If your team’s uploading decks, playbooks, or battlecards to Highspot and hoping reps magically use them, you’re not alone. Most companies dump content into enablement platforms and cross their fingers. But unless you actually track who’s using what—and do something with the results—your content just gathers digital dust.
This guide is for sales enablement managers, marketers, and anyone tired of guessing if their stuff is getting used. Here’s how to measure (for real) and improve content adoption using only Highspot’s built-in reporting tools—no add-ons, no complicated exports, just what you’ve already got.
1. Know What “Content Adoption” Actually Means
Before you open any dashboards, be clear: “adoption” isn’t just “views.” Here’s what matters:
- Are reps finding and using key content?
- Is content helping close deals or move conversations forward?
- What’s collecting cobwebs, and what’s essential?
If your only metric is “how many times was this PDF opened,” you’ll miss the point. Real adoption shows up in usage and outcomes.
2. Get Your Content House in Order
Don’t bother with reports if your Highspot content is a mess. Garbage in, garbage out.
Quick checklist: - Are your spots (folders) and content named clearly? - Is outdated stuff archived or deleted? - Do you have “source of truth” versions—not five different variants of the same deck?
Pro tip: If reps can’t find it, they won’t use it. Clean up before you measure anything.
3. Identify the Content That Actually Matters
You could try to track everything, but you’ll drown in noise. Instead:
- List out the 5–10 pieces of content you really care about (e.g., product one-pagers, pricing decks, persona cheat sheets).
- These are your “must-adopt” assets. Focus your measurement here first.
4. Master the Built-In Reporting Tools
Highspot’s reporting can be confusing, but you only need a few basics:
a. Find the Right Reports
- Content Reports: Start here. Go to Analytics > Content. This shows you usage per asset.
- Spot Reports: For usage across a whole folder (useful for playbooks or grouped resources).
- User Reports: See who’s actually using content (helpful for coaching).
b. Key Metrics That Matter
Don’t get lost in vanity stats. Focus on:
- Views: Are people opening the content?
- Shares: Are reps sending it to prospects? (Much better signal than just views.)
- Pitches: How often is content included in outbound emails (real usage in the field)?
- Last Activity Date: Is anyone using it this quarter, or did it spike once and die?
Ignore: “Time spent per page.” It sounds fancy but tells you little. Someone can leave a doc open and go to lunch.
c. Filters and Segmentation
Break down reports by:
- Team/role (are AEs using it, or just BDRs?)
- Region
- Time period (last 30 days vs. all-time)
This helps you spot patterns fast.
5. Set a Baseline
Take your list of must-adopt assets and run the basic reports:
- How many people have used/shared each one in the past 30/60/90 days?
- Which teams or roles are using them—or ignoring them?
- Any obvious “zeroes” (content never touched)?
Write this down. You’ll want to compare after you try to improve things.
6. Ask “Why?” Before You Act
If a piece of content isn’t getting adopted, don’t just send nagging emails. Figure out why:
- Is it buried in a weird spot?
- Is the title confusing or generic (“Q2 Deck V3 FINAL” means nothing to a rep)?
- Do reps even know it exists?
- Is it actually useful, or was it made to tick a box?
Pro tip: A five-minute chat with a few reps beats hours of dashboard-watching. Ask what’s missing or what’s hard to find.
7. Make It Stupid-Easy to Find and Use Content
Highspot is only as good as your organization. Here’s what helps:
- Pin “must-use” content: Highspot lets you feature important assets at the top.
- Use search-friendly names: Ditch jargon, use plain English (“Pricing One-Pager, June 2024”).
- Add short descriptions: In Highspot, you can add context so reps know when and why to use a file.
- Group related items: Use Spots to bundle assets by use case (“Discovery Call Resources”).
Don’t over-tag. Too many tags just create clutter and confusion.
8. Get Adoption Moving: Practical Nudges
You can’t force people to use content, but you can make it hard to ignore:
- Announce new/updated content in team meetings or Slack. Briefly explain what’s new and why it matters.
- Ask managers to reinforce adoption. Top-down reminders work better than blanket emails.
- Share quick win stories. If a rep closed a deal using a specific piece, shout it out.
- Set up “required reads” for critical content. Use sparingly—don’t overdo it.
What doesn’t work: Endless reminders, guilt-tripping, or relying on email alone.
9. Track Changes and Iterate
After rolling out improvements, check the same reports you used for your baseline:
- Did views/shares/pitches go up for your must-adopt assets?
- Are more teams or regions using the content?
- Has “last activity date” moved from “months ago” to “this week”?
If something’s still not landing, either the content isn’t valuable or it’s still too hard to find. Course-correct accordingly.
Don’t obsess over perfection. Aim for steady progress, not instant transformation.
10. Bonus: Use Highspot Analytics for Coaching, Not Policing
Highspot’s reporting is best for spotting trends—not micromanaging individual reps. If you see a team lagging, talk to the manager and ask what’s up. Sometimes content isn’t relevant for their deals, and that’s fine. Use adoption data as a conversation starter, not a stick to beat people with.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Measuring content adoption in Highspot doesn’t need a fancy process or extra tools. Clean up your content, focus on the assets that matter, use the built-in reports to see what’s actually happening, and tweak as you go. Skip the vanity metrics. Talk to your reps. Rinse and repeat.
That’s it—no magic, just steady, honest improvement.