Pressure to help was rewarded (4)
I believe the answer is:
paid
'rewarded' is the definition.
'pressure to help' is the wordplay.
'pressure' becomes 'p' (abbreviation).
'to help' becomes 'aid' ('aid' can be a synonym of 'help').
'p'+'aid'='PAID'
'was' is the link.
(Other definitions for paid that I've seen before include "Given money (for work)" , "Settled the bill" , "Hired" , "Settled financially" , "Handed over money" .)