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Gated or Ungated? The strategic decision that defines your B2B Trust and Lead Quality

  • Marie-Louise Cleeren
  • 4 days ago
  • 3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

One man and four women in business casual clothes standing above a staircase in a hotel, looking out over a balustrade. The heading over the image reads "Gated Content" and under the image "To be or not to be? That is the question!"
Philip Otter (Contitude), Linda Björck (SmartBizz), Marie Sundbom and two representatives of ProfilHotels during Marketing AW in Stockholm on September 24, 2025. Photo by Mimmis Cleeren (SUNMICO).

Last week, marketing leaders gathered at a Marketing AW in Stockholm (organized by Contitude, SmartBizz and Marie Sundbom at Le Relais de la Gare, ProfilHotels Central) to passionately debate a crucial question for B2B success: When should expert knowledge be gated, and when should it be freely shared?


For CEOs, Sales, and Marketing Directors currently evaluating their strategy or selecting a consultancy partner, this decision is fundamentally about trust, lead quality, and strategic intent.


The strategic divide: Brand Building vs. Performance Marketing

The consensus from the mingle, attended by professionals including Philip Otter (Contitude), Linda Björck (SmartBizz, LinkedIn Marketing expert), Marie Sundbom (marketing consultant) and SUNMICO’s own Mimmis Cleeren, was clear: there is no single answer. The effectiveness of gating content depends heavily on where the potential buyer is in their journey and whether the goal is to build long-term thought leadership and confidence, or focus strictly on immediate performance marketing.


Too often, companies focus on internal goals – "We want more leads" – instead of prioritizing the customer’s objective for consuming the content.


Why senior leaders should be wary of Gating by default

SUNMICO believes in openly sharing your expertise to build undeniable confidence that your company has the solution to a problem and possesses the competence needed to deliver results.


Gating content early in the buyer journey often creates an unnecessary barrier. If a prospect is asked to complete a form too soon, especially for content they perceive as low value, they are likely to become irritated, leading to higher bounce rates.


The Trust Cost of Gating

  • User Deterrence: Forms create friction and barriers.


  • Reduced Reach & SEO Loss: Gating content limits brand visibility and prevents search engines/AI from indexing valuable content, hindering organic traffic. Losing organic traffic and brand visibility can be a strategic threat.


  • Hidden Expertise: Gating content creates an unnecessary barrier for potential buyers to evaluate your competence and form an opinion of your expertise. If you do not openly share knowledge, you prevent the natural building of trust for your company's skills and ability to deliver the right solution and results.

  • Poor Quality Leads: Users desperate for content may provide fake details or non-corporate email addresses, compromising data accuracy and wasting your sales team’s time.


The power of Ungated content: Building Demand and Authority

Ungated content serves as a powerful tool for demand generation and building trust. By freely offering valuable insights, you allow potential buyers to evaluate your competence and form an opinion of your expertise without commitment.


When does Gating actually make strategic sense?

Gated content tends to be used specifically for inbound lead-generation. When executed correctly, gating can provide significant benefits:


  • Perceived Value: Exclusive or in-depth content signals scarcity and higher worth to the user.

  • Qualified Leads: Prospects who willingly complete a form for truly premium content demonstrate a higher level of intent. These are the actionable leads your sales team needs.

  • Audience Segmentation: Data collected allows for effective audience segmentation, enabling more targeted marketing campaigns crucial for nurturing your prospects into customers ready to buy.


The marketing consultant’s challenge: A strategic audit

Before implementing a gating strategy, ask yourself (hand on heart):


  1. Is the content truly unique and valuable enough that your potential customers would happily share their contact details to receive it?

  2. Are you gating content solely to collect contact information because you are measured on lead volume?


We urge strategic leaders to consider: What do your customers actually want to achieve by consuming your content, and what should your company achieve? The right strategy balances the need for lead capture with the paramount need to build trust and prove expertise.


Thank you to Philip Otter, Linda Björck, and Marie Sundbom for organizing this insightful AW!


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