Standing out in competitive markets such as financial services is tough. You’re up against legacy institutions with huge budgets, compliance challenges that can kill creativity, and an audience that doesn’t exactly love talking pensions. So how do you make a name for a challenger brand in this world?
For Almond Financial, we did it by combining three things: brand PR, digital PR and SEO. Not separately, not sequentially – but as one connected strategy.
Building trust and authority with brand PR
Almond Financial is a Lincoln-based financial advice firm in a fairly traditional industry. But it had the same visibility problem a lot of ambitious regional firms face: how do you get national attention, rank in search, and build real credibility in a market that doesn’t always welcome newcomers?
We started by thinking like a journalist, considering what would make a brand like Almond worth listening to.The answer: genuine, consistent expert insight. Not salesy statements, but useful, data-driven commentary that speaks to people’s real financial concerns.
Our brand PR efforts focussed on:
- Creating thought leadership around pensions, investments and planning
- Getting Almond's experts into national media as trusted voices
- Highlighting their regional story with a national spin
This earned coverage in major titles and vertical press, with stories that made Almond a go-to voice in a complex space.
Layering in digital PR to earn links and search visibility
Adding digital PR to the mix wasn’t just about creating more coverage – it was about building assets that could drive ongoing traffic and authority.
We launched a series of data-led campaigns with insights into topics like the affordability of retirement across Europe. The hook was a ranking index of European countries comparing average pension income against cost of living – something that felt relevant, useful, and timely.
Why it worked:
- It gave journalists a tangible story to run with
- It was rooted in credible methodology and data
- It earned links from high-authority media and government sites
The campaign formed the basis for a well-structured, evergreen asset built to rank for terms like:
- “UK state pension compared to Europe”
- “Best countries to retire in”
The page earned coverage, links, and long-term visibility, putting the brand name in front of new eyes and bringing more visitors to its website.
SEO structure from the start
The third “pillar” in the strategy was SEO – baked into the PR campaign from the start, not just an afterthought. From the start, we:
- Researched what people were actually searching around pensions and retirement
- Designed all landing pages and campaign content to meet those search intents
- Made sure technical SEO was sound, fast, and crawlable
Visibility in AI search tools as a bonus
Because of the consistency, credibility and quality of the campaign assets, Almond didn’t just show up in Google, it started being cited in Microsoft Copilot.
People were typing questions into AI tools about pensions, and Almond content was being pulled through. That’s what happens when your brand builds a strong enough signal across multiple trusted sources.
It’s not about links vs mentions anymore – it’s about showing up where the answers are being pulled from.
A pronged approach: PR shouldn’t stand alone
Most brands treat brand PR, digital PR and SEO as separate channels. But when you plan them together, from the same insight and objective, you get:
- Campaigns that land in press and rank in search
- Coverage that earns links and visibility
- Content that shows up in AI answers, not just newsfeeds
That’s how Almond went from local challenger to earning national visibility – and why integrated strategies win in competitive sectors.