Discover Personal Loans

Overview

Discover Personal Loans needed a content strategy to drive organic traffic, build authority in a competitive personal finance space, and move younger consumers — primarily 18-34 — through the funnel toward personal loan products. Working through Location3, I developed a full-year blog content program from the ground up.

The Work

I built the strategy on four foundational pieces before a single word was written:

Persona development — Four borrower personas representing the 18-34 demographic informed every content decision: the topics we targeted, the tone we used, and where each piece sat in the buyer journey.

Keyword research and mapping — Hundreds of keywords researched, prioritized, and mapped to specific content, with primary and secondary targets assigned to each piece to maximize topical coverage without cannibalization.

Competitor analysis — Identified content gaps and opportunities where Discover could credibly compete against established personal finance publishers.

Editorial calendar — A full 12-month calendar with four posts per month, each tied to a buyer journey stage, persona, and keyword target. Strategy and execution built together, not bolted on separately.

Outcome

The 12-month program delivered 74,000+ organic sessions and a 43% year-over-year increase in blog traffic — driven by a content mix that mapped directly to how first-time borrowers search and decide.

High-intent articles like the debt consolidation piece contributed to 30% of assisted personal loan conversions, with product page visits concentrated on the articles built for the consideration and decision stages of the buyer journey.

Engagement metrics reflected genuine audience trust: average session duration exceeded three minutes, with repeat visitation indicating the blog had established Discover as a credible resource for younger borrowers navigating personal loans for the first time.

Sample article: Things to Know About Debt Consolidation