Just tell us simply… is it that hard?
I’m not saying pensions people lie. But wow, you really like to make things sound more complicated and fancier than they are.
You say things like: ‘Optimising member outcomes through value-aligned decumulation pathways.’ We hear: ‘blah blah blah yap yap yap.’
If you want people (any people, not just teenagers) to care about pensions, then start by telling the facts (in words we can understand). Not the corporate jargon version. Not the ‘strategic communications’ version. Just… the truth.
How to sound like a robot 101
It’s like when influencers post about a product and they say ‘I just really love this product’ and proceed to say the most scripted robotic gumph ever. It feels the same when pension schemes say things like… ‘We’re empowering members to make better choices.’ I can almost hear the beeping of robot jargon because what does that actually mean? Why not just say ‘We’re trying to help you understand your money better because it’s pretty confusing.’ It sounds a lot more human.
Stop hiding behind your own words
I hope this isn’t breaking news… but not a lot of people outside your office know what any of these are; auto-enrolment, small pots, or decumulation (and I had to look them up!). You might as well be speaking Latin.
If you want trust, talk like a person. Not like a policy document. Stop the complicated terms and vocab only other pension folk understand… but that doesn’t mean you start talking like you were just picked up from the street in Croydon. It’s about finding that balance. You don’t want to sound like you’re casually chatting to friends with slang that corporate people don’t understand, equally, you don’t want to use corporate spiel your friend doesn’t understand.
Own the confusion. Don’t just blame rules.
Okay, I get it… sometimes it’s not your fault. The government changes the rules every five minutes. One day there’s a lifetime allowance, the next day it’s gone.
But here’s the thing: when you don’t explain what that means for real people, it just feels like chaos. You don’t have to pretend you control it, but it would help to empathise.
Because every time the rules change, it’s not just numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s someone’s mum wondering if she’s saving enough. It’s someone’s nan wondering if she’s got enough to heat her house this winter. It’s real people feeling stupid about something that shouldn’t make them feel stupid.
If you took time to walk us through the changes, give us examples of how people may have thought one thing, but now it’s another, and showed us you actually care about people – we’d understand you more.
Real stories beat crafted messages all day long
We believe people, not posters. Tell us about someone who didn’t think they had a pension but found out they did. Or someone who thought retirement meant the end, and it turned out to be the start of something new.
That’s the kind of stuff that makes people go, ‘Oh, that could be me.’ Not another photo of a couple on a beach, holding hands at sunset.
Hands down, trust is built on honesty (I reckon that will win over a complex engagement strategy). We don’t mind if you don’t have all the answers. How’s this: ‘We can’t change the rules, but we can help you avoid getting caught out by them.’ That’s honest. That’s believable. It’s a bit cheeky, but it would make us feel like you’re on our side.
Final thought
We don’t expect pensions to be fun. But we do expect them to be honest.
Stop polishing the message and start speaking like a person that we’d have a chat with. Because if you ever want the next generation to listen, the first step is simple… talk to us like humans. Not like headlines.
Luke Quinn, Teenage Takeover
