Hey everyone, I wanted to share a case that’s been on my mind for the last few months. We’re a Russian tech brand that decided to test influencer campaigns in the US market, and honestly, the first few months were rough.
The core challenge was this: we had solid benchmarks for Russian creators, but when we tried to apply the same metrics to US influencers, everything fell apart. Cost per engagement was wildly different, audience quality metrics didn’t translate, and we were basically flying blind trying to figure out which creators were actually driving real conversions.
What changed was when I started using bilingual cross-market benchmarks to actually compare apples to apples. Instead of looking at vanity metrics, I focused on engagement patterns specific to each market, audience demographics, and most importantly, actual conversion data. We identified three high-performing creators in the US who had similar engagement quality to our top Russian partners, even though their follower counts and cost structures were completely different.
The results were solid—we ended up with about 3.2x ROI on the US campaign, compared to 2.1x on our Russian baseline. Not groundbreaking, but way better than our initial attempts.
I’m curious what others have experienced when expanding to new markets. Did you find that your metrics needed to shift? What was your approach to identifying creators in unfamiliar markets?
This is really valuable, thanks for breaking it down. The ROI difference you’re seeing (3.2x vs 2.1x) actually aligns with what we’ve observed in e-commerce too. The gap usually comes down to attribution—US creators tend to drive more direct conversions, while Russian influencers sometimes work better for brand awareness that converts later.
One thing I’d push back on gently: when you say you used “bilingual cross-market benchmarks,” were you controlling for product-market fit differences? Because I’ve seen metrics look great on paper, but the actual customer quality was totally different. For instance, US customers might have higher lifetime value but lower initial conversion rates.
How did you segment your data when comparing? Did you look at things like purchase frequency, cart value, or just straight conversion rate?
This is so cool to hear! I love that you took the time to really understand the market differences instead of just copying your Russian playbook. That’s actually how the best partnerships happen—when you respect the nuances of each market.
I’d love to know: did those three US creators you identified end up becoming long-term partners? Sometimes the first campaign goes great, but then expectations don’t align for round two. The relationship management side is where a lot of brands stumble, especially when crossing into a new market where communication styles are different.
Also, are you still working with them? I have some US creators in my network who are specifically looking for products with proven Russian success—might be worth connecting if you’re scaling!