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Breaking Free from PDFs: The Ongoing Challenge of Interactive B2B Content
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At the time, the core challenge of interactive content was that so much content was being produced as boring PDFs. Companies would ask people to download them and hope they became leads. The function of content had shifted toward generating outcomes rather than delivering real experiences. (Aaron Dun)
(00:00-06:06)
Aaron shares insights from his time at SnapApp, one of the early pioneers of interactive content, and reflects on how B2B marketing has evolved over the years.
Aaron and Alex first connected when SnapApp was working to solve a fundamental problem in B2B marketing: the dominance of static PDFs. At the time, companies relied on downloadable white papers and reports to generate leads, but many of these documents went unread after being saved. Marketers needed a better way to engage potential customers beyond just collecting email addresses.
Interactive content—such as quizzes, assessments, and other dynamic formats—offered a way to turn passive readers into active participants. SnapApp and similar platforms found that when content required engagement, users spent more time with it, responded better, and provided valuable insights for sales teams. However, while the approach showed early promise, many marketers were hesitant to adopt it at scale.
Despite its advantages, interactive content faced hurdles in widespread adoption. Many B2B marketers were accustomed to producing traditional content like white papers and blog posts. Creating engaging, interactive experiences required new skills, tools, and a shift in mindset—something not every organization was ready for at the time.
Alex points out that none of the early players in interactive content, including SnapApp, reached unicorn status. While they gained traction and proved the concept, scaling remained a challenge. Aaron agrees, crediting the SnapApp team for their success but acknowledging that the shift required was bigger than anticipated.
Fast forward to today, and content consumption has changed dramatically. The rise of TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and other short-form video platforms has conditioned audiences to prefer quick, engaging content. While this trend is more pronounced in B2C, it affects B2B marketing as well—buyers now expect content to be more dynamic and engaging.
Adding to the complexity, generative AI has made it easier than ever to create content. As a result, the internet is flooded with an overwhelming amount of information, making it harder for any single piece to stand out. Even mid-tier content is improving, but so is the competition for attention.
Despite these shifts, the core idea behind interactive content remains relevant. Alex recalls a quote from Aaron’s past presentations:
"Marketers are looking at how they can bring interactive content to their audience. It’s shifting from a static PDF—just a one-way push of information—to a two-way, engaged conversation with prospects. Marketers can share something of value, learn something of value, and use that information to identify who is ready to talk to sales now and who isn’t quite there yet."
This fundamental challenge persists. In a world where attention is harder to capture than ever, marketers must focus on creating meaningful, engaging experiences—rather than just adding to the noise.
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The Content Dilemma: AI, Trust, and the Future of Engagement
We were joking earlier about how we’re on the cusp of an explosion in content creation—but we said the same thing five years ago. We said the same thing ten years ago. What has changed are the types of content being produced and the way people consume it. Attention spans have shifted as well. (Aaron Dun)
(06:06-11:51)
Aaron highlights a paradox: while content creation has always felt like it’s on the verge of an explosion, AI has now pushed that reality even further. Today, anyone can generate decent content using AI tools. This may seem like a breakthrough, but history suggests otherwise—when content creation becomes effortless, the market gets flooded with good enough material that lacks real purpose. The challenge for marketers is no longer just about producing content; it’s about making it stand out in a crowded, automated landscape.
Alex emphasizes that experience plays a crucial role in how people perceive content. With AI-generated material flooding platforms like LinkedIn, distinguishing credible, high-quality content from generic posts is becoming more difficult. Structured documents, such as well-organized reports or interactive presentations, still hold a sense of authority and trustworthiness that fleeting social media posts often lack.
As AI-generated content continues to blur the lines between human and machine-driven communication, trust becomes harder to establish. Aaron points out that this isn’t a new problem—historically, people have always formed different perspectives based on the information they consume. However, the speed and scale of content distribution today amplify these challenges.
In B2B marketing, this issue is compounded by the fact that distribution channels—blogs, PDFs, websites, LinkedIn posts—haven’t fundamentally changed. While newer formats like TikTok and Reels introduce fresh ways to engage audiences, most content is still presented in one-directional formats, with limited real-time interaction.
From Static to Interactive: The Challenge of Designing Engaging Content Experiences
If 1,000 people download a PDF, but only 12 engage with the interactive experience, is that a win? It might be an incredible result. But structuring that kind of experience effectively is a real challenge. (Aaron Dun)
(11:51-17:45)
Alex reflects on the early days of interactive content, noting how it started as a marketing innovation aimed at marketers and designers but often remained separate from the core website ecosystem. He highlights the struggle marketers face in creating interactive, non-linear experiences while still delivering a controlled storytelling format. He introduces the idea of using interactive content to simulate a more engaging conversation, where users get to choose their own path within the experience—like a digital "choose your own adventure."
However, while this approach offers users more control, it wasn’t easy to scale at first, and it required moving away from traditional content formats like PDFs and PowerPoint presentations. Alex asks whether this was simply underdeveloped at the time or if it was too early for such a deep level of interaction to resonate with the market.
Aaron shares his perspective, recalling the classic “Choose Your Own Adventure” books where readers made choices that led them down different paths. The challenge, he notes, is that for each decision point, content must be created for every possible outcome, leading to exponentially growing content needs. In the digital world, this meant creating personalized experiences on a large scale, a task that required a lot of planning, resources, and effort.
Aaron explains that while early attempts at interactive content envisioned a world where digital experiences could match a unique persona with tailored content, the reality was much more complicated. He points out that in sales environments, this process is easier because there’s a clear structure and goal—closing the deal. But in more passive settings, like when users are consuming content independently, attention spans are shorter, and getting users to engage beyond one or two choices becomes a struggle.
The conversation then turns to the expectations surrounding interactive content. While early experiments with interactive experiences did show strong engagement after a user filled out a form, Aaron highlights a fundamental question: what does success actually look like in this context? If a thousand people download a PDF but only a handful engage with the interactive experience, is that still considered a success?
Aaron and Alex agree that while these interactive experiences can yield impressive results, structuring them effectively remains a significant challenge. The complexity of engaging users in a meaningful way, especially with limited time and attention, is one of the core obstacles marketers face as they push the boundaries of interactive content.
Rethinking Lead Generation and Content Engagement in Modern Marketing
Some companies saw this trend and started acquiring communities. For example, Pendo bought a community, HubSpot bought one, and others did the same. ConnectWise bought a community and did a great job managing it. Rapid7 also bought a community, and all those companies did a fantastic job keeping the community intact while also engaging with it. (Aaron Dun)
(17:45-28:35)
Alex starts by addressing a key issue marketers face: the dilemma of gating content. Gating content (requiring prospects to fill out a form to access it) often leads to a significant drop-off, as many potential leads are turned off by having to share their personal information upfront. However, Alex proposes a solution—delaying the gating. Instead of immediately asking users for their contact information, marketers can provide them with valuable content first, which increases the likelihood that those who eventually fill out the form are more engaged and better-qualified leads.
The benefit here is twofold: more people get exposed to your content, which increases the number of potential leads, and the leads you do collect are more likely to be engaged and already familiar with your offering. This approach also aims to bridge the gap between simply acquiring MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads) and ultimately driving meetings and sales, which Alex sees as the real goal—booking meetings, not just gathering leads.
Aaron then brings a critical point about the theory behind content engagement, particularly when it comes to delivering content that resonates with the audience. He draws on the idea that marketers are often trained to think in terms of funnels—where content is tailored to specific stages of the buyer's journey. However, he emphasizes that this approach has limitations because the actual buyer's journey is rarely as neat or predictable as the funnel suggests. People engage with content in different ways depending on where they are in the process.
Aaron also points out that while some companies, like HubSpot and HockeyStack, have successfully built brands around content-driven engagement, most businesses still struggle with the challenge of balancing short-term lead generation needs with the long-term goal of nurturing an engaged audience. This tension is something that marketing teams need to navigate carefully. The core challenge is that while delivering great ideas that resonate with an audience is essential, relying on a “build it and they will come” strategy often doesn’t work unless a company has already achieved significant brand recognition and momentum.
Alex introduces another layer to the conversation by suggesting that marketers need to think about content as a more interactive, cross-media experience. He talks about the traditional idea of white papers—long, detailed documents meant to provide deep insight into a topic. In today’s fast-paced digital world, however, simply delivering a white paper is no longer enough. Alex advocates for a more dynamic approach: think of a white paper that includes interactive elements like case studies or video snippets. This keeps readers engaged, giving them mini-breaks that help them stay immersed in the experience. The goal is to make the content feel less overwhelming, more digestible, and ultimately more engaging.
Aaron agrees, adding that the format of content should align with where the audience is in their buying process. If a prospective buyer is further along in the journey, a 10-page document might make sense, but at earlier stages, a more accessible, engaging format is necessary. Marketers need to adapt to these varied needs and be flexible with the type of content they deliver.
The discussion takes an interesting turn when Aaron shifts focus to the role of online communities in modern marketing. He notes that communities of like-minded individuals—especially those that are closed or gated—are becoming increasingly important as places where companies can build trust and engage potential customers. Aaron mentions that some companies have even acquired communities to facilitate organic, peer-driven conversations, which can provide valuable insights and foster brand loyalty.
He points out that in these communities, companies need to resist the temptation to push sales-heavy content. Instead, they should focus on adding value to the conversation without overtly injecting themselves into it. For example, companies like 6sense have done an excellent job of running a community of marketers while staying out of the discussions, thus gaining access to valuable insights while still respecting the community’s integrity.
Alex closes by reinforcing the importance of content that builds advocacy. Instead of pushing out 20-page PDFs, companies should aim to create content that is engaging, educational, and valuable enough to inspire customers to share it with others. This advocacy-driven approach helps build a loyal community around a brand and can lead to long-term success.
Check out the episode's Transcript (AI-generated) HERE.
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Author
Experience-focused Leaders is the #1 Multimedia Podcast! We talk to senior business & tech leaders about the experiences that move forward organizations, customers and society at large. True to form, we mix audio, video, web and eBook formats to turn these authentic conversations into personalized nuggets you'll remember & use.
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