Do you put your unsubscribe link at the top of your updates?

Oh yes, very easy. I don't want people who don't want to stay subscribed on the list.

Not sure ... it would perhaps on how often you send them?

Autoresponder companies do require an unsubscribe link (or at least unsubscribing instructions) to be in every email (because "Can-Spam" requires it, I think?).

It certainly doesn't have to be at the top, though.

I sometimes remind people (while mentioning why they're receiving the email, what was discussed in the previous one and what's coming up next and when, which is all part of my continuity) that they can always unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom.

That's how it's always seemed to me.

I see. Interesting point. Basically, notify once and leave it at the bottom. My point regarding having the unsub link at the top is to have a CLEAN LIST all the time ie., my list will only contain people who want to read my stuff. As I mature in the list building business, the more I become aware of the problem of DEADWEIGHT. By putting an unsub list at the top, I seek to ensure that my lists are composed of people who a) enjoy being on my list and b) potential promoters of my list as I brand them with the quality of my mailer content.

Your best bet would be to filter your buyers to a separate list, that way you can do that to a freebie list.

A lot of folks won't use the unsubscribe link because they're afraid it's just another email harvesting scheme, which in some cases it is. So they simply mark it as spam and let the filters take care of it.

What was the effect on your list's overall performance and member quality?

While I do agree with this idea, I think there has to be balance. Greeting someone with the fact they can unsubscribe, in every email, can come across just as desperate as hiding the unsubscribe link. This is one of those techniques that if abused, can and will lose its power.

My opinion would be to use this technique sporadically.

To my success,
Lucian

I leave mine at the bottom where Aweber puts it. On one hand I don't want anyone on the list who does not want to be there, but it is up to them to subscribe and unsubscribe. They can figure it out if they want off the list bad enough.

I use get response and as far as I know there are no options on where to put the unsubscribe links. They are automatically placed directly beneath the message which is the standard place for them.

I never thought of putting the link at the top, though as a reader I wouldn't find that a good thing in the emails I get from others. Not only would that come off to me as they are not confident in their messages and insecure assuming people won't want to be bothered by them cause they're not valuable enough, though it would also be an annoying distraction to the message itself and interupt the flow which should start with the greeting, then the immediate benefit to read the rest of the email next.

Actually I'm so used to knowing the bottom of emails are where to find the unsubscribe links that I get very annoyed when emails I want to unsubscribe to don't have it at the bottom and I have to search for it and finally find it in the middle somehwere with a bunch of other stuff around it.

Instead, I would simply make the first email people receive in the autoresponder series an email that has no content or sales message in it, and is only an email welcoming them to the newsletter and giving them a preview of what kinds of messages and content and benefits they'll receive as a subscriber to it with some preview teasers of what's coming soon if they stay subscribed and then tell them they could unsubscribe now or anytime in the future if they don't want this great content and provide the unsub link right after saying that. Cause many people that give their email to get a free report or to buy something, only want that thing and are not interested in now being subscribed to someone's newsletter. Though that's why you sell them on why they should want to stay subscribed before telling them they could unsub.

Then the rest of the emails I'd only keep it normal at the bottom of the email.

This will work for the people who are motivated enough to open your email and click your link. For the real "deadweight" - the ones who don't even bother opening the emails - it doesn't matter.

I've used it as a trust builder, but mostly in emails actually formatted as newsletters. There's a block that reminds them when they subscribed (loyal subscriber since [date]) and what address they used to subscribe. Then I add something to the effect that I know their time is valuable, and if their life changes so that my newsletters no longer hold value for them they can unsubscribe with one twitch of their mouse finger (opt-out link).

I tagged that one, as well as the one at the bottom. Over 90% that used one of those links used the bottom one.

I do agree with you that using any unsub link should be done with care and, hopefully, with skill. "This is one of those techniques that if abused, can and will lose its power."