Data without context is useless. 

While I am exceptionally proud of the work we do with our annual B2B consumption report, I recognize there’s more to be done in actually breathing context into the insights, statistics, findings, and even recommendations we provide.

That’s why, at the start of this summer, I invited three of B2B marketing’s boldest thinkers: Andy Crestodina, Mark Schaefer, and Zontee Hou to talk about how their own published work compared and contrasted with NetLine’s 2025 content consumption data and what it means for marketers trying to move the needle.

The result is a sharp, fast-moving conversation that can be viewed in its entirety here:
The 2025 State of B2B Content Consumption: Inspecting B2B Marketing with Andy Crestodina, Mark Schaefer, and Zontee Hou

This article features some of my favorite takeaways from the panel.

The B2B Consumption Paradox: Deliver Value Faster

Going into the conversation, I already knew we had one major area to cover first. 

I’ve written about it many times, but here is the gist:

• Interest is high. 
  • NetLine observed ~8M content registrations in 2024 (+27% YoY).
• Engagement is delayed. 
  • On average, 38.5 hours pass between content request and consumption.

Buyers are raising their hands, but they’re not acting right away. It tells us interest (and possibly even intent) exists, but urgency doesn’t. It also tells us that value delayed is value diminished.

That delay—what we call the Consumption Gap—is our enemy and our opportunity. 

So how do we take that delay and turn it into momentum?

Takeaway: Shorten time-to-value.

This is where marketing aikido comes in: redirecting the buyer’s energy to our advantage.

Buyers are curious but busy. When there’s nearly a 39-hour delay between download and decision, silence kills momentum. Content must be positioned not just to attract attention, but to be immediately actionable.

Zontee Hou emphasized the importance of delivering functional content quickly. Skip the 20-minute demo ask. 

Think: dopamine hit, not PDF archive. If you deliver rapid insight, you’re part of the buyer’s next move, not yesterday’s noise.

To Gate or Not to Gate?

Andy pushed us further: Why gate at all if you’re not using the data?

From NetLine’s perspective, we certainly want your best content to be gated. But we aren’t zealots about it. 

Consider ungating your skimmable version. Share it across your social media platforms, especially LinkedIn. This way, you can deliver fast and nurture later.

It’s worth noting that Andy is an advocate for gated content. Orbit Media’s 2021 research proves this.

Don’t hate the gate.

Do you have a problem with gated content?
Do you assume your visitors don’t like them?

Actually marketers are more squeamish about gated content than visitors!

This is a preview. Full report goes live next week… pic.twitter.com/GoYes0RBV1

— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) March 17, 2021

That idea echoes some of the philosophies Jay Baer espoused in his 2013 book, Youtility:
“If you sell something, you make a customer today, but if you genuinely help someone, you create a customer for life.” In Baer’s framing, marketing should be “so useful, people would pay for it.” 

That means giving away your best insights without fear. We do this with everything we gate, too. Just because the most valuable pieces get externalized doesn’t erode the value of the asset.

Not everything needs to be hidden behind a form. Sometimes, the fastest way to earn trust is to let the value flow freely.

Mark added a tactical note: treat the first 24 hours as sacred. Value decays quickly. If a prospect downloaded your guide yesterday, they’re still thinking about you today. 

Tomorrow? Maybe not. Tomorrow’s tasks outweigh yesterday’s yearnings. 

Respond with relevance before they forget they even registered.

Format Signals Intent—And Shapes It

Formats are more than just containers in which your content lives and is delivered. To the teams paying attention, they’re significant sources of signals. 

Buyers often make snap judgments based on what a format promises. If you don’t believe that, then pay attention to how you consume the next time you request third-party content.

It’s why eBooks still dominate demand (53% of all downloads, +71% YoY), but playbooks are 115% more likely to correlate with a buying decision. An eBook carries little (perceived) commitment. Playbooks, however, even in name, feel like they assign intent. 

As Andy put it, “eBooks sound like homework. Guides sound useful.”

It’s worth noting here that the first time Andy reviewed NetLine’s 2025 report, his response was, “I’m really surprised to see the interest in ebooks. People want ebooks more than guides or webinars?”

I definitely agree with Andy about Guides. And before I began working at NetLine, I probably would have agreed with him about eBooks, too. Now knowing how marketers and the general B2B population sees the format, however, it’s clear that the public sees eBooks as a general content format.

Simply goes to show that regardless of what we think (or even what a separate set of data shares), our own experiences and perceptions will always take precedent. 

Takeaway: Rename and restructure to influence behavior.

If your eBook is performing, great. But don’t shy away from testing it as a Guide or a Playbook. 

The format isn’t what truly matters; it’s about what it implies. A “playbook” signals direction and actionability. An “eBook” is a cardboard box that could be absolutely anything. Naming alone can trigger curiosity and clarify value.

Build progression into your content:

• eBook → Guide → Playbook → Case Study

Each asset becomes a checkpoint, guiding the buyer toward more serious consideration. Don’t forget sharable bridges: infographics consistently outperform for socialization and internal distribution. They transform passive downloaders into active evangelists.

This is also where Andy’s Content Chemistry comes alive. 

His “Periodic Table of Content” reminds us that every piece serves a different function.

Some formats attract (such as blog posts, infographics, and videos), others interact (like guides, webinars, and playbooks), and others convert (including case studies, demos, and ROI calculators). 

The harsh reality is that there is no “best” format or one guaranteed to convert. No such magic bullet exists.

You can, however, sequence formats so that the desired reaction (closed-won business) takes place. When all goes right (ideally), an eBook draws a reader in, a Guide clarifies, a Playbook drives action, and a Case Study seals conviction. 

Through this lens, formats are less about deliverables and more about chain reactions. Each asset should connect logically to the next, building momentum through a natural content chemistry that shapes intent and accelerates outcomes.

Personalization = Usefulness + Context

Remember when personalization meant seeing your first name on an email? Those were the days… 

Today, personalization is about relevance in action. It’s the deliberate mirroring of the intent signals provided to a business and that business answering the implied question of every user they wish to engage: “What’s in it for me?”

Collecting intent signals via form-fills is a great way to determine what needs to be in it for “them.”

But it has to be used properly.

As Andy shared earlier, his question of, “Why gate at all if you’re not using the data?” is one that Zontee quite agrees with. She was a bit more blunt, however.

“If form data doesn’t change the experience,” she said, “you’re collecting friction, not insight. Every field you ask for should translate into a smarter, more relevant follow-up.”

For example, let’s say you’re building follow-up paths by role:

• C-Suite → Action memos
• Individual Contributors → Worksheets, internal sell-in kits

This isn’t a tactic; it’s a service. It shows buyers you were listening. 

Mark warned: “Personalization has become impersonal.” Use data to be helpful, not creepy. Andy added: if you’re not using what you collect to shape what comes next, you’re just decorating emails with dynamic fields.

Here’s a template worth stealing: “You downloaded the [Topic] Guide — here’s a 5-minute version to brief your VP.”

To Differentiate, Be Audacious

The volume of AI content has outpaced its relevance. 

AI-related consumption grew 186% in 2024. But generic “AI for everyone” content is fading. 

Buyers are in the “So what?” phase, where applicable, job-specific use cases matter.

Takeaway #1: Focus on roles and workflows.

Zontee reminded us that the most valuable use cases aren’t about ChatGPT prompts. Instead, content should remain a utility, allowing consumers to do their jobs better in concert with AI. 

“It’s gonna be about some of the abilities to synthesize information, analyze information, automate information, take information that exists, and make it more accessible to our audiences,” she said. “And I think really educating your audience about what does that actually, specifically mean for you—that’s where our power can come from.”

Andy underscored specificity: “AI for RevOps Managers in Fintech” isn’t too niche. Granularity breaks through. “Buyers don’t want to read about the future of AI, they want to know what AI means for next Tuesday.”

Mark’s advice was not to coast on early traction. When the machine never stops, we, too, will need to keep iterating and updating constantly. 

“The number one problem we have is awareness,” he said. “Even high-quality content is harder to get noticed.” The half-life of first-mover advantage is shrinking.

If your content doesn’t provoke interest, tension, or curiosity, it’s invisible. Mark refers to this as the Audacity Index. Competence alone doesn’t win attention anymore. Originality does.

Ultimately, Mark shared that he wrote Audacious because he wants businesses to stop being ignorable.

Takeaway #2: Do what AI can’t.

As Andy shared, AI can’t produce original data. It can’t take a stand. Until it can, this remains our advantage. A point of view is what makes content both memorable and defensible.

Zontee suggested mining your own aggregated data. Turn internal insights into market-ready content, such as Spotify Wrapped. It doesn’t need to be big; it just needs to be proprietary.

Mark’s closing challenge: break something. The narrative. The format. The voice. Memorable doesn’t require a massive budget, but it does require nerve. 

NetLine, for instance, trucks around a 300-pound mascot to B2B events across the country. Why? Well, because it’s fun, certainly, but more so because it’s about resonance, originality, and impact.

Disrupt expectations in small but meaningful ways.

How to Create Your Own Momentum

Phew. There’s a lot to digest here. So, what comes next?

Here’s a way to pressure-test these ideas right away that you and your team can begin in the next two weeks. 

Week 1: Reframe the Core

Start with one top-performing asset and run an experiment to see how far you can stretch it.

• Repackage that asset into a Playbook with a 60-second skim version.
• Add one quick POV insight — even a single chart or stat works.
• Write two role-based follow-ups: Executives and Individual Contributors.

Week 2: Layer It Out

• Create a visual bridge from the same content (infographic, flowchart, or worksheet).
• Link it forward by pointing to a relevant case study or buyer’s guide.
• Measure three signals on this asset:
  • How long until first engagement (24–48 hours)
  • Role-fit replies (Executives vs. Individual Contributor)
  • Format shift (How many users followed from eBook → Playbook?)

Why This Works

Instead of creating more content, you’re learning more from the content you already have. 

By stretching one asset across formats and roles, you can see where friction exists, which versions pull buyers forward, and how well personalization lands. It’s momentum you can repeat every quarter.

Final Thought

From generic to specific, from safe to bold, from passive to proactive, building momentum in modern marketing isn’t simply about campaign optimization. It requires a mindset shift, instead; giving your audience something they didn’t expect but always needed.

When you package with precision, lead with relevance, personalize with care, and publish with courage, you don’t just engage — you earn attention.

The market doesn’t need more content. It needs content that moves. Momentum belongs to the marketers willing to earn it.

Or as Mark Schaefer put it: “Awareness is the big issue… It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it has to be a little audacious.”

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Special thanks once again to our panelists, Andy, Mark, and Zontee. You can find their latest published works below:

• Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing – Andy Crestodina
• Data-Driven Personalization: How to Use Consumer Insights to Generate Customer Loyalty – Zontee Hou
• Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World – Mark Schaefer