Should you ever gate your content?
Here's how I think about it.
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This week, someone asked me a question that always lights a fire in the comments:
“What are your thoughts about gated content in general? Our CMO prefers to no gate but it’s the only way we can truly track performance and follow up with potential leads.”
Here’s my no-fluff, not-sorry-if this offends your executive answer:
We don’t hate gated content — we hate bad gated content.
I remember the first time this happened to me.
I saw an offer online—the kind that promised a juicy playbook or template that fueled impressive (and probably exaggerated) growth. I bit.
But I didn’t get wow’d, I got junk content. Instead of feeling like “my money email’s worth” — I felt tricked.
Cool, they got my email address.
But in my head, I thought: Congrats, now I hate you.
Not because I’m petty – but because I don’t trust them.
I’ll never open an email, click their “see more,” or hit play again.
That’s what bad gated content does: it burns trust faster than the speed of hype.
Now, when I gate content, it’s because I believe it’s so valuable that someone would pay for it.
That's my barometer.
And in that case, an email address feels like a good trade—not a trick.
Here’s how I think about gating or not:
You’re trading reach for information.
Ungated: 100% reach, 0% data.
→More people see your content, but you’re not gonna know who.
Gated: ~30% landing page conversion, but now you have some emails.
→ Fewer people see your content, but you have a growing email list.
But if you don’t have a solid email strategy? Don’t bother gating. Get maximum eyeballs.
And another thing: Gating isn’t binary — it’s strategic.
When I launched my LinkedIn research:
- Gated on LinkedIn post (to get new subscribers)
- Ungated in this newsletter (you’re already in)
- Ungated AND gated in my LinkedIn newsletter (reach play)
I follow a simple rule of thumb:
- Top of funnel? Gate it.
- Mid-funnel, product-focused? Don’t.
- Demo? Depends — but let’s be real, if it’s underwhelming, a form won’t save it.
At the end of the day:
Marketing is a long game—because trust is a long game.
I want people to thank me for my content, not feel sunburned.
So if you’re going to ask for an email, overdeliver. Every time.
PS: I shared this idea on LinkedIn this morning.
See what others are saying about gating their content.
Holler at you later,
Devin
Founder, thereeder.co
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→ 5 Ways to Differentiate Your Content (with Heike Young)
*The 3rd-most watched episode of all time!
→ What Elite B2B Marketers Do Differently to Win (with Tas Bober)
→The Content Strategy Mistake Costing You Growth (with Brendan Hufford)
→ How to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Content Engine (with Nick Cegelski)
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