small early sample cannot trip it by chance.
Can I turn the bounce pause off?
Yes, for a single campaign, with Bounce protection under Advanced options. The mailbox-level hold at 5% rejected mail still applies.
Does a pause lose my leads' place in the sequence?
No. Pausing does not change where a lead is in the sequence, and nothing is deleted.
Need More Help?
Campaign launch checklist, Sender bounces, Domain reputation.