I’m at that point where we need to move fast on US expansion, but I’m also terrified of picking the wrong partner. We’ve got a relocation service that’s doing well in Russia, and now we’re looking at the American market. The problem is—I don’t have a network there. At all.
I’ve been approached by a few agencies and influencers who claim they “understand relocation,” but how do you actually separate the signal from the noise when you’re on the other side of the world and everything is in English? I’ve seen some founders dive in headfirst and waste months on partners who didn’t deliver.
What I’m looking for is something concrete: What questions do you actually ask before you sign anything? Are there specific metrics or case studies you pull? Do you ask for references from other international brands? How do you know if someone actually understands the niche or if they’re just saying what you want to hear?
I’m thinking this might be where having access to case studies from other founders who’ve done this would help—seeing what worked, what didn’t, what the red flags actually looked like.
What does your actual vetting process look like? And more importantly—what mistakes have you seen others make that you’d want to avoid?
Oh, this is such an important question! I’ve watched so many partnerships fail because people rush the discovery phase. Here’s what I see working: start by asking for specific case studies—not generic ones. If an agency claims they’ve worked with relocation brands, ask them to name at least three and connect you with one or two for a real conversation. Not a testimonial video—an actual call.
Also, I always recommend checking if they have a network already. Like, can they show you their actual influencer contacts in the US who specialize in relocation content? If they can’t pull a list in a week, that’s a sign they’re building it on the fly.
One more thing: pay attention to how they talk about your market. If they’re treating relocation like it’s the same as selling sneakers or fitness apps, they’re not the right fit. The best partners ask you tons of questions about your actual service, your customer pain points, the regulatory landscape. They’re curious.
I’d also suggest asking them to walk you through a sample campaign—not a pitch, but actually how they’d structure influencer outreach for a relocation service. What creators would they target? How would they brief them? What KPIs would matter? This tells you so much about whether they actually understand the space or if they’re just applying a standard playbook.
From a data perspective, I’d want to see their historical ROI data on similar campaigns. Specifically: how much budget did they deploy, what was the conversion rate for awareness vs. actual lead generation, and—this is critical—what was the quality of those leads? In relocation, you’re not selling impulse purchases. The customer journey is longer, the decision is higher-stakes. So agencies that can show strong ROI on, say, SaaS or fintech might do better than gen-pop influencer agencies.
Also run a background check on their team. Who’s actually managing your account? Have they done international expansion before? What’s their track record? I’ve seen too many “strategists” who are really just glorified coordinators.
I went through this myself. My advice: start small. Don’t sign a six-month contract. Do a 30-day pilot with whoever you pick. Set very specific, measurable goals for those 30 days—awareness metrics, engagement rates, lead quality. At the end, you’ll know pretty quickly if they can actually deliver or if they’re just talking a good game.
For me, the biggest red flag was when an agency couldn’t articulate why relocation is different from other service businesses. If they can’t explain the customer’s emotional journey or the regulatory considerations, they’re going to produce generic campaigns that flop.
Here’s what I tell clients: ask for a structured intro call with the actual people who’ll work on your account. Not the business development person—the strategist and the creator manager. Ask them to walk through their process: discovery, messaging development, creator selection, performance tracking. If they can’t articulate a clear process, move on.
Second, ask about their churn rate. How many clients stay past the first three months? If agencies are losing clients quickly, there’s usually a reason. And when you talk to their references, don’t just ask “were they good?” Ask “did they hit their numbers? Did they grow your business? Would you hire them again?”
One thing that separates good agencies from mediocre ones: they’ll ask you hard questions upfront about your budget, timeline, and realistic expectations. They’re not just trying to close you—they’re trying to make sure you’re a good fit for each other.
From the creator side, I’d say: find out who they know in the relocation space and actually talk to those creators. Creators will tell you the truth about an agency—whether they pay on time, whether they communicate clearly, whether the briefs are actually useful or just vague nonsense.
Also, ask the agency how they vet creators. If they’re just throwing money at anyone with 50K followers, that’s probably not your vibe. Good agencies have actual relationships with creators and think carefully about brand fit. For relocation specifically, you want creators who understand the emotional side—the stress, the logistics, the cultural transition. That takes thought.
My framework: create a scorecard with weighted criteria. Market knowledge (does this agency understand relocation as a vertical?), network depth (quality and quantity of influencers they can access), team stability (how long have key people been there?), performance history (concrete case studies with metrics), and cultural fit (do they get your vision?). Score each potential partner on these dimensions and compare.
Then, before you commit, ask them to produce a market research summary—maybe 5-10 pages on the US relocation market, audience segments, competitive landscape. See if they know the space or if they’re just going to Google it on your time. Quality of that output tells you everything.
Finally, structure your contract with clear exit clauses and performance thresholds. If they miss targets in months 1-3, you should be able to terminate without massive penalties. Good partners will accept this because they’re confident they’ll deliver.