Gated vs. Ungated Content: Striking the Right Balance in Your Fintech Marketing Strategy

Every fintech marketing team faces a critical decision: should your content be freely accessible, or should it be used to capture valuable lead information? Whether you're launching a new product, building brand recognition, or nurturing leads, deciding between gated and ungated content is a strategic one that impacts how you reach and convert your audience.

What’s the Difference?

Gated content requires users to fill out a form, typically providing their name, email address, company, or other personal information in order to access the content. Common examples of gated content include eBooks and white papers, webinars and virtual event recordings, case studies and product demos, and research reports.

Ungated content, on the other hand, is freely available with no strings attached. Users can consume this content without providing any personal data. This includes blog posts, videos and podcasts, infographics, and company press releases.

The Pros and Cons of Gating Content

Gating content can be a powerful tool for lead generation, particularly in B2B fintech marketing where capturing contact information is often a top priority. When done strategically, gating helps qualify leads who are further along in the buyer’s journey. It also builds your CRM or email list for future nurture campaigns and provides measurable insights into how your content is performing.

However, gating too much content (or gating the wrong content) can create conflict. Prospects who are still in the awareness phase may be turned off by an early ask for personal information. Additionally, excessive gating can limit your reach and SEO potential, since search engines can’t index gated pages as effectively.

When to Use Ungated Content

Ungated content is especially effective when your primary goal is brand visibility, thought leadership, or driving organic traffic. Making content openly available helps you reach a broader audience. It builds credibility and trust early in the buyer journey and improves SEO performance by making content fully accessible to search engines.

For fintech startups or companies looking to break into new markets, ungated content can be essential in building awareness without barriers.

Final Thoughts

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the gated vs. ungated content debate. The right mix depends on your specific business goals, audience, and content strategy. For fintech marketers, a well-planned approach that thoughtfully combines gated and ungated content is often the most effective way to drive both awareness and qualified leads.

At William Mills Agency, we work with fintech companies to build content strategies that strike the right balance. Whether you're scaling your brand or refining your lead generation process, we can help you make the most of every piece of content you create.