Verify a RocketReach Export Before You Send

What RocketReach says

From RocketReach's API FAQ, read 9 November 2026:

• Email grades are A, A-, B and F. F is described as invalid, do not send to it.
• "In the UI, these are called Exports": one export equals one API credit.
• A Premium Credit is used for an A or A- email or a valid phone. A Standard Credit is used only for an A or A- email.
• Lookups that return no data are not charged, and neither are B or F grade emails.
• Re-lookups and updates do not use additional credits while your plan is active.

The FAQ also publishes percentage estimates for each grade. We do not repeat them here: they are RocketReach's own figures and the page does not say how they are measured. The grades themselves are covered in RocketReach email grades.

Why a RocketReach row can still bounce

• The grade is a past check. An A today can be a job change next month (email valid but person left the company).
• B grades are unexplained. One common reason any finder cannot confirm an address is a catch-all domain (catch-all emails: what to do).
• Merged exports. RocketReach rows combined with another vendor's file. The oldest rows set your bounce rate.
• Phone-only value. Rows exported mainly for a valid phone can carry an email nobody has checked.

The send-day routine

1. Export and note the date

Add an export-date column so you can re-verify by age later. Keep the original file untouched and work on a copy.

2. Clean

• Remove duplicate emails across every file you are loading.
• Limit contacts per company so one account does not get a burst.
• Tag catch-alls with the bulk catch-all checker.

3. Verify

Upload the CSV at /verify, pick the email column and run it. Each address gets a live SMTP check.

Result	Action
Valid	Main sequence
Risky (catch-all)	Second wave, best grades first
Risky (role, disposable, full)	Drop for outreach
Invalid	Suppress
Unknown	Re-check tomorrow

Catch-alls come back as risky with a grade and a reason (catch-all scoring).

4. Re-import and send in waves

Download the results, keep valid rows for your main sequence and load them into your sender. Catch-alls go a day later in a small batch. Pause when hard bounces pass your platform's line (bounce rate thresholds by platform).

5. Compare against your own numbers

Note the bounce rate by source. If RocketReach rows bounce less than other sources after your own check, that is evidence worth more than any pricing page. Bounce rate by source helps compare.

What to do with each group

Valid rows go into the main sequence, with the verification date kept in a column.

Risky catch-all rows are the judgment call. The server accepts anything during the check, so the best you get is a grade and a reason. Send the best-graded ones first, a day after the valid wave, and stop if bounces rise.

Risky role, disposable and full-mailbox rows are poor outreach targets.

Invalid rows go to a permanent suppression list so they never return in a later import (cold email suppression lists).

Unknown rows mean the server did not answer in time. Retry the next day.

Splitting the export by grade first

Add a grade filter before the upload so you know which rows are which. Send verified A rows first. Verify A- before you send, treat B as unconfirmed and keep anything that comes back risky out of the main campaign, and drop F. Doing the split on a copy means the original export stays available if a vendor question comes up later; see questions to ask a B2B data vendor.

More on timing: how often to verify an email list. Compare approaches on the bulk email verifier page.

Try it on your own export

Upload a slice at /verify. The first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card.

Pro, $39 a month: Unlimited email verification.* Never metered, never cut off. See pricing.

*Fair use: the first 100,000 checks a month at full speed, then slower, never cut off.