I’m trying to get smarter about influencer selection, and I realize my decision-making process is basically: “This creator has 50K followers and seems relevant.” Then I brief them and hope for the best.
What I really need is benchmarks. Like: “For this product category in this market, here’s what follower count typically converts at, here’s what engagement rates actually predict sales, here’s what pricing looks like.”
The problem: I have decent data on US influencer benchmarks. Russian data is murkier. And I have almost no data on how to compare across both markets—like, when is a 50K Russian influencer equivalent to a 50K US influencer? Spoiler: it probably isn’t.
I’ve started thinking about this as an expert-exchange problem. Like, if I could talk to people who’ve actually run campaigns on both sides—people who have real data, real case studies—I could start building a comparative framework.
But I’m not sure how to navigate that conversation without it feeling like I’m asking people to just give me their secrets. And also, where do I even find these people?
Has anyone done this? Like, actually accessed real comparative benchmarks across markets? How did you do it and what did you learn?
Okay, this is exactly what I’ve been building an internal system around, and I’m happy to share the framework.
First, normalize for market differences:
You can’t directly compare a 50K Russian influencer to a 50K US influencer because:
- Audience composition is different (Russia has higher concentration of engaged followers due to platform differences)
- Engagement rates are typically 40-60% higher in Russia for the same follower count (not because creators are better, but because audiences engage differently)
- Average engagement rate for macro influencers: US ~2-3%, Russia ~3.5-5%
- Conversation rates: US baseline ~1-2%, Russia ~1.5-3% depending on category
So I built a “benchmarking matrix”:
| Metric |
US Macro (100K+) |
RU Macro (100K+) |
Equivalence |
| Engagement Rate |
2-3% |
4-5% |
RU 50K = US 100K |
| Typical CPM |
$5-15 |
$3-8 |
Different economics |
| Conversion Rate |
0.8-2% |
1-2% |
Similar |
How I built this:
- Collected data from 50+ campaigns across both markets over 18 months
- Normalized by product category (beauty, tech, fashion, etc.)
- Tracked not just engagement, but actual conversion outcomes
- Updated quarterly as benchmarks shift
Where to get comparative data:
Yes, expert-exchange is one route. But also:
- Agency case studies (some agencies publish anonymized data)
- Industry reports (they’re expensive but worth it)
- Direct conversations with creators who work both markets
- Platform-provided analytics (Instagram Business Benchmark, VK insights, etc.)
What I learned from comparing 50+ campaigns:
Russian influencers are often undervalued because people don’t understand engagement differences. A 50K Russian influencer often outperforms a 200K US influencer at a fraction of the cost. But only if you understand that you’re comparing apples to oranges.
Also—macro influencers are weaker predictors of success in Russia. Micro-influencers punch way above their weight. In the US, the opposite is true.
Happy to share more specific data if you want to DM. But the key insight: build your own benchmarking system by actually tracking outcomes. Don’t rely on industry averages—they’re often wrong because markets are different.
What product category are you focused on? That changes everything.
This is a great question because benchmarking across markets is one of the hardest things to get right.
Here’s my approach: I don’t try to create a universal benchmark. Instead, I build a comparative framework that makes the differences explicit.
Step 1: Define what you’re measuring
Don’t just collect “engagement rate.” Define it:
- Comment/like ratio (comments are more predictive of conversion than likes)
- Audience authenticity (how many real vs. bot followers)
- Demographic alignment (does their audience match your target?)
- Platform-specific metrics (TikTok engagement ≠ Instagram engagement)
Step 2: Establish regional baselines
- US beauty influencer baseline: ~2% engagement rate, 50% comment ratio
- Russia beauty influencer baseline: ~4% engagement rate, 65% comment ratio
Step 3: Create equivalence ratios
A 50K Russian influencer typically performs like a 100-150K US influencer for engagement, but pricing might only be 60% of the US equivalent.
Step 4: Test and iterate
I always run 2-3 test campaigns with influencers at different tiers in each market before committing large spend. The test data becomes your market-specific benchmark.
How to access expert insights:
You’re right that expert-exchange is useful. But here’s how to approach it:
-
Find people who’ve done what you’re trying to do. Look for case studies, conference talks, LinkedIn content from people in your industry who’ve done international campaigns.
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Offer value in exchange. Don’t ask for their benchmarks for free. Offer something: share your learnings, invite them to a webinar, collaborate on research.
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Join industry groups. There are communities (Slack groups, forums, associations) where people share this stuff more openly. Being a member + contributor gives you access.
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Hire a consultant for one project. Sometimes the fastest path is just paying someone who’s done this 20 times. One project = you learn their whole framework.
One more thing: Data from 2 years ago is often wrong. Markets change fast. I update my benchmarks quarterly based on new campaign data. The framework stays the same, but the numbers shift.
What industry are you in? That affects benchmarking significantly.
I’ve built a benchmarking system that I use across clients, and it’s gotten pretty sophisticated. Here’s the operational side:
We use this process:
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Campaign documentation: Every single campaign we run, we document outcome metrics by creator by market by category. This builds our database over time.
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Quarterly analysis: I have one person whose job includes analyzing all campaign data quarterly. Looking for patterns, shifts, anomalies.
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Internal benchmarking guide: We’ve built a guide that shows ranges for different creator tiers, follower counts, engagement metrics, across both markets and multiple categories. It’s like 40 pages, color-coded, with examples.
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Client advisory: When a client comes to me with an influencer selection question, I use the guide + my gut + latest data to recommend. I can usually say “this category typically sees 1.5-2% ROAS with macro influencers, 2.5-3.5% with micro, let’s test both and see.”
The expert-exchange part:
Honestly? I don’t access much data from outside my agency. We’ve been doing this long enough that our internal data is better than most industry reports because it’s real, current, and specific to our clients’ categories.
BUT—I do pay for access to a couple of industry databases that aggregate influencer data. Worth the money.
For you specifically:
If you’re a brand trying to do this without agency infrastructure, my recommendation:
- Join the influencer marketing community (there are forums, Slack groups, Reddit communities)
- Participate, ask questions, share your learnings
- Over time, relationships form and people share more detailed insights
- Consider hiring a consultant for a 1-week “benchmarking audit” project
Also—VK and Telegram have built-in analytics now that are better than they used to be. Worth exploring.
Do you have internal data from past campaigns? That’s your first starting point.
I’ve been on both sides of this—I’m a founder who’s had to make influencer selections across markets, and I’ve also looked at influencer data when evaluating partnerships.
Here’s what I wish someone had told me earlier:
The benchmark you really need isn’t the industry average. It’s the competitor baseline.
- Identify 2-3 direct competitors
- See which influencers they work with
- Track those campaigns
- Use that as your baseline, not industry averages
Your competitors are solving the same problem you are (finding influencers, measuring ROI). Learn from their choices.
For cross-market benchmarking specifically:
I built a simple framework:
- Find competitors in both markets
- Track their influencer selections and performance (you can estimate from public engagement data)
- Create a matrix: competitor, influencer, perceived success
- Use that to inform your selections
It’s not perfect data, but it’s directional and specific to your market.
On expert-exchange:
I’ve had great conversations with other founders who’ve done international expansion. We don’t share detailed metrics (competitive reasons), but we do share frameworks and learnings. Like, “Here’s how I approach benchmarking…” or “Here’s what I learned about Russian influencer pricing.”
These conversations usually happen through:
- Founder communities (on Slack, online forums)
- Conferences or events
- Cold outreach to people whose content I respect
Bottom line: Build your own benchmarks from your own data. Use competitors as validation. Use expert conversations for frameworks. Don’t wait for the perfect industry benchmark—it doesn’t exist.
What’s your timeline? If you need benchmarks immediately, lean on competitors. If you have 3-6 months, start building your own data.
Okay, from a creator side, here’s what I think people get wrong about benchmarking:
Follower count is weirdly useless. Like, I have 80K followers and my engagement rate is 8-10%. My friend has 200K and gets 3%. We’re completely different categories and audiences, so comparing us by follower count makes no sense.
What actually matters:
- Is the audience real? (Not fake followers)
- Does the audience match the brand?
- What’s their actual conversion rate? (This varies wildly and audiences don’t know it)
When brands ask me for benchmarks, I give them honest numbers:
- My engagement rate on average
- What my audience typically converts at (when brands share that data with me)
- Where my followers typically come from
The US vs. Russia thing:
I work with creators in both markets, and here’s what I’ve noticed:
- Russian audiences are more willing to engage (higher engagement rate)
- US audiences have slightly higher purchasing power
- Russian creators might command lower rates but deliver similar or better results
- Conversion timing is different (Russia: faster, US: longer consideration)
If you’re trying to build benchmarks, ask creators directly. Most of us are happy to share our public metrics. And if you’re working with an agency or strategist, they should have comparative data.
Also—micro-influencers are often underrated in benchmarking. We have smaller numbers but often higher conversion rates. Don’t sleep on that.
One last thing: benchmarks from 6 months ago are probably outdated. Follow current creators, see what’s working now.