You’re sending emails to real people, not ghosts. But if your list is full of dead or fake addresses, your reputation tanks and your messages hit the spam folder. This guide is for anyone who actually cares about getting their emails delivered—and wants less manual work chasing bounced addresses. I’ll show you how to automate email validation with Zerobounce, using their tools and a bit of practical know-how. No hype, no magic bullets—just what you need to keep your list clean and your deliverability up.
Why Automate Email Validation Anyway?
Manually cleaning your list is a slog. Making it automatic isn’t just about saving time—though that’s reason enough. It’s about:
- Avoiding spam traps: Bad addresses can get you blacklisted.
- Preventing high bounce rates: ISPs watch this and will throttle you.
- Protecting sender reputation: Sloppy lists hurt everyone, even if you’re sending legit stuff.
- Staying compliant: Some regulations say you need to keep data fresh.
If you’re sending anything more than the odd newsletter, automating this is a no-brainer.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Actually Need
Before you start wiring things up, figure out:
- How often does your list change? (Daily signups, weekly imports, big monthly blasts?)
- Where does your data live? (CRM, email platform, spreadsheets?)
- How “real-time” do you need validation to be? (Instant, overnight, just before a campaign?)
- What’s your budget? (API calls aren’t free.)
Pro tip: Don’t automate everything just because you can. Start small—maybe just new signups, then expand as you see results.
Step 2: Set Up Your Zerobounce Account
If you haven’t already, sign up for Zerobounce and poke around the dashboard. Zerobounce offers both manual uploads and automated options (API, integrations). For automation, you’ll need:
- API key (find it in your account settings)
- Basic understanding of your data flow (where emails enter, where they go next)
What works: Zerobounce’s API is straightforward, and they have solid documentation.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by every feature. Focus on validation, not the bells and whistles (like social appends or scoring) unless you actually need them.
Step 3: Pick Your Automation Approach
You’ve got a few options, depending on your tech stack and how hands-on you want to be.
1. Direct API Integration
If you have a dev team or know your way around code, this is the most flexible.
- Use case: You want to validate emails as soon as someone signs up, or before adding them to your main list.
- How: Call Zerobounce’s API endpoint (
validate) from your app or website. Pass the email address, get back a verdict (“valid,” “invalid,” “catch-all,” etc.). - Sample workflow:
- User submits email
- Your backend calls Zerobounce API
- Only “valid” emails are accepted; others trigger an error or warning
What works: Real-time feedback, great for signups and lead forms.
What doesn’t: Not always practical for bulk lists unless you build a batch process.
2. Zapier or No-Code Tools
Not a coder? Tools like Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or Pabbly can connect Zerobounce to your CRM, Google Sheets, or email platform.
- Use case: You want to auto-validate emails from form submissions, spreadsheets, or CRM updates.
- How:
- Set up a “Zap” to trigger on new row/sign-up
- Add a Zerobounce action to validate the email
- Direct the result: update a field, send a notification, or add to a “clean” list
What works: Fast setup, no code needed.
What doesn’t: Can get pricey at scale, and not as real-time as true API integration.
3. Bulk File Automation (FTP, Cron, etc.)
For huge lists or periodic scrubbing, you can automate file uploads.
- Use case: You import/export big CSVs or sync lists between systems.
- How:
- Use Zerobounce’s FTP/SFTP feature (upload a file, get results back)
- Or, script file uploads and downloads using their API
- Schedule with cron jobs or Windows Task Scheduler
What works: Good for big, regular batch jobs.
What doesn’t: Not instant—there’s always some lag.
Step 4: Build & Test Your Workflow
Let’s break down a real-world example using the API (since it’s the most direct).
A. Get Your API Key
- Log into Zerobounce
- Grab your API key from the dashboard
B. Make a Test Call
You can use curl, Postman, or your programming language of choice. Here’s a basic curl example:
bash curl -G https://api.zerobounce.net/v2/validate \ --data-urlencode "api_key=YOUR_API_KEY" \ --data-urlencode "email=test@example.com"
You’ll get a JSON response with fields like status (“valid”, “invalid”, etc.).
C. Handle Results in Your App
- Only accept “valid” emails for marketing or transactional messages.
- Flag or quarantine “catch-all,” “unknown,” or “do not mail” addresses.
- Optionally, notify users if their email looks off.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over “catch-all” results. Some domains are just set up that way. Use your judgment, and maybe send a one-off confirmation email.
D. Test With Real Data
- Try a batch of known good, bad, and weird emails.
- Watch for API rate limits and error handling—don’t just plug it in and forget it.
Step 5: Integrate With Your Email or CRM Platform
Validation isn’t much use if your main system ignores the results. Make sure your workflow actually syncs clean data.
- Sync back the status: Mark emails as “clean” or “bad” in your CRM.
- Automate suppression: Remove or suppress invalid/bounced emails before campaigns go out.
- Set up alerts: If validation finds a ton of bad emails, maybe your signup form is under attack—or someone bought a sketchy list.
Pro tip: Don’t delete questionable addresses right away. Tag them, review periodically, and only nuke them if you’re sure.
Step 6: Monitor, Adjust, and Don’t Overthink It
Automation isn’t “set it and forget it.” Check in on your process regularly:
- Watch your bounce rates—are they actually dropping?
- See if you’re getting false positives (real people marked as invalid)
- Review your costs—API calls, Zapier tasks, etc., can add up
- Adjust the workflow as your list and needs change
What works: Small, regular tweaks beat big overhauls.
What Not to Bother With
- “Advanced” features you don’t need: Stick to email validation. Extras like scoring, enrichment, and appends are nice, but don’t get distracted.
- Daily scrubbing of a static list: If your list isn’t changing, don’t waste money re-running validation.
- Trying to “fix” invalid emails: If it’s bad, it’s bad. Move on.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Automating email validation with Zerobounce is about making your life easier and your emails more likely to land in the inbox. Don’t stress about being perfect from day one. Start with the basics, see what actually helps, and tweak as you go. Clean data is a moving target—so check in now and then, keep what works, and ditch what doesn’t.
If you’re overwhelmed, just start by validating new signups. That alone can save you loads of headaches (and bounces). Simplicity wins every time.