Are you looking to turn your WordPress website into a lead generation machine? Gated content might be exactly what you need. As a founder who’s helped thousands of businesses with lead generation, I’ve seen firsthand how well-implemented gated content can transform casual website visitors into qualified leads.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything about creating gated content in WordPress – from choosing the right content type to avoiding common pitfalls that could hurt your conversion rates.
Whether you’re a solopreneur looking to grow your email list or a marketer aiming to generate more qualified leads, you’ll find actionable steps to get started today.
7 proven types of gated content that convert
Not all content is worth gating. Here are seven types of content that consistently deliver high conversion rates for solopreneurs and marketers:
1. Industry reports and benchmarks
Create detailed reports about your industry, including trends, statistics, and forecasts. For example, a marketing consultant could gate an annual “State of Social Media Marketing” report with current benchmarks and strategies.
2. Templates and swipe files
Provide ready-to-use templates that save time and effort. Think sales email templates, social media content calendars, or project management frameworks that your audience can implement immediately.
3. Video training series
Offer in-depth video tutorials that solve specific problems. For instance, a “5-Day Course: Master Facebook Ads for Service Businesses” would be valuable for service-based entrepreneurs.
4. ROI calculators and tools
Develop interactive tools that help your audience make better business decisions. Examples include pricing calculators, marketing budget templates, or project timeline generators.
5. Case study collections
Bundle detailed case studies showing real results. For example, “10 Solopreneur Success Stories: From $0 to $10K Monthly” would be highly attractive to your target audience.
6. Strategy playbooks
Create comprehensive guides that walk readers through implementing specific strategies. Like a “90-Day Client Acquisition Playbook” or “LinkedIn Lead Generation Blueprint.”
7. Expert interview series
Compile interviews with industry experts sharing their insights and strategies. This could be a PDF roundup or a video series featuring successful entrepreneurs in your niche.
Best WordPress tools for creating gated content
Disclosure: I’m the founder of Lead Booster Pro, which is listed first in these recommendations. While I believe it’s the best tool for creating gated content, I’ve included other great options to help you make an informed decision.
1. Lead Booster Pro
Perfect for: Solopreneurs and marketers who want high conversion rates
Key features:
– AI-powered form creation
– Multi-step forms with conditional logic
– Built-in analytics and A/B testing
– Direct integration with major CRM systems
Price: Starts at €40/month
2. MemberPress
Perfect for: Membership sites and course creators
Key features:
– Complete membership system
– Content dripping
– Subscription management
– Payment gateway integration
Price: Starts at $179/year
3. Gravity Forms
Perfect for: WordPress power users
Key features:
– Advanced form builder
– Multiple form integrations
– File upload handling
– Custom workflow creation
Price: Starts at $59/year
4. OptinMonster
Perfect for: Pop-up and overlay content gates
Key features:
– Exit intent technology
– A/B testing capabilities
– Behavior automation
– Mobile-specific triggers
Price: Starts at $7/month
Implement gated content on WordPress
Luckily, implementing gated content on WordPress is very straightforward. Investing time upfront in creating high-quality gated content ensures you provide real value to your audience, which helps maximize conversions.
1. Create a landing page
The first step is to create a landing page in WordPress. Depending on your page builder, you might have to do slightly different things. In principle, all steps should stay the same.
- Create a new page: Navigate to your WordPress dashboard, go to “Pages,” and click “Add New.”
- Build a well-designed landing page to maximize conversion rate: Use engaging headlines, compelling copy, and clear CTAs (Calls to Action).
- Design images and illustrations: Visualize your content and provide a preview of the gated content to build trust with your visitors.
2. Upload the gated content to WordPress
Once your landing page is ready, upload your gated content.
- Open the media manager: Go to “Media” in the WordPress dashboard and click “Add New Media File.”
- Upload the PDF to WordPress: Drag and drop your PDF file into the media library. The recommended size is 5 MB for a typical gated content document.
- Copy the media URL for the form redirect: After uploading, hover over the PDF in the media library and click “Copy URL” to get the URL of the uploaded document.
3. Create a form
Create a lead capture form to collect the visitors information before giving access to the PDF.
- Create a lead form: Use a form builder like Lead Booster Pro or Contact Form 7 to collect lead information and send the submission to your CRM.
- Break down long forms into multiple steps to improve completion rate: Multi-step forms are less intimidating and can lead to higher completion rates. Typically, you want to ask for personal data, the company name, and lead qualification questions.
4. Open the gated content on form submission
Redirect the visitor to your gated content PDf after submitting the form successfully.
- On form submission: After successful completion, open the uploaded document URL in a new browser tab. In Lead Booster Pro, for example, it’s called “Open URL.” In Contact Form 7, it’s called “Redirecting to another URL after submissions.”
5. Optimize gated content on WordPress for conversions
Optimize your landing page and form continuously to ensure you’re converting the most leads.
- Track conversion rates for your landing page: Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor landing page performance.
- Track completion rates for your forms: Analyze form and form step abandonment rates to identify and fix any issues.
10 best practices for gated content on WordPress
Implementing gated content on your WordPress site can significantly boost lead generation and conversion rates. Here are some best practices to ensure your gated content strategy is effective and user-friendly:
- Create valuable content: The content behind a gate should be highly valuable and relevant to your audience. This could include high-quality whitepapers, in-depth guides, detailed case studies, and exclusive webinars.
- Design compelling landing pages: Craft landing pages that clearly communicate the benefits of your gated content. Use persuasive copy, engaging visuals, and strong calls-to-action (CTAs) to encourage users to fill out the form.
- Streamline your forms: Simplify your forms by asking only for essential information. Long forms can deter users, so keep it short and consider using multi-step forms to make the process feel less daunting.
- Tailor content to different audiences: Customize your gated content to specific audience segments. Personalize messaging and form fields to address the unique needs and pain points of different groups, increasing the likelihood of form completions.
- Test forms and landing pages: Continuously test various elements of your forms and landing pages using A/B testing. This helps identify the most effective combinations for higher conversion rates.
- Provide a transparent privacy policy: Link to a transparent privacy policy on your forms to reassure users about how their data will be used and protected.
- Implement a thank you page: Redirect users to a thank you page after form submission. This page should provide immediate access to the gated content and offer additional resources or related content to keep users engaged.
- Utilize marketing automation: Use marketing automation tools to nurture the leads collected through your gated content. Set up automated workflows to send follow-up emails and personalized content recommendations based on user behavior.
- Leverage social proof: Incorporate testimonials, case studies, and user reviews on your landing pages to build trust and credibility, encouraging more users to fill out your forms.
- Integrate with your CRM: Ensure that form submissions are automatically integrated with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to facilitate seamless lead management and follow-up processes.
Analyze performance and refine your strategy
Consistent monitoring and analyzing your gated content’s performance are crucial for continuous improvement.
- Track and review multiple gated contents over time: Regularly assess the performance of each piece of gated content.
- When creating multiple landing pages, it’s easy to lose track. Stay organized by using a spreadsheet, project management, or campaign management tool.
- Learn from your data to improve and decide on the following campaigns: Use the insights gained from your analysis to enhance future content and strategies.
Common mistakes to avoid with gated content
After helping thousands of businesses implement gated content, here are the most critical mistakes I see solopreneurs and marketers make:
1. Gating the wrong content
Don’t gate basic information that’s freely available elsewhere. Your gated content must provide unique value that justifies the exchange of contact information.
2. Asking for too much information
Every additional form field reduces your conversion rate by approximately 4%. Start with just email and name, then use progressive profiling to gather more information over time.
3. Unclear value proposition
Many landing pages fail to clearly communicate what the visitor will get. Always include a clear preview of the content’s value, such as the table of contents or key takeaways.
4. Poor mobile optimization
With over 50% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, your forms must work flawlessly on smartphones. Test your forms on multiple devices before launching.
5. No follow-up strategy
Having a great lead magnet isn’t enough. Plan your follow-up email sequence before launching your gated content to nurture leads effectively.
6. Neglecting analytics
Not tracking key metrics like form completion rates and abandonment points means missing opportunities for optimization. Set up proper tracking from day one.
7. Forgetting about compliance
Many forget about GDPR and other privacy regulations. Always include clear consent checkboxes and link to your privacy policy in your forms.
Start creating gated content today
Ready to implement gated content on your WordPress website? Instead of starting from scratch, you can use our professionally designed download form template to get started quickly.
The download form template is specifically designed for high conversion rates and lead generation success:
- Conversion-optimized design
- Professional lead capture
- Easy customization
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Additional resources
Here are some resources worth checking out for improving your gated content results:
- Elementor: A great page builder for creating high-converting landing pages.
- Lead Booster Pro: The ideal form builder for gated content, offering easy-to-use features, maximum conversion rates, and advanced analytics.
