> If “the rule of seven” — that a customer needs to interact seven times before buying — is marketing 101, why does the site demand a newsletter conversion befo

> If “the rule of seven” — that a customer needs to interact seven times before buying — is marketing 101, why does the site demand a newsletter conversion before a new user has even finished reading one article? This has happened because Google, Facebook, Youtube and other walled gardens have locked up the online audience. If you clicked on a site, chances are you discovering it via one of the above. And chances are, you'll never see that site again if you close the tab. So that's the 'rule of 7' out the window right there. If the popup converts even one person, that's better than it not being there at all. "Yeah, but it's so annoying, I'll never subscribe via these tactics!" Congratulations, you are part of the rare few that know how the sausage is made. You probably also know that these modals aren't there for UX designers to praise or Substack to quake in their boots. They're there to convert.