How to Add Content Locking in WordPress (2023 Guide)
Are you looking to boost conversions and make more money from your WordPress website? Content locking is a powerful technique that can help you generate leads, drive sales, and rapidly grow your email list when implemented strategically.
Many successful websites use content locking to gate their most valuable content and incentivize visitors to take action, like signing up for an email newsletter or becoming a paying member. When set up the right way, content locking provides a win-win – your audience gets access to premium content, and your business achieves its growth goals.
In this guide, we‘ll explain exactly what content locking is and show you step-by-step how to lock content in WordPress using two different methods:
- OptinMonster (best for locking free content to get email signups)
- MemberPress (best for locking paid content for your members)
By the end, you‘ll have everything you need to start leveraging content locking to expand your business. Let‘s dive in!
What Is Content Locking?
Content locking is a website monetization and lead generation strategy where access to certain content is restricted until the visitor completes a desired action, such as:
- Signing up for an email newsletter
- Creating a free account
- Purchasing access/a paid subscription
- Sharing a piece of content
- Taking a survey or poll
- Downloading an app
The locked content is blurred out or hidden entirely until the visitor completes the action, which then "unlocks" the content and allows them to consume it.
Content locking is often compared to content upgrades, which are bonus pieces of content offered within a blog post or page that are accessible after joining an email list. The difference is that with content upgrades, the main content is still accessible – the bonus content is what‘s gated. With content locking, the main content itself is restricted.
Benefits of Content Locking
So what are the benefits of content locking for website owners? By putting your most valuable content behind an "unlock wall", you can:
- Capture email addresses to grow your subscriber list
- Generate leads for your business
- Drive revenue through paid membership signups
- Increase user engagement and get more content shares
- Stand out from competitors by offering premium content
When your best content is freely available, there‘s little incentive for casual readers to further engage with your brand. But when you lock awesome resources, tools, or content pieces – things people want access to – you give them a compelling reason to connect by joining your list or becoming a member.
The key is locking the RIGHT content in a way that‘s enticing and beneficial, not annoying and ineffective. You need to make sure your locked content is highly desirable and that your offer and messaging are optimized to convert. We‘ll share some tips later on in this post.
For now, let‘s look at how to actually set up content locking in WordPress using one of the web‘s most powerful lead generation tools.
Method 1: Lock Content with OptinMonster (Free Content)
OptinMonster is the best conversion optimization toolkit on the market. It makes it incredibly easy to lock content behind email opt-in forms to rapidly grow your subscriber list. This method is ideal if you want to gate free content, like guides, videos, infographics, etc. to generate leads.
Here‘s how to set up content locking in WordPress using OptinMonster:
Step 1: Sign Up for OptinMonster
First, click here to sign up for an OptinMonster account. To access content locking, you‘ll need a Pro subscription or above. WPBeginner readers can get 10% off with our OptinMonster coupon code.
Step 2: Install the OptinMonster WordPress Plugin
Next, install and activate the OptinMonster plugin on your WordPress site. For more details, see this guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
After activating the plugin, you‘ll be prompted to connect it to your OptinMonster account. Click the ‘Connect Your Existing Account‘ button and follow the steps to integrate your site.
Step 3: Create a New Campaign
Now head over to the OptinMonster tab in your WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Create New Campaign‘ button.
In the campaign creation wizard, you‘ll first choose your campaign type. To set up content locking, select the ‘Inline‘ option.
On the next screen, choose a template for your campaign. OptinMonster offers 50+ pre-built templates that are fully responsive and customizable. Hover over the template you like and click ‘Use Template‘. We‘re using the Magnet template for this example.
Now you‘ll be prompted to enter a name for your campaign. We recommend something descriptive, like ‘Locked Content Email Signup‘. Click the ‘Start Building‘ button to launch the OptinMonster campaign builder.
Step 4: Design Your Content Lock Campaign
In the drag-and-drop builder, you can fully customize the appearance and copy of your content lock optin. Click on any element to change its formatting and content.
Some key elements to optimize are:
- The main headline (communicate the value of unlocking)
- The call-to-action button (use action-oriented text)
- The descriptive text (clearly explain how to unlock)
- The featured image (grab attention and showcase the content)
Feel free to add new elements by dragging them from the left panel. You can insert images, videos, countdown timers, and more to make your content lock engaging and conversion-optimized.
Step 5: Configure Display Rules
Once your campaign looks good, switch over to the ‘Display Rules‘ tab. Here you‘ll determine where and when your content lock campaign appears:
- Specific pages/posts content is locked on
- When the campaign appears (e.g. after user scrolls 50%)
- How long until campaign appears again for user
- Where on the page the campaign displays
OptinMonster provides tons of rule options so you can precisely target when your content lock triggers for maximum conversions without annoying visitors.
Step 6: Set Up Content Locking
Next, move to the ‘Lock Content‘ section on the left side panel. Toggle the ‘Lock Content‘ switch to enable content locking for this campaign.
Now when your visitors see this opt-in on the pages you designated and submit their email, the locked content will be revealed inline on the page.
You can also adjust cookie settings to determine how long until the user is prompted to unlock again if revisiting locked content in the future.
Step 7: Publish Your Campaign
When you‘re finished configuring your content lock campaign, click the ‘Publish‘ button to make it live on your site.
Your final step is embedding the campaign on the post(s) or page(s) you want to lock content on. Edit the post/page and paste the OptinMonster shortcode provided right before the content you want to restrict access to.
OptinMonster will automatically obscure everything below the shortcode until the visitor subscribes. Publish or update the post/page, and your content lock is complete!
To see it in action, visit the page in an incognito browser and try unlocking the content yourself.
Advanced users can also lock content on all posts/pages containing a specific tag or category. This is useful if you want to restrict access to a pillar resource, evergreen course, or ongoing content series.
Method 2: Restrict Access with MemberPress (Paid Content)
MemberPress is the best membership plugin for WordPress. It provides the most flexible options for restricting content to paying subscribers. Use this method if you want to lock premium content or build a membership site to make money online.
Here‘s how to set up content locking with MemberPress:
Step 1: Install MemberPress
Get started by signing up for MemberPress and downloading the plugin. Upload the plugin .zip file to your site and activate it.
You‘ll be prompted to enter your MemberPress license key to enable automatic updates and support. Copy your key from the MemberPress Account page and paste it into the License Key field.
Step 2: Create Membership Levels
To restrict access to content, you first need to create membership subscription levels. Go to MemberPress > Memberships in your dashboard and click ‘Add New‘.
Enter a title for the membership level (e.g. "Premium"), set the pricing terms, and configure the subscription settings. MemberPress supports one-time payments, recurring subscriptions, free trials, and more.
Feel free to create multiple membership levels at different price points to provide your visitors options (e.g. Silver, Gold, Platinum tiers).
Step 3: Define Access Rules
With your membership level(s) created, you now need to specify what content on your site each level can access. MemberPress lets you set these permissions on a granular level using Rules.
Go to MemberPress > Rules > Add New to create a rule.
In the Rules editor, you can restrict access to a variety of content types, including:
- Single posts/pages
- All posts/pages under a certain category or tag
- All posts/pages by a certain author
- Entire site sections (e.g. learning courses, digital downloads)
- File downloads and media
Simply select the content criteria, choose which membership levels can access it, and save the rule. A single rule can protect multiple pieces of content and apply to multiple membership tiers.
Step 4: Create Members-Only Content
With your membership levels and content access rules defined, you‘re ready to create your premium restricted content.
Create a new post or page (or edit an existing one) and add your members-only content as you normally would.
Scroll down to the ‘Memberpress Unauthorized Access‘ box and configure what non-members will see when attempting to access the content. You can display a custom message, excerpt only, or redirect them to a landing page.
Publish your post/page, and the content will be automatically locked based on the rules you set up. Only users who are logged in with an authorized membership level will be able to view it.
Step 5: Customize Your Pricing & Registration Pages
The final step is customizing the pricing and registration process when someone goes to sign up for membership.
In your WordPress dashboard, go to MemberPress > Groups. Groups let you sell multiple membership levels in a single bundle. This is perfect if you want to offer Bronze/Silver/Gold type packages.
Click Add New, give your group a title, and check the box next to each membership level you want to include. You can also set a custom welcome email, login redirect page, and price box order for the group.
When you‘re finished, click Update to save your group. A new registration page will automatically be created at the URL shown in the ‘Group URL‘ field.
This is the page potential members will see when attempting to access content they don‘t have permission for. It will display plan options and prompt them to register.
To customize the design of your pricing and checkout pages to match your brand, see this guide on creating a custom pricing page in MemberPress.
Tips to Make the Most of Content Locking
We‘ve now covered two of the best ways to add content locking to your WordPress site. But how do you use this technology effectively to grow your business? Here are some tips:
Use Content Locking Selectively
Don‘t go overboard locking every piece of content on your site, or you‘ll quickly frustrate visitors. Reserve content locking for your very best resources that provide real value people will happily subscribe to access.
Write Compelling CTAs
The call-to-action in your content lock form needs to be benefit-driven and clearly convey the value of signing up. Use actionable, click-worthy copy like "Send Me The Guide!", not generic phrases like "Submit".
Deliver on Your Promise
If someone submits their email or pays to access your content, make sure you deliver an exceptional resource. Don‘t mislead people or lock low-quality content, or you‘ll damage trust in your brand.
Test Your Pricing & Plans
Experiment with different membership levels and pricing to find the right balance for your audience. You may find a single level converts best or that giving multiple paid tiers increases revenue.
Promote Locked Content Repeatedly
Don‘t just lock content and hope people discover it. Promote your gated guides, courses, and resources to your existing traffic through sidebar ads, announcement bars, email campaigns, and more.
Unlock a Free Preview
For paid content, consider offering a free excerpt or preview to non-members as a teaser. Showing a taste of the value you provide can compel more people to register for the full resource.
By using these content locking best practices, you‘ll generate more leads and revenue from your WordPress site without annoying your visitors.
Content Unlocked!
Content locking is one of the most effective ways to build your email list and create a recurring revenue stream from your WordPress site. By restricting access to your best resources, you give visitors a reason to engage further with your brand.
For locking free content to generate subscribers, we recommend OptinMonster. Its content locking feature integrates seamlessly with WordPress and provides the most professional optin designs and targeting rules.
To restrict premium content and digital products to paying members, MemberPress is our top pick. It lets you create unlimited subscription levels and gate any type or category of content.
No matter which method you choose, start by locking just one high-value piece of content and optimize the signup process. Then you can expand to other resources as you learn what resonates with your audience.
Follow the steps in this post and you‘ll be well on your way to more leads and sales with content locking. Upgrade your WordPress site today!
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