Navigating the Ungated vs. Gated Content Dilemma: How B2B Marketers Should Decide

Imagine you’ve just crafted a piece of content that’s packed with insights, but now comes the age-old dilemma: should you gate it behind a form or share it freely with your audience?

While gated content can help you capture leads, it often comes at the cost of audience reach and, sometimes, lead quality.

On the other hand, ungated content broadens your exposure but doesn’t capture leads. So, how do you strike the right balance?

In this post, we’ll break down the critical factors that should guide your decision on when to gate your content and when to share it freely—ultimately driving better results for your marketing efforts.

The Case for Ungated Content

By keeping your information accessible, you invite a broader spectrum of potential clients to engage with your brand. This is particularly crucial if your primary goal is to increase brand awareness or establish thought leadership.

Think about it: when users can access valuable insights without a barrier, they’re more likely to consume, share, and trust your information. This sets the stage for your brand to be seen as an authority in your field.

However, while ungated content broadens your audience, it comes at the expense of lead capture. Without requiring users to exchange their contact information, you lose a direct mechanism to understand who’s engaging with your material.

But before you dismiss ungated content entirely, consider the quality of leads you might be missing. If your content is valuable enough, prospects might seek you out regardless, especially if they find it through organic search or shared through social channels.

The Argument for Gated Content

On the flip side, gated content can help you capture leads more effectively. When visitors are required to provide their information before accessing premium content, you gain direct insights into your audience.

This method is particularly attractive for content pieces that can promise substantial value in return for contact details, such as whitepapers, eBooks, or comprehensive industry reports.

However, the downside is – limited audience exposure, meaning only a select audience will engage with the material. What’s more, gating content might deter some users from accessing valuable insights, leading them to leave your site altogether.

Recent data reveals a staggering 81% of customers opt not to download gated content, reflecting a clear preference for freely accessible information.

Even more concerning is that 39% of users would provide false information just to access the content.

These statistics reveal that while gated content does capture leads, not all of these leads are quality prospects. This means that not all the leads you capture are genuinely interested in what you have to offer, which can lead to wasted time and resources for your sales team.

The challenge, therefore, is to determine whether the leads generated from gated content are worth the investment.

Deciding When to Gate Your Content

To make an informed decision on whether to gate your content, consider the following guiding questions:

1. Does the content offer original research?
   Content that presents original research tends to be more valuable.
2. Does it provide unique insights valuable to the audience?
   Beyond just original research, consider whether your content offers unique insights or actionable advice that your audience can’t easily find elsewhere.
3. Is the Research Backed by Reputable Third-Party Sources?
   Content that cites well-known and trusted sources, such as Gartner or Forrester, can enhance credibility and perceived value.

If you can confidently answer ‘Yes’ to these questions, you should seriously consider gating the content.

Evaluating Lead Quality: The Final Check

Once you’ve gated content, it’s essential to evaluate its effectiveness continuously. This leads to our next critical consideration:

4. Evaluate the quality of the leads you capture

During this evaluation, collaborate with your sales team to gain insights into your leads’ progression through the conversion funnel.

Ask questions such as:

• What percentage of appointments result from gated content?
• How many of those appointments actually turn into deals?

If the conversion rates are low and your sales team reports that gated leads aren’t qualified, it may be time to rethink your strategy. In such cases, ungating the content might be your best bet.

By making the content freely accessible, you might attract a larger, more engaged audience that’s genuinely interested in your offerings, even if they don’t immediately convert into leads.

Making the Right Choice for Your Content Strategy

Navigating the gate vs. not-to-gate debate requires careful consideration of your content’s value and your audience’s preferences.

By asking the right questions and continuously evaluating your results, you can create a content strategy that not only enhances user experience but also drives meaningful conversions.

Remember, the ultimate goal is not just to capture leads, but to capture the right leads—those who are likely to become loyal customers.