Associations & Standard Development Organizations must keep their content protected. DRM software is the solution.
It seems that PDF content writers see the issue of gating content to be either black or white, gated PDFs or un-gated PDFs. They throw their arms up , unable to agree on whether it is best to gate content to capture information for sales lead generation or leave the content open.
Hiding PDF documents behind a web form is known as “gating” content, whether it is in the form of a white paper, data sheet or case study. Essentially, you will be only enabling access to that content if the reader is prepared to supply a wide range of their information to you. Many online marketers make use of this as a sales lead generation source, gathering as much information as possible from the reader in exchange for access to their white paper or data sheet. The downside with this sales lead generation method is that up to 95% of readers will forego a PDF when they come across a web form.
On the other end of the spectrum, ePublishers can choose to leave their electronic content un-gated, in order to share their content freely and push their thoughts out there. The obvious problem with this method is that the publisher will have absolutely no idea who is reading and downloading their PDF documents or if anyone is actually attracted to them at all.
Instead of gating all content straight away with a web form, readers should be granted access to a couple pages of content prior to being asked for their name and email. The reader can better determine if they think the remaining content is of value to them, making it more probable that they'll supply their information in exchange for total access. If the document is gated at the beginning, readers will not have enough information to decide if it will supply them with enough value to give up their information; if the document is totally un-gated, then the publisher will not enjoy any benefit other than disseminating their thoughts and hoping someone reads it.
So don’t throw up your arms in frustration, unable to decide whether to hide your PDF behind a web form or leave it open for quick access. There is another way! Give your readers a taste of what is to come and let them decide if it’s worth it to give up their names and emails. Sales lead generation does not have to be cumbersome or difficult for either the publisher or the reader anymore.
