Gated content is anything that requires somebody to enter their contact information or payment information to view the content. Ungated content is content that is freely available on your blog, YouTube channel, Facebook page, or elsewhere.
People consume all types of content and you need both to execute a proper content strategy. Most people love ungated content such as blog posts and YouTube videos, but they struggle a bit more to create high-quality gated content that people will pay to read.
There are different types of gated content that you can create. For most B2B marketers, the goal would be getting someone to give you their email address to view the content so that you get a lead. For a news site or publisher, the goal would be getting people to pay a monthly subscription fee to read the content (this is what The Economist does, for example).
Some of the types of gated content that you can consider creating include:
- Guides
- Reports
- Cheat sheets
- White papers
- Case studies
- Toolkits
- Resource lists
- Templates
We call this type of content a lead magnet because it’s a great way to show your target audience that you are the thought leader in your field. Giving away knowledge that can help solve your customers’ problems is one of the best ways to show them that you are the go-to person to offer them solutions.
If you are creating gated content, be sure to follow up with a well thought-out email marketing campaign that can lead to more sales.
Need help with your content marketing? Then contact WSI OMS today.