We’ve built a solid agency here with a strong client base, but we’re realizing that to really scale our influencer and UGC work, we need to tap into the US market. The problem is, we don’t have the network or the deep market knowledge there, and I’m not about to move to the States.
I’ve been thinking about strategic partnerships—finding people or firms in the US who understand their market cold and could help us navigate it, source creators, handle campaign logistics. But I’m not sure where to even start or what kind of partnership makes sense. Should I be looking for agencies? Individual consultants? What should I even be asking them?
I know our Russian market knowledge is valuable, and I think there’s real potential for brands with Russian roots to break into the US market through smart influencer campaigns. But I don’t want to just outsource the work—I want to build something sustainable where we’re actually learning the market and our US partners understand our approach.
For those of you who’ve forged these kinds of cross-border partnerships, how did you structure them? What worked, and what didn’t?
I’ve been exactly where you are. We started looking for partnerships in Europe because we had Russian roots and wanted to expand. Here’s what I learned: the best partnerships aren’t transactional—they’re complementary. Find someone who’s strong in the US market but who might be curious about Russian market dynamics. They’re more likely to see long-term value. My approach: (1) Start by attending industry events or connecting through mutual contacts. (2) Have a real conversation about what each of you brings to the table. Be honest about your strengths and gaps. (3) Propose a pilot project—something low-risk where you can test working together. (4) If the pilot works, formalize the partnership with clear roles: you handle Russian clients and market insights, they handle US execution. Why this works: both parties have skin in the game, and you’re learning together. The partnerships that failed? The ones where I assumed someone could handle everything and I just sat back. That doesn’t work. You need to be involved, asking questions, learning. Be ready for that investment of time.
From a business perspective, strategic partnerships should be built on complementary strengths and aligned metrics. Before you approach anyone, I’d pull together: (1) What do you uniquely bring? (The Russian market insight, client relationships, content capabilities, etc.) (2) What do they uniquely bring? (US market expertise, creator network, performance data from the market, etc.) (3) What are the potential win opportunities if you work together? (Joint revenue opportunities, cost savings, market expansion?) Once you know this, you can have intelligent conversations. I’d also recommend looking at how other agencies structure partnerships—some are loosely affiliated networks, some are formal JVs, some are just referral agreements plus project collaboration. Different structures work for different situations. My suggestion: start with a simple framework—referral agreement plus 1-2 pilot projects per year. If it works, formalize further. If it doesn’t, you can exit cleanly. Finally, be data-driven about partnership success. Define what ‘good partnership’ looks like in numbers: pipeline value, close rate of referred deals, collaboration efficiency metrics. Track them. Partnerships that don’t work are usually the ones where both sides don’t have clear expectations about outcomes.