I have this site which asks people for their email address in order that they can then download a script. Once I've collected the email address, they are sent back to the site to download, and then they get a couple follow-up emails. I've spoken about this site before.

The follow up emails are set out so that I ask if they did indeed grab the download, then if they need help, then pointing them at the terms to make sure they are using the script legally. It works pretty well. I get quite a lot of "please help me" emails so it actually increases my workload substantially to run the site in this way - however, the flipside of this is that people are more happy to pay for a license after receiving 1-on-1 help.

I've never actually emailed the list that this site now has - other than the follow-up emails set out on a schedule…

Anyway, sometimes people sign up to get the script and then immediately unsubscribe. All unsubscribers get the chance to tell me why they unsubscribed, here's one I received today;

it's totally gay to subscribe just to get a link to [the download page]

you are queer. but good try, though.

Of course, this is exactly my sense of humour, so it was a definite coffee -> monitor moment. After I had stopped laughing I took a moment to add a bit of blurb to the downloads page to make sure that people know why they had to sign up a mailing list.

Of course, it does have this info on the actual joining up page (before they join up), but no-one ever reads webpages, do they?

Is your glass half-full or half-empty?

Having a half-full glass is great - it can produce great results. If you are all doom and gloom all the time, it's entirely possible that people will simply not interact with you.

Here's another unsubscriber message that I received yesterday;

I'm not going to download a zip file. I didn't want to give you my email address either. I was already uncomfortable after the email thing.

I actually like it when people unsubscribe - it means less work for me! And this sort of person would more than likely be a total Pain In The Arse anyway.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed that first unsub message - I certainly did