THIS ARTICLE IS FOR: ✅ Self-Serve
Stage: Onboarding / Live
Owner: CS
Last updated: 2025-12-15
TL;DR
Good = Safe to use
Bad = Do not use
Risky = Often catchalls; usable with awareness
Only trust the quality column when filtering your list
When you’d use this / Why it matters
Use this article after running the Email Verification Tool and reviewing your CSV results. Understanding these labels helps you protect deliverability and decide which emails to include (or exclude) from campaigns.
What “Good” means
Good emails are confirmed deliverable.
These addresses passed ListKit’s verification checks and are considered safe to send to.
You can:
Keep them in your list
Use them in campaigns immediately
Why it matters
Good emails have the highest likelihood of reaching real inboxes and won’t hurt your sender reputation.
What “Bad” means
Bad emails are not deliverable and should never be used.
These addresses failed verification and are very likely to bounce.
You should:
Remove them from your list
Never include them in campaigns
Why it matters
Sending to Bad emails increases bounce rates and can damage your domain and inbox reputation.
What “Risky” means
Risky emails are harder to verify, but not automatically invalid.
Many verification tools mark these as uncertain because they can’t make a definitive call. The most common reason is catchall domains.
What are catchalls?
A catchall domain accepts all incoming emails, even if the specific inbox doesn’t exist.
Because of this:
Traditional verifiers struggle to confirm them
Many tools label them as “unknown” or “risky”
Why ListKit marks them as Risky (not Bad)
ListKit runs deeper validation checks than standard tools.
A Risky result usually means:
The email likely exists and can receive mail
The domain setup makes certainty harder
You can:
Keep Risky emails if you want maximum volume
Use them in campaigns with awareness of slightly higher uncertainty
Best practice
If deliverability is extremely sensitive:
Separate Risky emails into a different campaign, or
Send to them later after testing performance
They are not automatically unsafe.
Important note about other CSV columns
Your verification CSV may also include columns like:
result
free
role
These are for technical context only.
They:
Do not affect filtering
Should not guide campaign decisions
👉 Only rely on the quality column.
Expected outcome
You should now be able to:
Confidently filter your verified list
Remove Bad emails immediately
Use Good emails safely
Decide how and when to use Risky emails
Troubleshooting / FAQs
Should I delete all Risky emails?
Not necessarily. Many perform well, especially catchalls. Test them separately if needed.
Why do other tools disagree with ListKit?
ListKit uses deeper checks that go beyond basic verification methods.
What column should I actually filter by?
Only the quality column.