Should we still be using gated content?
I’ve happily followed the methodology and principles of inbound marketing (perhaps most famously touted by the folk at HubSpot), and I was often the main voice advocating for its use at whatever organisation I happened to be working at.
But, gated content — what’s happened to you recently? Because your glistening shine has all but gone…
What is gated content?
‘Gated content’ is perhaps the most well-known tactic of inbound marketing. Users hand over some details about themselves via a form in exchange for a content asset they want to read (e.g. a juicy white paper), watch (e.g. an on-demand webinar), or look at (e.g. a data-laden infographic).
By submitting the form, they remove the ‘gate’ from the content so that it can be accessed. It’s effectively a transaction between brand and user.
It’s well-used for a reason; it can be damn effective for attracting leads. And if someone’s convinced they’re going to receive a valuable piece of content in exchange for a few basic details, then why not, right? Everyone’s a winner.
So, what’s changed?
Whilst working as a strategist in my last agency role, I regularly relied on high-quality insight, data and intel to help inform my work on client projects. Most of this was gated content.
But what I found is that it was pretty common for me to feel disappointed or misled about the content I’d just handed my details over for. In fact, countless papers, reports, and webinars I signed up for in good faith turned out to be quite light in terms of ‘value’ — and that’s putting it politely.
How else is gated content earning a bad rep?
Landing page experiences are often hit-and-miss. Before you even get your hands on the content you’re after, you might be faced with working out if you’re even on the right page. And if you are on the right page, where the hell is the form located?
Over time, many of us have slipped into feeling more wary and suspicious of the gated content we see being promoted online. ‘Thought leadership’ or ‘industry insight’ is everywhere after all.
“4 in 10 Final Decision-Markers say that the market is oversaturated with thought leadership content.”
The truth is that a high volume of organisations — big and small — have spent years abusing elements of content marketing; often utilising gated content as their default strategy to attract leads, but without properly ticking all the boxes when it comes to offering content that’s relevant, engaging, and in some way, valuable.
This consistent under-delivery of promises to their audiences means that I’d say a large proportion of marketers have become a bit disillusioned with the whole idea of gated content.
One of the main ways this ‘misuse’ of gated content can materialise is via the endless barrage of marketing emails and social media messages we’ll receive once we’ve completed a form somewhere — and it might even be the first-ever interaction we’ve with that brand.
What’s more, with data leaks, cybercrime, identity theft, and the lacklustre levels of impact GDPR legislation made, many of us have developed a new sense of vigilance when faced with the prospect of handing over some basic details.
Consider also that, over recent years, there’s been a steady flow of research and studies that indicate changes in B2B buyer behaviour. Could this mean that gated content may have outstayed its welcome?
“Only 25% of B2B buyers say that they’re willing to share contact details to access interesting content. Why? The nature of people driving B2B tech buying has changed. The way that tech buyers want to engage with providers has changed.
“They want to be anonymous and experience the traditional buyer journey on their own terms.”
All of these things leave me questioning whether now, in 2024, gated content is well and truly on a downward trajectory.
Other marketers have expressed a general ‘weariness’ about using gated content — it’s now a hindrance to their general practice:
And there’s more discussion than ever on social about ‘gated vs. ungated’ content. B2B marketers are perhaps taking more time to consider exactly what reasoning and which circumstances justify the use of the tactic in the first place.
Content heavyweights like Ann Handley have previously offered a view about it too:
“Marketing used the presence of a gate to communicate value: “This is so valuable that I need something in exchange for it.” And the email address was a fair trade.
“The problem is that too many bad players have exploited that exchange.
“And people (you, me, our customers) are hyper-aware of the value of our data now.”
I was once a firm advocate of the gated content tactic, but I’m now permanently jaded by its constant overuse and misuse. I guess I’ll just watch with interest from the sidelines whilst I carefully weigh up whether I fill in that next form or not…
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