If you’re a fintech brand, you’re probably under no illusions: growth must be profitable, positioning must be perfect and performance must be provable. If you’re feeling the pressure from investors or senior management, it’s because the bar for success just got raised. Here’s the barometer of the highs, lows and rising pressure fintechs are facing right now:
The highs
The UK is the powerhouse of European fintech, pulling in almost half the funding across the EMEA region. In 2024 the UK was also the second largest recipient of fintech investment globally, after the US.
The lows
Unfortunately investment was down in 2024. Globally investment dropped from $113.7 billion in 2023 to $95 billion last year, while in the UK it fell by over 25% from £10.95 billion to £7.97 billion.
This slow down is driven by several factors including rising interest rates, inflation and global economic instability – all of which have made investors more risk averse.
Meanwhile, venture capitalists are also tightening their criteria. They want growth, yes, but not at all costs; they’re also hunting for proof of profitability, stability, resilience – and that your fintech brand is built to last.
The rising pressure
Unfortunately this slow down signals the end of those free-flowing investment days. And it means that as a fintech brand, the pressure’s on:
- Pressure to show growth – specifically growth which is sustainable and profitable.
- Pressure to differentiate – with funding harder to secure, you need to make sure your brand stands out.
- Pressure to maximise budgets and deliver ROI – every outgoing, such as marketing, is under the microscope.
So let’s get this straight: the brief is to grow profitably, cut through the noise and make sure your comms budget is working hard for you?
It’s a tough brief for sure, but the right fintech PR strategy can help you deliver on all of those fronts.
The pressure to show sustainable, profitable growth
The 101 of Performance PR is that campaigns are designed to align with your business objectives.
Every activity or piece of content, like a press release, LinkedIn post or eBook, contributes to achieving your overall business goal. Depending on what that is, the metrics a campaign delivers could be customer signups, leads, improvements in brand consideration or perception change.
But for a brand looking to scale, the main KPIs of a campaign should be increased visibility, credibility and authenticity. The latter two being the key elements which are going to support that long-term sustainable growth.
In order to generate visibility, your brand needs a regular stream of strong media coverage to bring the buzz and create hype.
But those alone are not what investors are looking for.
As well as being seen, you need to be seen as credible, otherwise you won’t stay memorable for long.
Credibility and authenticity are what turns attention into action, and action into growth.
Those come through securing coverage in relevant, trusted publications as well as publishing supporting content which demonstrates your expertise – be that blog posts, showcasing your knowledge on a podcast or educational LinkedIn content.
When people see that you share quality, valuable information time and time again, they begin to trust you. With trust, you’re on their radar. And if you’re on their radar, they come to consider you, and ultimately buy from or invest with you.
While the formula sounds simple it really does take an experienced toolkit; an in-depth knowledge of the B2B technology space and a team of PR, media, content, social media and creative specialists who have many years executing fintech PR campaigns under their belts.
And you need the individual expertise of those specialists because Performance PR is multichannel, and when maximised all help to amplify the impact of the coverage.
B2B tech PR can also help you tell your growth story to your (potential or existing) investors.
It can help you show off your wins such as user growth, revenue milestones and new partnerships and tie them into the bigger fintech trends investors are interested in.
When you close a funding round, break into a new market or hit a major user milestone, PR can make sure the right people know about it.
The pressure to differentiate
What can you do as a fintech brand to stand out from your competition and cut through the noise?
How do you show investors your brand is deserving of their cash?
You must speak directly to your audience’s needs, motivations and pain points. You must use compelling narratives which spark action. You must position your product as the breakthrough solution.
Developing these narratives is where we come in. We create bold, authentic narratives which demand attention. We weave them into thought leadership, visual storytelling and press activity to establish authority, authenticity and dominance wherever your investors, buyers and partners are looking.
How do we measure cutting through the noise? Share of voice (compared to competitors), media coverage, branded search growth, social media engagement rates and of course inbound interest from target investors or partners.
The pressure to maximise budgets and deliver ROI
The campaign is over. The results are in. You are called into the office to show what all that fintech PR investment has actually delivered.
But because we align campaigns to your business goals, you can walk in confident, ready to show exactly how PR helped drive growth and how it’s given a return on their investment – whether that’s to senior management or to your investors.
We stand by our ‘fixed fees for fixed outcomes’ model, giving you complete clarity on costs with no hidden extras or nasty surprises. From day one, we work as your partner, setting clear, agreed targets which align directly with your business goals, all backed by a formal service level agreement. And here’s where our version of B2B tech PR is different: if we don’t deliver on those targets, you get your money back. It’s a model built to give you peace of mind and to hold us fully accountable for delivering the best results.
So don’t worry, that investor presentation will be a breeze to put together.
If you’re a fintech brand feeling the pressure to show growth, stand out and prove ROI on your marketing budget – then we’ve got your brief. Find out how we can help.
