Should I Activate Catch-All for My Emails?

What are catch-all (risky) emails?

A catch-all server is a mail server configured to respond “yes, this email exists” to every query, even when the address doesn’t exist. These emails can’t be verified, so in La Growth Machine we label them “risky.”

On the other hand, verified emails come from servers that genuinely respond “yes” or “no.” When we query those servers, we can test dozens of email permutations ([email protected], [email protected], etc.) until we find the real address. Those get marked “valid.”

By default, La Growth Machine only returns verified business emails. You can opt in to risky emails if you need more coverage, but that comes with a deliverability trade-off.

What changed: Waterfall Enrichment is now standard

La Growth Machine now uses Waterfall (or cascading) Enrichment for all professional emails. Instead of relying on one provider, we query multiple GDPR-compliant sources including Dropcontact, Datagma, Hunter, Prospeo, and others. Then we double-verify every email and score it as valid, risky, or not found.

This matters because you get higher enrichment coverage, better reliability, and clear scoring so you can decide whether to include risky addresses.

One thing hasn’t changed: we never test an address by sending a real email. All verification happens by querying the mail server directly.

The core trade-off: verified vs. risky

Non catch-all servers respond “yes” or “no,” so La Growth Machine can test permutations and return a verified email. Catch-all servers always respond “yes,” which makes verification impossible. We can still suggest the most probable permutation, but those suggestions are labeled “risky.”

Here’s the reality: a good chunk of company domains (especially larger enterprises) are catch-all. If you target mid-market, enterprise, or ABM segments, your verified coverage can drop without risky emails enabled.

What you gain by enabling risky emails is simple: more enriched addresses. Your enrichment rate often jumps to 60-70% instead of 30-60%.

What you risk is a higher bounce rate, because those emails can’t be verified, and potential damage to your domain reputation if bounces accumulate.

When you should enable risky emails

Enterprise and ABM targets: Larger companies frequently run catch-all servers, so risky mode can meaningfully improve your reach.

Low verified coverage on a priority segment: If verified coverage is too low to run a meaningful campaign, enable risky for a controlled pilot.

Small, monitored batches: You’re sending in small waves, monitoring bounce rates closely, and ready to pivot if bounce climbs.

If you enable risky mode, pair it with strong deliverability fundamentals. That means proper DNS setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MX), a Custom Tracking Domain, reasonable daily volume, healthy sending patterns, and Inbox Rotation at higher volumes to spread risk.

When you should not enable risky emails

New or fragile domains: If your technical setup isn’t perfect or your domain is still warming up, avoid adding bounce risk.

High-volume email programs: The compounding effect of bounces becomes dangerous at scale. Stick with verified emails and improve your audience data quality first.

Already elevated bounce rates: If your recent bounce rate trends above acceptable ranges, fix your deliverability before expanding to risky addresses.

Keep these benchmarks in mind: sustained bounce above 12% is risky, and anything above 20% is dangerous at scale. Your goal should be to keep long-term bounce comfortably below 8-12% to avoid spam filtering.

How to enable risky emails in La Growth Machine

Go to your campaign settings and find the email sending options. Toggle on “Send emails to risky email addresses (catch-all).” This tells La Growth Machine it can send to suggested, unverified addresses when a domain is catch-all.

Waterfall Enrichment runs automatically. You don’t need to configure providers. You’re only controlling whether La Growth Machine can send to risky addresses.

Remember: by default, La Growth Machine returns and sends only to verified business emails. Risky mode must be explicitly enabled. And if you import external email lists, La Growth Machine won’t re-verify those for you—use a third-party validator like ZeroBounce before sending.

Safeguards and best practices

First, nail your technical setup. Validate SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX using MXToolbox and fix anything flagged.

Use a Custom Tracking Domain so you’re not sharing a default subdomain with other users. Align your tracking subdomain with your brand.

Pace your sends properly. Avoid sudden spikes, respect daily caps, and use Inbox Rotation to spread volume across multiple addresses.

Monitor bounce in real time. If bounce climbs, pause email steps, address list quality, and return to verified-only for the next wave.

Build flow logic into your campaigns. Use La Growth Machine’s “If Bounced” condition to automatically branch, stop emailing, or switch contacts to LinkedIn-only steps.

A practical decision checklist

Enable risky if your segment is strategic and verified coverage is too low without it, you can start with small controlled batches, your domain health is green and your technical setup is correct, and you’ll monitor bounce daily and react quickly.

Keep risky off if you’re onboarding a new domain or recently had deliverability issues, you plan to send at scale, or your bounce trend is creeping beyond safe ranges.

Frequently asked questions

Does La Growth Machine send real emails to test verification?

No. We never send a message to verify an email. Verification happens by querying the mail server.

What enrichment approach does La Growth Machine use now?

Waterfall (cascading) Enrichment across multiple GDPR-compliant providers, plus double verification on non catch-all domains, and clear scoring (valid, risky, not found).

Where do I enable risky emails?

Inside your campaign’s email sending options, toggle on “Send emails to risky email addresses (catch-all).”

What bounce rate should I consider risky?

Keep long-term bounce under 8-12%. Sustained rates above that can trigger spam placement, especially at higher volumes.

What if my list includes externally sourced emails?

La Growth Machine doesn’t verify third-party imports. Validate them before sending (using tools like ZeroBounce) or rely on La Growth Machine’s Waterfall Enrichment to discover and verify professional emails directly.

The bottom line

Risky emails let you reach more leads on catch-all domains, but they come with bounce risk. With Waterfall Enrichment, you get stronger coverage and clearer scoring. Turn on risky only when you can afford the trade-off. Start small, watch bounce closely, and pair it with solid sending hygiene, a custom tracking domain, and Inbox Rotation. That’s how you boost reach without burning your domain reputation.