A good way to spark interest and entice visitors to convert is by teasing them with a sneak peek of solid content. <\/p>

WHAT'S INSIDE<\/p>\nToggle<\/span>

Gate content at the right time<\/a><\/li>
Using OptinMonster to gate your content<\/a><\/li>
Optimize your landing page<\/a><\/li>
Follow up with new leads<\/a><\/li>
Wrapping up<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
Unless they hand over their email or take some sort of action you choose, they won\u2019t have access to this piece of content known as gated content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can be in the form of blog posts, videos, checklists, webinars, and more.
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When you run a membership site<\/a>, you rely on gated content to grow your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can help your website and business attract more leads, further its reach and visibility, and build relationships with new subscribers by offering them value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To decrease the chance of annoying visitors by presenting them with restricted content<\/a>, make sure you already have a substantial amount of visitors and traffic coming to your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your business isn\u2019t at the right growth rate, gated content will only frustrate and turn off visitors, pushing them to exit out and go somewhere else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You also want to make sure you\u2019re always offering valuable content not just as a teaser, but for free without exchanging anything. This will show you\u2019re sincere in your efforts to help your audience solve their problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s dive in to a few tips for you to use gated content to boost conversions and keep visitors happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Gate content at the right time<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It wouldn\u2019t be wise to start a brand new website and lock all your content, nor would it be wise to do so when you haven\u2019t gained enough traction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your website does not yet acquire a significant amount of monthly leads and organic traffic, it isn\u2019t time to start gating content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To ensure that your strategy is successful, you have to gate your content at the right time to the right set of visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do this, find out what stage your visitors are at in your conversion funnel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can\u2019t gate content at the top of the funnel when visitors are discovering your brand, exploring what you have to offer, and are contemplating if you\u2019re worth revisiting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They should be anywhere in the middle or towards the end of their buyer\u2019s journey when they come across gated content. In order to give users the sense of urgency that tells them they have to take the action you present to them, you first need to create motivation inside them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best way to do this is to create high quality, valuable content.
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The Wall Street Journal, which sells more than two million copies<\/a> of their newspaper daily, gates their content successfully because they already have a large, steady following. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consumers are already familiar with their brand and are willing to subscribe for a membership because they trust the publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Delivering quality content to your audience means knowing what answers they need and what problems they need solved. Figure out what questions they\u2019re asking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask them directly through surveys or emails and see what your competitors are doing for their audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n $\"How$ <\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Using OptinMonster to gate your content<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To create gated content, you can use a helpful tool like OptinMonster<\/a> which has a content locking feature you can operate straight from your WordPress dashboard. Gate content on any website and integrate with all the major email marketing software<\/a> available.
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Digital agency Whole Whale was able to increase their email signups by a staggering 100 percent<\/a> using content locking.
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To set up locked content, go to your OptinMonster<\/a> dashboard where you\u2019re going to create a new campaign. Select your campaign type.
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Then, choose a template for your campaign.
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Give your campaign a name and click Start Building.
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You\u2019ll then be able to customize the design of your campaign. Click Save and your campaign is complete.
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You\u2019ll then be able to integrate your campaign with your email list, view its analytical data, and publish it for visitors to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read More: How To Create Lead Magnets and Optins<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Optimize your landing page<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If your gated content is being shown to visitors on a landing page, it has to be properly optimized for conversions first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no point of simply throwing some copy together trying to convince users to hand over their information because they need incentive to want to engage with your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start by researching what content on your website is most viewed and engaged with by your members<\/a> This gives you an idea of what content they enjoy and what you need to create more of to continue growing your customer base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also important to perform keyword research to decide what topics and subtopics your upcoming content will center around and what\u2019s going to attract visitors. Whatever you gate has to be valuable or else it won\u2019t convert at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use Google Keyword Planner<\/a> as part of your SEO strategy to find keywords that are high in search and low in competition and tailor your content around these popular phrases for higher visibility.
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Next, you need to focus on the design and layout of your landing page. Consider the colors you want to use, the copy, any images or videos you might include, and size and placement of the text. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to a survey by Content Marketing Institute, 51 percent of B2B marketers consider creating visual assets a top priority<\/a> in their content marketing strategy because its execution is essential in generating leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use A\/B split testing<\/a> to test different elements of your landing page including the color of the CTA button, CTA button copy, form copy, and header text. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
HubSpot<\/a> conducted an A\/B test on their CTA buttons with one being red and one green. They found that the red button produced 21 percent more conversions<\/a> than the green.
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For psychological reasons, red triggered more users to click the CTA button that was red instead of the green. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing this information means they now can tailor their future campaigns to the type of visual experience their users are looking for. Take note of which changes create more conversions and continue streamlining your strategy with this newfound information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Follow up with new leads<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Once you get the information you need \u2013 let\u2019s say it\u2019s email addresses \u2013 don\u2019t think your conversion strategy is over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s crucial that, once you succeed in receiving the emails you wanted that you check in with your new subscribers and make them feel welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t wait too long to reach out to new subscribers. If too much time passes and then you pop out of nowhere in their inbox, they\u2019ll get confused and unsubscribe thinking you\u2019re another spam bot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You need to be proactive when it comes to engaging with consumers so your conversion rates can skyrocket. Don\u2019t take longer than a day or two to reach out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can create a welcome email series introducing your brand to your new visitors and telling them what you\u2019re all about. Give them some insight into what kind of content they can expect in the future, how often you\u2019ll be reaching out, and any offers or giveaways they don\u2019t want to miss out on.
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Link subscribers to similar content you think they\u2019ll enjoy and try to make your emails sound personalized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A study by Experian Marketing Services found that email subject lines that included the subscriber\u2019s name boosted open rates by 29.3 percent<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your subscribers are human and want to feel like a unique part of your brand. The more you can personalize their experience, the more connected they\u2019ll feel to your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read More: How To Run a Successful Email Campaign<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Wrapping up<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gated content can greatly boost your conversions if you know how to make it count. It\u2019s important to remember that gated content doesn\u2019t appeal to everyone, so for consumers at the top of the funnel, it\u2019s a way to turn them off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doing your research and creating high quality content is also key to making gated content worth it for users. You also need to optimize your landing page as it\u2019s the web page convincing your visitors to take action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How will you use gated content to increase conversions? Let us know in the comments section below.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you found this article helpful, follow us on\u00a0<\/strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/strong>LinkedIn<\/strong><\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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