Debate: when if ever should we gate our content behind a form?

Here's my point of view on this ongoing debate.

??? ARGUMENTS TO UNGATE

Opponents of gating argue it's in conflict with a buyer-centric approach. The sentiment is fair; nobody enjoys form-filling. An ungated approach definitely makes for a smoother user experience, which can, in turn, boost brand perception. Assuming you want your content to get seen by as many people as possible, ungating will help it get seen and shared. You may not even get accurate data with a form, and in a landscape where GDPR and CCPA reign, concerns around data privacy are real.

?? ADVANTAGES OF GATING

You got the person to your site and got them to engage. Great! But if they remain anonymous, you can't nurture the relationship over time. It’s valuable to have opt-in permission to invite the person to events and other ways to engage. And if the content indicates the company may actually be in-market to make it purchase, without a form it’s harder to know who to contact. Ungated content also makes it harder to measure the ROI of your efforts to attract buyers to the site. Lastly, there should be a fair value exchange with the customer: if you give them something valuable, shouldn’t they be willing to give you something valuable?

?? A BALANCED APPROACH

Rather than having religion around a “No Forms” policy, I think the most pragmatic strategy is a hybrid model, combining both gated and ungated assets based on the buying stage and value of the content.

• Early/awareness and problem identification — No gate. The goal of this content is to build brand trust, so you want it to be broadly accessible with no gate except for perhaps the most valuable content. The main exception is registering for events, where you need their information and nobody has a problem with forms (making events a great way to build your opt-ins).
• Middle/solution exploration, requirements building, supplier selection — Maybe gate. If a company is interested in this content (e.g., RFP template, long-form demos, comparisons), they are motivated to get it, and you want to know about it since it suggests now might be one of those magic moments when they’re open to you reaching out.
• Late/validation and consensus — Maybe gate. Later in the buying process, more members of the buying committee will access your site, looking to understand and validate the decision. Case studies, ROI analyses, and other forms of social proof are important here. Give the broad buying committee a good experience by making it as easy as possible for them, while still gating highly valuable content.

(A quick note about requiring work vs personal emails: I think we need a balanced, hybrid approach here as well. There are times a valid recipient can’t use a work email, e.g. they’re on leave or are perhaps switching jobs. I wouldn’t require a work email for early stage content, but perhaps work email is required for valuable content that indicates an active buying cycle such as a buyer’s guide or analyst report.)

??? LEVERAGING TECH FOR SMARTING GATING

Fortunately, technology can help a lot here. For example:

Account Identification ??

Even if a visitor remains anonymous, ABM platforms can identify their associated company. Knowing which companies are engaging with your content provides invaluable account intelligence and prioritize marketing and sales efforts toward organizations that are likely in-market for your solutions.

Retargeting Ads ??

Retargeting ads can reengage visitors, funneling them back into your site or a landing page, where perhaps they’ll to opt-in.

Intelligent Forms ??

There's no need to ask things like the person's company size if you know their company and can look that up. The most extreme version of this is to just ask for the email address; from that, you get opt-in and can look up their name, title, even mobile phone. This is not only better for the buyer but can also give more accurate and standardized information.

Skip the Form with Automation ??

For visitors already "cookied" into your marketing automation systems like Marketo, there's absolutely no need for another form. Bypass it completely; these systems can still track content consumption as if the visitor filled out a form, giving you insights into user behavior without causing friction for the visitor.

In summary, don't look at gated content as a binary decision. It's about balancing accessibility with the capacity to engage and nurture prospects. By doing so, you're not leaving your pipeline to chance, but building it on strategic choices and measurable actions.

Let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments, and how you handle this!