Content Gating: This, Not That — Sometimes These

Two shaggy donkeys behind a gate.

Here are some guidelines when considering what content to use when developing a content-gating strategy as part of your demand-generation effort.

First and foremost: Follow the law of “customer first.” In this case, that means focusing on the value of the content to the prospect over the value of the names to you. Think of your own content journeys when making purchases: Would you pay for the information?

I like to use shopping for cars as an example. There’s a reason I go to Carmax to look at cars. I can do all my research, sit in all the cars I want, and no one bothers me. I may do my final purchase at a dealership, but I’ve already done most of my research without someone following me around a lot. It’s the same with big online purchases, as B2B purchases are. I want to choose when I engage.

MORE INSIGHT: RISKS OF AGGRESSIVELY GATING CONTENT

Content Gating: Examples

These suggestions are not written in stone, literally or figuratively. (I don’t have the time or the tools to chisel them into rocks. Although, I do have a lot of rocks where I live.) They’re suggestions to use when evaluating your content.

Gate This

Focus on assets with unique thought leadership value or data that a competitor wouldn’t be able to provide:

Not That

Provide easy access to the bread-and-better storytelling that puts your products in context for prospects:

And Sometimes These

Of course, there’s a whole universe of other content types. Here are some guidelines on a few more that tend to sit in the middle of the this vs. that universe.

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