Gated content vs. Ungated content

To gate or to ungate: the perennial dilemma among marketers. 

What do we mean when we talk about gated content? 

Gated content refers to information and resources which require you to enter your email address (or phone number or other contact information) to view the asset. 

Gated content is very common in the B2B world. Whitepapers, reports, case studies, and pricing tables all hide behind gates which require your work email address to unlock. 

But gated content is abundant in the B2C world too, especially when accessing personalized recommendations from a brand. For example, a bra-sizing quiz might require you to share your email address before it’ll reveal your unique band-cup-style combo. Or a furniture company may let you create an at-scale mockup of your living room… if you enter your contact info first. 

Why companies love gates so much

Businesses aren’t just hoarding your personal info for the fun of it. They’re using it to make sure they can follow up with you. Didn’t purchase a sofa today? Well, we know you were interested enough to envision it in your house, so we’ll keep reminding you of that via email. 

In B2B, putting your information into a gated content form may not be enough to mark you as a lead for sales. In some companies, each form you fill out gives you points toward a lead score. The more forms you fill out, the higher your score, until you’re officially considered a marketing qualified lead (MQL). Three report downloads this month? You seem pretty interested: time for a salesperson to get involved and reach out! 

The downside of gating

Every time you put a gate in place, you’re reducing the number of people who will actually read your content, or use your tool. I might go all the way through a skincare routine builder quiz only to abandon it when it asks for my information. I might get psyched for a “state-of-the-industry” report, but bounce when I realize it requires turning over my email address to yet another company. 

Shouldn’t marketers have users’ backs here? 

It might seem like a cut and dried case: ungated content is more convenient, and helps you engage with more potential customers. But the problem is, marketers are often evaluated and measured based on the number of qualified leads they create. 

And guess what? Leads can’t be anonymous. To be a qualified lead, you need a name and email. 

Hence, the gating debate rages on year after year. 

My take on gates

I don’t think there’s any need to belabor this, or get overly philosophical about it. Whether or not your content should be gated depends on where it is in the buyer journey. 

Early journey / Top of Funnel

Open the gates and welcome everyone in! Ungated content is not only more likely to get engagement from folks who don’t know about your company yet, but it’s also key for building your site’s authority for both SEO (search engine optimization) and GEO (generative experience optimization, aka AI discoverability). If you gate all of your expertise, the LLMs and search engines will be locked out and won’t register you as a leader in your field. 

So, ungate for the people, and the bots. 

Mid journey / Middle of Funnel

This is where there’s some gray area. In an ideal world, you get enough traffic that you could even A/B test this. Show your room layouts to some users pre-email entry, and lock them down for other users. Then see how site visitors respond. 

Maybe you have two big B2B reports coming out this quarter. Gate one and ungate the other. See which performs better. 

At mid-journey, your readers likely know who you are and what you sell. But they’re not ready to buy yet, which may mean they’re still shy about filling in any forms they think will lead to a call from a rep. 

In the real world, there are often too many variables, or too little traffic, to create a true A/B test. That’s why this remains a gray area where you’ll have to carefully observe trends and use your best judgement. 

Late journey / Bottom of Funnel

If prospects are still coming back after sampling your free ungated content, they’re sending you a signal that they may be approaching readiness to buy. 

That means they expect to get either more promotion and prompts to purchase (from the bra or skincare brand) or a conversation with a rep (a furniture store salesperson or B2B representative). 

It’s time to lower the gates! Gate your most decision-focused content to ensure you’re not letting real, qualified leads slip through your fingers.