Today, marketers face a major dilemma – should they choose gated or non-gated content? Spending hours creating a high-quality webinar and seeing it is not performing well can be heartbreaking. Lead generation is always a top priority, and gated content can help you reach those goals. However, non-gated content has its benefits too.
So let’s examine gated and non-gated content side by side and decide which is a better option for your brand!
What is gated content?
Gated content is essentially concealed by a form. Users can’t access it unless they provide personal information. It could be emails, phone numbers, or even a short survey.
Some websites can also limit the number of free daily articles until you subscribe to their newsletter. But it is important to note that gated content doesn’t require your visitors to pay for it. Instead, they exchange their information for more content made by you and your brand.
As you might have guessed by now, gated content is an excellent way of generating leads. Imagine this scenario: a user discovers your social media profile and follows a link provided in the bio. They land on your webpage and adore the content you create. But if they want to continue reading, they have to type in their email address.
Since they already find your website interesting, chances are they won’t mind sharing that with you. And voilà – you have a new potential lead! But what type of gated content should you create to encourage visitors to stay?
Make sure that content has value and is educational. For instance, webinars and courses are excellent choices. They require some extra work because you need to film videos and lessons, but they can generate leads.
If you are short on time and want to make gated content right on the spot, try offering eBooks to your audience. Go through your most popular posts and expand on those topics. Then there are newsletters, templates, and so on.
What is non-gated content?
Gated content does generate leads, but we shouldn’t ignore the power of non-gated content! The latter will widen your reach and introduce your brand to more people. If you are working on brand awareness, non-gated content could go viral quickly, which can help.
Keep in mind that some people dislike gated content and will close a tab when they see a form they need to fill out. It can also lead to them ignoring a brand in the future. After all, they could find similar content elsewhere, and it will not be hidden behind a form.
Non-gated content can boost your SEO. Gated content is not public, and the content can’t be indexed. So if you want your website to appear in the top search results, your focus should be on delivering optimized non-gated content to your audience.
Attracting more people to your website is easy with non-gated content. Start by publishing well-written and informative articles regularly. Infographics and listicles are also excellent options for non-gated content because they are easy to read and shareable.
How to choose between gated and non-gated content
Both gated and non-gated content is beneficial for a brand. So it is up to you as a marketer to decide which is more suitable for your current marketing strategy. Do you want more page views and visitors? Offer non-gated content. Are you interested in generating leads? Gated content is the way to go. Of course, you can offer both to your audience, which might be the best possible choice right now.
Establishing your website as a source of valuable information should be the first step. Once you create a buzz, you may add gated content and closely observe its performance. Remember that you can always unlock gated content and make it available to everyone. It is highly recommended when you notice your content is not performing as well as you expected.
If your audience is hesitant to leave their email or personal information, you can give them so-called teasers. Release a portion of your gated content and show them it will be worth their time. Chances are your visitors will be intrigued and decide to continue reading or watching the content.
