How to Create Ungated Masterclass Content for Your Online Training Business
Published Date: 19 Jun, 2024 | Updated Date: 20 Jun, 2025
Learn how to design ungated masterclass content to fully engage ‘on-the-fence’ leads and prospects.
How often have you followed a lead funnel to someone’s website, only to not sign-up or enroll for that person’s content because it required an email?
Chances are, more often than not!
The reality is that some prospects and leads will be dissuaded by the idea of trading their information for a piece of content.
Yet if you manage to provide that content without asking for an email and they like that content, the chances of them wanting more will increase.
This is what’s called an ‘ungated’ masterclass, where you provide video content to the public without barriers or restrictions, like money or forms.
But how does someone provide free, ungated masterclass content that still builds leads, conversions, and sales, without getting lost in the fray of other marketing strategies and campaigns?
We recommend that you try the following five steps for how to create an ungated masterclass.
That way you can analyze prospect behavior, without necessarily requiring them to sign up for your content right away.
Understanding your audience and gaining new leads are not the only reasons you might want to add or include ungated content in your offerings.
Ungated content also builds a sense of accessibility and inclusivity about your brand, allowing people to experience the ‘generosity’ of free advice without having to trade anything in return.
Not only that, but you’ll be opening up the potential for beginners in your niche to access valuable content, knowledge, or skills before they have the funds or time to fully engage.
The core theme of this approach is an open and user-friendly learning experience that provides real benefit from the educational content provided.
So, if you want to begin aligning your online training, course creation, or membership site business with what your users actually want and need…
…then learning how to create an ungated masterclass that is open, engaging, and which shares knowledge freely without boundaries will allow you to break free from tradition and build value in your niche from a place of generosity, not profit.
But what is ungated masterclass content, anyway?
Gated vs Ungated Masterclass Content
Gated Masterclasses require something from the user, such as an opt-in or purchase. These masterclasses are typically longer, and appear in a series. Gated content like this will likely also include a link to the ‘replay’ of that masterclass in the follow-up marketing materials. This adds value for those who are committing to give you their contact information. On the other hand Ungated Masterclasses are typically shorter in length, and require visitors to put in no contact information. These are less likely to have their own landing pages, and will appear in other ungated content, like blog posts. Just look at this blog article from our website to see what we mean!
5 Steps to Create Ungated Masterclass Content and Improve User Experience
One thing you might be asking is: When should you ‘ungate’ content?
We don’t recommend you create this type of video BEFORE cementing your main business offering.
That could be a course, program, membership offering, or digital product–whatever it is, you need this as a centerpoint from which to create ungated content and marketing material.
So, if you don’t have one yet, learn how to develop a main offering and sales funnel for your business website with our digital marketing guide: Sales Funnel Stages: Step by Step Guide to Building a Sales Conversion Machine
We also recommend you create a marketing funnel that leads to that main product offering, which can also get you into the habit of marketing your gated masterclass content.
If you don’t quite know how to create a marketing funnel, or want to check your existing process against ours, we suggest reviewing our Free Marketing Funnel Template for Digital Products and Business Coaches.
Free Class to Improve Marketing Funnels
Learn how to boost leads and conversions with our short training course.
However, if you do have those foundational elements in place, then by all means–we recommend you use the following five steps to create ungated marketing content that focuses on user experience, as opposed to simply making a sale:
1. Plan content structure
Don’t just jump into creating your masterclass video. First, brainstorm and outline the structure of your video, including section points such as introduction, personal journey, benefits, and the three main pillars of your technique. We recommend you break down one of the main tenets of your foundational product offering to curate your ungated video content. Also make sure you focus on providing tangible benefits by solving a specific problem your audience would have.
2. Prepare video content
From your content structure brainstorming and outlines, create and record your masterclass video, keeping your recording to the 15-minute mark to maintain engagement. If you’re not sure what to include in your masterclass video, we’ve created a masterclass template you can use at the end of this list!
3. Create blog article content to host your video
Write copy for, and then design, a blog post for your ungated masterclass content with clear headings, subheadings, and descriptions based on the planned content structure. Make sure to include a sign-up button for your email newsletter or blasts as well, to leverage a little extra lead generation.
4. Embed masterclass video(s) and publish blog article or post
Embed the video content onto the related blog article or post, or host the video on a video platform like YouTube or Vimeo and provide links throughout the article with well-placed calls to action. You can even make videos private to anyone without the link. Then, have a developer publish your blog post content and embeds live to your existing website. Don’t forget to include the video in any related blog articles you create from that content to boost lead generation even more!
5. Share the blog article or post
Promote your masterclass using the link to your blog article through social media channels, and any other relevant platforms to attract participants. Make sure to emphasize the tangible benefits participants can expect to gain in your marketing posts.
The beauty of this process is, once you’ve done it, it’s very simple to implement again and again with your team–but of course, if you have any questions or want assistance with this part of your online business journey, you can always reach out to us for help.
Speaking of help, we promised you a loose template for what to include in your ungated masterclass video.
Here’s the template we use to organize ungated masterclass content:
[Free Template] What do I include in my ungated masterclass content?
When it comes to actually preparing your ungated masterclass video content, here’s an outline you can use to curate about a 15-minute video that engages your audience, while also providing tangible value and expertise:
1. Introduction (1 to 2 minutes)
Start with a brief introduction to the masterclass, highlighting the most salient benefit and what will be covered. Remember that brevity is key here to maintain engagement.
2. Personal journey (2 to 3 minutes)
Share your personal journey briefly to establish credibility, relatability, and trust with your audience.
3. Benefits of masterclass (max 5 minutes)
As you transition into discussing more fully the benefits of the education you’re offering, remember to add a helpful disclaimer if required. You may also provide examples of how the technique has helped individuals, even if it’s just first names. These real-life stories add credibility and resonate with your audience.
4. Provide practical steps (max 10 minutes)
Highlight the main steps of the technique or method you’re sharing, but keep it achievable–we recommend three. Then, show viewers how to accomplish those steps with a short practice. Keep these video classes short, around 15 to 20 minutes to keep them accessible for beginners.
5. Call to action (1 to 2 minutes)
Encourage your audience to take the next step in their journey, such as joining a self-study class, which could also serve as a paid offering and renewed lead!
5 insider tips to create lead-generating masterclass content
As you get into the habit of creating marketable ungated masterclass content that drives new and loyal leads to your paid, foundational offerings, here are five final tips we’ll leave you with when it comes to creating lead-generating masterclass content (whether gated or not):
- Prioritize experiential learning for authentic value sharing. Focus on providing your audience with an experiential learning opportunity. Your aim is for them to grasp the technique rather than inundating them with explanations.
- Create immediate opportunities to practice shared knowledge. Incorporate immediate practice opportunities within the masterclass to build trust. Offer a brief but beneficial exercise, allowing participants to experience positive results.
- Utilize example-based explanations to improve accessibility. Offer examples of how the technique has helped individuals, even if it’s just first names, to add credibility and resonate with your audience.
- Incorporate interactive learning. Create brief companion exercises that allow your audience to experience the technique firsthand, which will enhance the ‘interactive’ nature of your programming.
- Commit to monitoring and optimization to understand more about your audience. Regularly monitor your audience’s engagement through analytics, including watches and views, to refine your approach and optimize the placement of calls to action.
All in all, ungated masterclasses are a powerful way to share knowledge, build trust, and engage with your wider audience, while removing any obstacles that might deter potential learners from engaging with your material.
You also get to leverage bite-sized experiential learning opportunities with your ungated masterclass content to capture the attention of ‘luke-warm’ leads who may have otherwise bounced once they reached your website.
Finally, you’ll be able to provide yet another gateway through which visitors can enter your existing marketing and sales funnel, thereby multiplying your capacity to draw in more conversions and sales, as well as gather more analytic information about your audience.
As such, we’re excited to hear how you plan to break down the barriers to your content, invite learners to explore, and foster a deeper connection with your audience through enriching learning experiences in your niche.
You can always reach out and book a free call with us to discuss your plans, or see how we might come on to assist your lead generation efforts.
In the meantime, don’t hesitate to watch our lead generation masterclass to keep learning about how you can quickly turn your website into a lead and sales engine, and we’ll touch base with more insider digital marketing tips soon!
Free Lead Generation Masterclass
Learn to generate more leads from your course creation or coaching website.
0 Comments