The Impressions System

A Pop-Up is a salesman who kicks down your front door. An Impression is a waiter who catches your eye just as you finish your drink.

In Tract Stack, we don’t assault the user. We wait for them.

The Philosophy: Reading the Room

Most websites are blind. They show the same “Sign Up for Our Newsletter” modal whether the user is reading about your pricing or your history.

Impressions are bound to Panes. They are dormant until the user scrolls to a specific part of the story.

1. The Scroll: The user reads a Pane about “High-Performance APIs.”
2. The Trigger: The system sees them reading.
3. The Signal: A small, red notification badge animates in the header.

It doesn’t block their view. It just lets them know: “I have something relevant to say about what you’re reading right now.”

The Mechanics: Polite Persistence

1. The Header Icon (The “Unread Message”)

When an Impression triggers, we don’t cover the content. We light up the Header Icon.

• The Bounce: A subtle animation to draw the eye.
• The Badge: A number count (e.g., “2”) showing how many relevant offers they’ve unlocked.
• The Psychology: It feels like a notification, not an ad. People hate ads. They love checking notifications.

2. The Overlay (The Conversation)

When the user clicks the icon, the Overlay slides in.

• The Pitch: Title, Body, and Button.
• The Cycle: If they triggered multiple Impressions (e.g., they read about “API” and “Pricing”), the overlay auto-cycles through them like a deck of cards.
• The Dismissal: A clear “X”. If they aren’t interested, we let them go. We don’t nag.

The Anatomy of the Ask

Every Impression is a structured offer.

• Title: The Hook.
• Body: The Value Proposition.
• Action: The Destination.

ActionLisp (The Navigation Brain)

We don’t just use dumb URL links. We use ActionLisp to ensure the navigation is fluid and precise.

• Go to a scene: (goto (storyfragment "pricing"))
• Open a reference: (goto (context "security-policy"))
• Leave the site: (goto (url "https://cal.com/book-meeting"))

Analytics: Measuring the Spark

A click on a navigation link tells you they want to move. A click on an Impression tells you they were persuaded.

When a user clicks an Impression, we track it as a high-value event (Impression: CLICKED). We record exactly which Pane triggered it.

• Insight: “They read the ‘Enterprise Security’ pane, saw the ‘Book a Demo’ impression, and clicked.”
• Result: You know exactly which paragraph of your copy is closing the deal.

Best Practices

Don’t Spam. Just because you can attach an Impression to every Pane doesn’t mean you should.

Be Contextual.

• Bad: Showing a “Contact Us” impression on every page.
• Good: Showing a “Download the Specs” impression only when they scroll to the “Technical Architecture” pane.

The Golden Rule: Only tap them on the shoulder if you have something to give them.

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The “Free Web” Press by At Risk Media