Today, a growing number of fintech companies are requesting publication in top-tier media as soon as possible. They consider media coverage a shortcut to building credibility and believe that reputation is a simple sum of published materials — but it is far from being true. The PR market, however, supports their views and slowly shifts toward a “pay-to-play” system.
According to Alina Sysoeva, Head of PR at Drofa Comms, since this shift began inside the PR industry, the boundary between earned and sponsored content has gotten thinner in both directions. Some outlets now publish an article for a fee without labelling it as such, while agencies find it far easier to charge for a fast-ready link than to defend a communication strategy.
As part of our PR Strategy column, we share Alina’s insights, supported by years of her experience in fintech PR, on the causes of such a shift and possible ways to overcome it
Why the PR Industry Switched to a “Pay-to-Play” Strategy
The demand for bought coverage may be seen as a client’s mistake, but it would be too easy to think so. In some way, a founder who asks for the publication “right now” behaves completely rationally.
Put yourself in their place. There are two options for coverage. The first one suggests a clear date and a reasonable fee, while the other only promises that it may publish the material in several days, weeks or even months after diligent preparation. In the first case, to get the publication, it is only necessary to sign a check, and in the second case, to spend time building expertise and maintaining a consistent presence.
As a result, only the first one guarantees the publication at the end of the month. When someone asks a decision-maker to choose between an understood result and a promise, they will choose the result. This is true for any industry.
Also, speaking from PR teams’ perspective, the clients’ wish to see measurable metrics of a PR campaign shapes how the industry responds to them. Faced with the demand for actual numbers, many PR professionals actually struggle to measure their impact at all. As a result, they may decide that it is much easier to work on promoted content instead of crafting a comprehensive strategy, too.
That’s why eventually the industry turns toward a “pay-to-play” strategy. However, this approach ends up with people exchanging numbers that do not even show anything real. Such metrics only describe activity, they do not explain how the company is actually seen in the market. This behaviour may be entirely rational, but it harms the reputation of the PR industry as a whole.
Why Sponsored Content Bring Low Value
Beneath the desire to earn coverage everywhere as soon as possible lies a wrong assumption that greater visibility instantly builds trust. Actually, it works the opposite way. A company needs to build a strong reputation first, and only then, it will have a chance to attract more clients through advertising.
Still, many companies treat PR as an extension of marketing and believe that it’s possible to earn reputation in the same way as brand awareness. But trust does not depend on how often a company appears in the media — fifty random mentions will not strengthen a company’s position.
Coverage offers value to a reader only when it has something unique to say and a relevant channel publishes it. Such pieces are only the result of a journalist’s hard work who selects the story over the many others available and dive into a company’s business. The amount of time and effort spent is a clear sign that an article may really change how the audience sees a business.
How Does Sponsored Content Affect Fintech Reputation
For financial companies, this is especially important. Its audience is mostly industry professionals seeking evidence. They may quickly realise that the article they just read was a sponsored one. If a company has only such materials in the media, the public may question its influence.
If a company tries to conceal the fact that its content is sponsored, it may face regulatory scrutiny. For example, in 2025, according to the SEC, Medallion Financial Corp. used intermediaries and fictitious authors to make the paid content appear to be independent editorial coverage. As a result, they had to pay a $3 million penalty to settle SEC charges. And this is only one of the possible consequences.
For the public, a company’s reputation is actual capital, collected slowly. The process of earning it may seem invisible, and that’s why founders sometimes consider that PR is founded on promises and offers no actual timeline. However, in practice, visible results will generally come in six months of consistent work.
How to Earn Trust With the Media
A six-month horizon may appear long, but at this point, a company will finally get credibility and will have a chance to become a trusted voice in the media. To achieve this, a business should take the following three steps:
- State a strong and clear position. A company should choose the general idea it sends to the public and hold it consistently across every channel. Since journalists mostly remember which of their sources may help with a topic, doing so will help get media attention.
- Become a credible source. When journalists write a piece, they want to strengthen their arguments with measurable data and clear cases. If the company is famous for sharing unique information, it has many more opportunities to get a free mention.
- Measure honestly. Companies need to understand that PR metrics and the value mentioned are not what they need from PR teams in the first place. Actual trust and a strong reputation are very hard to count, but they will definitely reveal themselves over time.
When a company has built genuine trust and credibility within its industry, eventually journalists will start reaching out for expert commentary and insights — often before the PR team even sends a pitch. That is the true measure of successful PR: becoming a go-to source of the media, not just securing coverage.
However, it does not mean that a company should always avoid sponsored content by any means. If it knows exactly what it pays for and why, there is nothing wrong with getting such a publication. Just make sure that an assumption that a promoted article brings the same value as the earned one replaces this knowledge.
Conclusion
Earned coverage is often discussed much more widely within a professional audience than a sponsored content. A purchased article guarantees that the audience will see the company, but it is not enough to make professionals believe its story is worth repeating.
Chasing the media presence, companies are missing the true meaning of PR. Communication teams that decide to switch to a “pay-to-play” approach are unlikely to help clients achieve their actual business goals. As a result, both companies risk moving further without the new clients they hoped to attract.
A strong PR strategy that truly helps to earn trust should be built into a company’s business. This work may seem slow, but it will eventually bring much more measurable results.
If your company is deciding where to direct its communications, Drofa Comms can help you build reputational capital that holds up and works toward your goals.
