Archive case study: this article describes Savedo’s launch in the Netherlands in 2016.
Fintech was becoming a familiar term in financial news when this article was first published. But what does it mean, and how can PR contribute to the successful launch of a fintech start-up?
A combination of “financial” and “technology”, fintech covers technological innovation in financial services. Examples include payment and lending software, online savings platforms, digital currencies and automated financial advice. Fintech companies often begin as start-ups focused on a niche, seeking to challenge the market with a technology-driven alternative.
Venture capital investors were investing heavily in the sector. According to a KPMG report cited in the original article, global investment reached $4.9 billion in the first quarter of 2016, twice the comparable 2015 figure. Many fintech businesses aspired to become the next “unicorn”: a privately held start-up valued at $1 billion or more.
The atmosphere at a start-up can be infectious: enthusiastic, ambitious professionals working hard to develop their product or service. After years of development, a market launch is a major moment.
That was the situation for Savedo, introduced to the Dutch market in April 2016. Its online financial marketplace gave European savers access to savings accounts elsewhere in the EU. Here are five ways our public relations work supported its launch.
1. Start with the foundations
Following an extensive brainstorm with the client, we developed a messaging strategy to underpin the long-term PR programme and future activities. We also prepared a detailed Q&A document covering a wide range of potentially challenging media questions. Media training prepared the spokespeople for upcoming interviews.
2. Plan the launch
You can make an impact through the right channels even without a major supporting advertising campaign. We arranged an exclusive interview in Het Financieele Dagblad, followed by two consecutive interview days at the Conservatorium Hotel. A press release then informed the wider media about the launch. The first month generated almost forty publications across different outlets.
3. Reach influencers and stakeholders
Media visibility is only part of the picture. A fintech start-up also needs to be visible to relevant influencers and stakeholders. In this case, we arranged introductory meetings with organisations and advisers including De Nederlandsche Bank and an adviser to the Dutch fintech envoy Willem Vermeend.
4. Create news through research
We commissioned additional market research to generate newsworthy insights. A representative survey of more than a thousand Dutch savers provided findings about the Dutch savings market in 2016. We brought the results together in a press release and supported them with spokesperson interviews.
5. Explain the service through video
Video and content marketing can use storytelling to explain how an unfamiliar product or service works. Working with professional production companies, we developed videos of around two minutes each. Motion graphics supported the studio footage, and we created shareable thirty-second edits for social channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
Would you like to know more about this campaign, or how PR for technology companies can connect your fintech start-up with journalists in the Benelux? Get in touch — we would be happy to help.
Robbert
More news ›