By Krutant Iyer · contentforb2b.com
A three-gate decision system for content that actually earns pipeline. Every piece of content must pass all three gates before it ships. No exceptions.
Before you write, commission, or approve any piece of content — run it through these three gates.
Each gate is scored 1 to 5. A minimum score of 3 on each gate is required to proceed. Score below 3 on any single gate and the content either gets reworked or killed.
Scoring key
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Poor — fails the gate entirely |
| 2 | Fair — significant rework needed |
| 3 | Okay — minimum passing standard |
| 4 | Good — solid, ship with confidence |
| 5 | Strong — exceptional, prioritise distribution |
Fill this out before running the gates.
| Field | Your Answer |
|---|---|
| Content title / working title | |
| Content type (blog, guide, video, social, email, etc.) | |
| Target audience (job title, company stage, specific pain point) | |
| Stage of buyer journey (Awareness / Consideration / Decision) | |
| Primary keyword or search intent (if SEO-driven) | |
| Distribution channel(s) | |
| Author / owner | |
| Deadline |
Interesting does not mean entertaining. It means genuinely useful or surprising to someone already paying attention to your category. If a smart person in your target audience reads the headline and thinks “I already know this” or “this doesn’t apply to me” — it fails this gate.
Interesting content makes the reader feel like they gained something they couldn’t have found in five seconds on Google.