If your gated content is causing high bounce rates, low engagement, or poor lead quality, it’s time to consider open access and generating leads with ungated content.
For years, gated content has been a standard lead generation strategy in B2B marketing. By requiring users to submit their contact details before accessing valuable resources like eBooks, white papers, and reports, businesses have successfully built email lists and nurtured potential customers.
However, in 2025, buyer behavior is changing—users expect instant access to content, search engines and AI-driven search prioritize open-access resources, and growing privacy concerns make people hesitant to share personal details.
The good news is that you don’t have to rely on forms to capture leads. This blog explores high-converting alternatives to gated content that will still generate leads, boost engagement, and build trust.
Want to maximize visibility while driving conversions? Read on for strategies that will help you generate leads with ungated content.
Table of Contents
6 ways to generate leads with ungated content
If you decide to move away from gated content, you still need a way to capture leads and collect user information without adding friction to the user experience.
The good news is that there are effective, non-intrusive ways to encourage visitors to share their email addresses while keeping your content accessible. Here’s how you can generate leads with ungated content:
1. Use embedded lead capture forms within open content
Instead of forcing users to fill out a form before accessing content, place lead capture forms within blog posts, resources, and articles.
A well-placed “subscribe for exclusive insights” form in the middle or at the end of a valuable piece of content can encourage sign-ups without disrupting the experience.
Do it right:
- Add a newsletter subscription box with a compelling reason to sign up, e.g., “Get expert insights straight to your inbox”
- Offer a “one-click” opt-in form that requires minimal effort
- Place forms at natural stopping points where users are already engaged with your content
Keep in mind: Driving sign-ups requires impactful writing. Learn more on creating engaging, high-converting content.
2. Create exclusive content series or email courses
A great way to generate leads with ungated content is to offer a free email-based content series. Instead of locking an eBook or report behind a form, turn it into a multi-part email course that delivers insights over several days. This approach builds engagement over time while growing your email list.
Do it right:
- Offer a 5-day email course on a topic relevant to your audience
- Provide quick, actionable insights in each email to keep subscribers interested
- Use the series to naturally introduce your products or services
3. Offer ungated but high-value downloadable content
Instead of requiring users to submit their email before accessing a download, offer the resource freely with a soft CTA encouraging them to subscribe.
When users see the quality of your content—such as insightful thought leadership content—they are more likely to willingly opt in for future updates.
Do it right:
- Provide instant downloads for resources like checklists, templates, or guides
- Include a “stay updated” CTA at the end, encouraging users to sign up for more exclusive resources
- Track engaged users and use retargeting ads to offer related content later
Tip: Try micro-content and atomized content. For example, an infographic can be a great downloadable asset that drives engagement. To learn more on content marketing trends, read our blog.
4. Share information via chatbots
Use AI-powered chatbots to present key information about your offerings.
Chatbots can capture leads in real-time by offering helpful insights and guiding users through their journey. By asking relevant questions and encouraging users to engage with your team, it can collect user emails through conversation, without requiring a form.
Do it right:
- Use a chatbot to offer recommendations and suggest related content
- Allow users to request a free consultation or demo directly within the chat
- Collect emails only when necessary, such as when following up on a request
5. Use interactive tools & quizzes
Interactive content such as quizzes, assessments, or ROI calculators can be very effective in generating leads with ungated content.
It encourages users to share their email addresses in a non-intrusive way. Instead of simply asking for their contact information, offer them personalized results in exchange.
Do it right:
- Create an assessment like “How ready is your business for AI-driven marketing?” and require an email to get the full results
- Offer interactive tools like a cost-saving calculator or benchmarking tool
- Ensure the value is clear so users feel compelled to opt in
6. Optimize for social sign-ups & community access
Instead of requiring an email upfront, offer free community access or an exclusive LinkedIn or Slack group where users can engage with your content.
Many users prefer one-click social sign-ups over traditional email forms, making it easier to grow your audience and generate leads with ungated content.
How to do it right:
- Offer exclusive members-only access to live webinars or discussion groups
- Use LinkedIn or Slack to create an active community
- Encourage users to follow your brand for direct updates, reducing the need for traditional lead forms
Moving away from gated content doesn’t mean losing leads. Instead, it’s about finding smarter, more engaging ways to collect user information while keeping content accessible.
By embedding lead capture forms naturally, leveraging email-based content series, and using interactive and community-driven engagement, you can grow your email list without frustrating your audience.
Evaluating strategies: Gated vs. open access
Ultimately, every brand and its audience have unique needs, so it’s important to find the strategy that works best for them.
Testing various options will give you the key insights you need to update your approach so you can generate leads with ungated content as well as leverage gated content strategically.
To measure the effectiveness of gated vs. open access, start by selecting the right metrics. They will help determine how your content is working for you—attracting high-quality, increasing brand visibility, boosting engagement, or not connecting with your audience at all.
Metrics for gated content
Gated content is designed to generate leads, so its success is measured by conversion and lead quality metrics rather than just traffic.
- Conversion rate: Measures the percentage of visitors who fill out a form and download your content. A high conversion rate indicates strong content value and a well-optimized landing page.
- Lead quality score: Not all leads are equal. Tracking job titles, company size, and engagement levels helps assess whether your gated content attracts the right audience.
- Cost per lead (CPL): This is the amount spent on marketing (including ads and other content creation) divided by the number of leads generated. A lower CPL indicates cost-effective lead generation.
- Bounce rate on gated content pages: A high bounce rate on landing pages might indicate that users are put off by the form requirement.
Metrics for open access content
Unlike gated content, open content aims to increase reach, brand awareness, and SEO rankings. The success of open content is measured by:
- Organic traffic: The number of visitors coming from search engines and AI-driven search such as ChatGPT. Higher traffic means your content is optimized for SEO and ranking well.
- Engagement metrics: Includes average time on page, scroll depth, and click-through rates. These indicate how well visitors interact with your content.
- Backlinks & social shares: Open content is more likely to be linked by other websites or shared on social media, increasing its credibility and SEO ranking.
- Lead conversions from CTAs: Even without gates, tracking sign-ups from embedded CTAs (e.g., newsletter subscriptions) helps measure conversion success.
Common mistakes to avoid when removing content gates
Many businesses recognize the downsides of gated content but fail to replace it with an alternative strategy, that is, ways to generate leads with ungated content.
Simply removing content gates without another lead generation plan can result in lower conversions and missed revenue opportunities.
Here are common mistakes to avoid when transitioning to open-access content:
- Not having a clear lead capture alternative
The mistake: Removing forms without offering another way to capture visitor interest and contact details.
The fix: Replace gated forms with embedded lead capture elements like newsletter sign-up boxes, exit-intent popups, and contextual CTAs within blog posts.
Example: Instead of requiring an email for an eBook, allow instant downloads but include a “subscribe for more exclusive insights” CTA at the end.
- Failing to track new engagement metrics after removing gates
The mistake: Businesses often measure gated content success by conversions but fail to track the success of open content using SEO, engagement, and brand awareness metrics.
The fix: Shift from lead-based KPIs to tracking organic reach, social engagement, and on-page interactions (e.g., scroll depth, time on page).
Example: If a previously gated case study is now an open blog post, track how many users click internal links to related services instead of measuring downloads.
- Losing potential revenue from premium content models
The mistake: Businesses may remove all content gates without considering the monetization opportunities of high-value content.
The fix: Keep select premium content gated, such as exclusive industry reports or in-depth research, and offer it as part of a membership model or premium newsletter.
Example: A marketing agency can provide free blog posts but keep a comprehensive digital marketing course behind a membership paywall.
Removing content gates can increase traffic, engagement, and brand trust, but without a proper transition strategy, you may lose valuable leads. The key is to replace form-based lead generation with interactive, user-friendly alternatives that encourage voluntary sign-ups and engagement.
Conclusion
The shift away from gated content doesn’t mean losing leads—it means adapting to modern buyer expectations.
By using strategic alternatives like embedded lead capture forms, interactive tools, AI-powered chatbots, and compelling CTAs, businesses can still collect valuable user data while improving engagement, SEO rankings, and brand trust.
A well-executed open-access strategy ensures that your content reaches a wider audience, performs better in search results, and keeps users engaged without frustrating them with barriers, helping you generate leads with ungated content
By focusing on value-driven content and seamless lead capture, you can turn website visitors into loyal customers—without making them jump through hoops.
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