Tech content is more than an asset—it drives engagement, lead generation, and sales. By Roy Sarkar, B2B Tech Copywriter and Content Marketer
Rethink Gated vs. Ungated Content in B2B Tech Marketing
by Elizabeth Trimble, Digital Marketing Strategist
To gate or not to gate? Most B2B technology marketers gate content because they believe it’s the best way to capture leads and nurture them through the sales funnel. But here’s a hard truth: 57-70% of the B2B buying decision is made before a prospect reaches out. Most B2B buyers quietly research, evaluate, and form opinions about your product or service long before you know they exist.
It’s a challenge: engineers, developers, and executives are expert lurkers. They prefer to consume marketing content anonymously to avoid aggressive sales contact. That’s borne out by the fact that social media is used by 84% of CEOs and VPs to make a purchase decision. So, if you gate all or most of your technical content, you may be turning away—and turning off—the B2B buyers you most want to attract.
Rethink your approach to gated content
So, when should you gate content in B2B tech marketing? While it’s true that over-gating can push potential buyers away, strategic gating can help you generate and nurture marketing-qualified leads. Here are ways to strike the right balance:
- What content should never be gated?
- What content should always be gated?
- How to gate content without losing prospects
- Make gating part of a larger tech content strategy
What content should never be gated?
Some content should be freely available to establish trust, demonstrate expertise, and engage prospects without scaring them off:
- Case studies: These are your proof points. If your tech product solves problems for businesses, let prospects hear it from their peers. Even better, get case studies into the press through a strategic technology public relations campaign and reach new audiences.
- Use cases: Show how your B2B technology product or service addresses your buyers’ biggest pain points. Keep it high-level—just enough to spark interest.
- How-it-works content: Educate your audience and demonstrate your unique selling proposition. Show what makes your product or service stand out from the competition.
- Blogs & thought leadership: Position yourself as an authority. Encourage subscriptions, but don’t gate—buyers need to see this content.
- Podcasts: Make your content easy to consume. Many people like watching videos and listening to audio more than they like to read text. Create tech content for everyone.
What content should always be gated?
Some content justifies a personal information exchange:
- Webinars: Attendees expect to register. Make your webinars worth their time.
- Demos: Serious prospects will show up.
- White papers and reports: Provide executive summaries for free but require contact details and registration for in-depth insights.
How to gate content without losing prospects
Like most things in life, balance is key. When you gate content, approach it strategically. Here are some best practices our agency follows when working with B2B tech clients:
- Don’t be greedy with forms: Only ask for a first name and email. Don’t require a corporate email. If they want an ongoing relationship, they’ll use a real address.
- Use progressive profiling: Ask for less information up front and capture more details over time.
- Validate emails passively: Deliver the content instantly but also send the link via email. This ensures the email is legit, even if it is a Gmail account. It also is an opportunity to recommend related links, share key contact info and reiterate your value proposition.
- Make your communication helpful, not salesy: Nobody likes to feel pressured. Offer real value, not just a sales pitch.
- Use remarketing in ways that aren’t annoying: Retarget prospects with relevant content, not repetitive and aggressive ads.
- Meet your audience where they are: Engage on LinkedIn, Reddit, conferences, and industry forums. Build credibility by participating in helpful ways, not by just promoting your product.
- Keep emails infrequent and valuable: Limit outreach to one or two emails per month and make them worth the time of your prospects.
Make gating part of a larger tech content strategy
Decisions about which tech content to gate and which content to leave open are best made in the context of your tech content marketing program. They should be part of a well-thought-out content strategy that aligns with your goals and objectives. Gating content that buyers expect to be freely available turns them away. Ungated content reaches more people and establishes authority and trust before a prospect is ready to engage with sales.
Balance is key
Gating all tech content limits your reach. Gating none limits your lead generation. The best approach is a hybrid strategy—give prospects enough free content to engage and build trust while reserving premium content for those open to ongoing communication.
By rethinking your approach to gated vs. ungated content, you create a smoother path for potential buyers. Engage them early, earn their trust, and guide them toward a decision. If you want to rethink your B2B tech content strategy, we’re here to help.
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HCI has marketing professionals in North America and Europe.
HCI has marketing professionals in North America and Europe.