Do you get unsubscribers from message #1?

Wow, 85% seems very high.

This question is probably somewhat conditional.

I guess it depends a lot on what your marketplace/customer/product is.

Is there any money in this niche, or is it full of freebie seekers?

It's almost inevitable that some people will unsubscribe on
your first message.

However, if 85% of your unsubscribes are coming from your
first message - then it's time to adjust the front part of
your follow-up sequence.

The first message you send to a new subscriber is critical
and it's one time when you have a great chance to make a
good first impression.

Ask yourself how much value you're adding with your first
e-mail message. How would you feel about receiving it as
a new subscriber?

A simple "hi, here's your download" e-mail is pretty bland
and doesn't really educate the subscriber on why they
should continue to subscribe and read your messages.

Dedicated to mutual success,

Shaun

Have you considered that perhaps this "problem" might be somewhat embarrasing for them and their email might be shared?

Just a thought...

instead of sending a thankyou message... send them another unadvertised goody... and show to them via your content that you are expert in whatever niche you are...

don't sell them right away,,, first provide them with the best content you have and then see the results , you will be well on your way to profits and building a huge list and your subscriber will love you for the value you have provided to them

You do...

Especially when your giving a free gift.. Let me give you Bob for todays example

--

Bob is a newbie, and Bob wants to make money online.. But he hates mailing lists.. Bob sees your free offer, and says "OOOH, I want this".

Gets the free item you've offered, and goes "Bye bye list".

That happens often, sadly

Caleb

No offense to OP, but maybe your free ebook isn't anything your 85% unsubscribers are interested in? Maybe they figure everything else you send will be similar content that they won't want/need, so they bail?

I would do a complete rewrite of another similar ebook & test again, see which free ebook keeps the subscribers. Look at the subject from another angle. If the first ebook is from a mans point of view, switch it up on the 2nd ebook & write from a womens point of view (author name, etc...), test & see what happens.

You'll never know whats going on without testing.

You know the best way to find out why their unsubscribing, rather than guessing (which is quite possibly what you are doing right now) is to ASK THEM.

My first mail usually contains the download link, rather that it appearing on the page the subscriber sees when they confirm.

The second mail is a friendly check to see if they got their download OK. Any issues, please let me know and I will fix things.

No selling, no unadvertised gifts, just old-fashioned customer support. A bit like the waiter who, politely and discreetly, makes sure that everything is in order and that you have everything you want when you have started your meal in a restaurant. Many people reply by saying yes, they got the download and thank me for asking. I make sure I fire an e-mail straight back saying I am glad they got the product OK and to enjoy it.

I have found that this helps both the new subscriber and I to get a good relationship started. It also means that they have opened at least 2 mails from me and they (hopefully) have started a new habit.

Are you branding the from line with something related to the niche/product? If so, be sure to use your name.

Are you giving them any reason to actually stick around in the e-mail?

This is off-the-cuff, so not the best...but perhaps will give you some ideas.

And, of course, if something isn't actually true (below) or doesn't jive with your product/background...be sure to cut it out or modify it so that it does...

You'll have to edit them out, but I made some notes as well (in the bold double brackets):
---------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Regarding your download, [[firstname]]


[[firstname]],

[yourname] here with a quick bit of info you should know about
[product name]... [[remind them who you are and make them curious enough to read the next line]]

But first, I’d like to congratulate you for taking the time to
check it out... [[make them feel good]]

There have been many others...just like you...who have decided
to improve their lives by taking a look at this report and so far...the feedback
speaks for itself. [[lets them know they're not alone + indirect social proof]]

As you read through the report, you’ll [what they’ll discover/big benefits of reading]

[[the above helps to make sure they actually go through the product]]

But here’s the most important thing:

All details you used to get this product are absolutely, 100% safe and
confidential...

Plus, any e-mails you get from me in the future will—just like this one—be
totally casual and not full of embarrassing content or bogus claims... [[soothes their fear of potential embarrassment + implies future communication]]


In the next few days, I’ll also be [something interesting/teaser here] [[gives them a reason to stick around]]

Sound good to you? [[never hurts to get them to agree with you or say 'yes']]

For now, if you haven’t already downloaded the report...you can do
so by visiting the page below: [[help them consume the info and make sure they get the product in case they had technical problems]]

[download link]

Thanks for checking it out. Talk to you soon!

Respectfully,
[yourname]

PS - Don’t forget to confirm your subscription so you don’t miss
out on [refer to teaser from above]. You can do so by using the
link I gave you...which will then take you to your download:

[download link]
---------------------------------------------------------------
Hope that helps!

-Mike Schwenk