In the fast-moving world of Balkan eCommerce, few people understand the real power of community like Radostina Hristova does. As Founder & CEO of Radostna Agency, she’s built campaigns that reached over 10 million people across 17 countries. But more importantly, she’s created a network of 2,700+ creators and changed the way international brands think about entering new markets.
Her approach is straightforward: before you can build markets, you need to build real relationships. In this conversation, Radostina shares what actually worked to create regional momentum, how influencer marketing is evolving in the Balkans, and why genuine human connection still beats any algorithm or automation.
RADOSTINA HRISTOVA,
Founder & CEO, Radostna Agency
Brand Ambassador, Balkan eCommerce Summit
As Head of Marketing & PR for the Balkan eCommerce Summit and a Brand Ambassador at the same time, how do you see your role in growing the community and what value does this bring to the event?
My role is to connect the dots between people, key messages and brand opportunities. To see the whole and the future picture before anyone else regarding communication and positioning of the event.
No matter what you build, you need a strong community behind you. Community that amplifies your message with authenticity and trust. For Balkan eCommerce Summit, this community is our foundation. Our brand ambassadors, community and media partners, clients, and guests form a united ecosystem with shared values and aligned business goals. Our mission is to help them feel like one cohesive, purpose-driven network that is connected, empowered, and growing together. We’re not just organizing an event, but we’re building relationships that outlast the stage lights. This isn’t about a summit, but about meaningful connections that unlock new markets, new ideas, and new possibilities at the end of the day.
In 2025 you and the team generated 10M+ impressions and 850+ external posts across 17 countries. What were the 2-3 levers that created that momentum, and what will you scale in 2026?
The short answer is simple: a solid plan and disciplined execution. But if you’re asking about the three forces that truly powered our 2025 results, let me share them with you:
- Relentless regional communication. Every country received personalized content, local language posts, and ambassador support. Nikola Ilchev personally visited most of the key events and players in the markets to make sure we are on the same page about Balkan eCommerce Summit.
- High-performing formats or more precisely, a full mix of media, channels, and content styles carrying one consistent message.
- Brand Ambassadors and all our partners. We engaged people personally. More than 230 partners and 47 ambassadors turned our campaign into a movement. There is no media channel that can outperform a genuine recommendation coming from real experts with their own face and voice.
In 2026 we will scale:
- deeper and better communication by countries with the help of local professionals there;
- more videos and clear message “Your next market”
- earlier onboarding of speakers, exhibitors, and guests throughout the entire communication process
- Every aspect of the event communication will be doubled
What’s new at Radostna Agency this year that eCommerce brands should know about?
This year Radostna Agency evolves from “an influencer marketing agency” into the first-stop partner for international eCommerce brands entering the Balkan markets. We provide a complete market picture, local insights and data, and everything they need to launch, scale, and succeed in Bulgaria. The focus is:
- A refined selection model for 2,700+ Bulgarian creators
- We launched our rating system “Radostna Top 100” – a weekly scoring ranking, based on discipline, quality, and performance
- New structures for brand ambassadors, UGC packages, and affiliate-ready creators
- Faster briefs, transparent reporting, and a dedicated CRM that removes chaos from creator management
- Specialized creator teams activated for events (from launches and conferences to pop-ups and brand experiences)
eCommerce businesses get speed, structure, and creators who actually deliver.
Your network spans 2,700+ nano & micro influencers and UGC creators. What’s your 30-day starter plan for a brand entering a new Balkan market with nano/micro creators?
We have personal conversations and meetings with all of our clients and usually we talk about the focus on the market + channels, budgets and deadlines.
Days 1–10
We analyse the product and the local market, define the strategy, and identify the resources needed to execute it.
Days 10–15
Once the direction is set, we select the right creators and begin communication with them.
Days 15–20
We finalise agreements, set deadlines, refine the content, and publish it. Then we review the results and prepare for the next activation.
You claim “10 creators for the price of 1” and up to 7× ROI. What campaign structure and content mix typically unlock that efficiency?
It works when three things align:
- Nano + micro scale
10 creators tell the story differently, to smaller but highly trusting communities. And the client has 10 pieces of content instead of only one. - Mixed content types
- 40% UGC for ads
- 40% organic nano/micro posts
- 20% mid-tier creators for trust & scale
We usually recommend adding one or two well-recognized influencers, especially for brands that are new to influencer marketing. They bring credibility, faster trust, and stronger initial visibility.
- Performance structure
Clear hooks, short scripts, retargeting audiences, reposting rights, testing 3–5 concepts.
This combination consistently beats single-creator campaigns, especially in the Balkans. So we do it.
Selection made simple, reporting fast: how does your proprietary CRM change creator matching, briefs, moderation, and real-time optimization?
Our CRM does four things extremely well:
- It’s incredibly fast: we can shortlist 60 or 100, 200 or 500 creators in under an hour, because every selection is personally double-checked for quality and relevance.
- Our system ensures precise matching: creators are filtered by city, niche, audience, style, performance history, deadlines, and quality score.
- Everything is stored in one place, with every piece of content saved and organized inside the brand’s campaign folder.
- And reporting is effortless: you see exactly who worked, what they delivered, and the results they generated.
In short, full control, full clarity, zero chaos with our team help.
Briefs make or break results. What are the top mistakes you see in influencer/UGC briefs and how would you rewrite a weak brief into a strong one?
We simply cannot work without briefs, because they are essential. But it’s important to make a difference between a brief and a scenario. Scenarios are used only for UGC creators. For influencer marketing campaigns, well-structured briefs are an absolute must.
The three most common mistakes:
- Do whatever you want.” you can’t just hand over a product and say that. Creators are not mind readers. They need direction: key information, tone of voice, what to focus on, what to show, and what must be highlighted as important.
- Too many messages.
If you give five messages, the audience remembers none. We always focus on one. - No examples or hooks.
We call them reference and it’s very important that ref videos and pics are used for inspiration, not for copy-paste.
Good brief usually includes:
Info about the product
What’s important about it or how its different
Do’s, don’ts, and examples
CTA + deadline
Reposting rights defined
What to tag/collaborate
Hashtags
Or shortly: Message. Mood. Must-haves. Don’ts. Call to action.
Cross-border nuance: how should messaging and formats adapt when promoting the same product in Bulgaria vs. Romania vs. Greece?
I always recommend that my clients work with local agencies when entering a new country.
Localization isn’t about translating captions, but it’s about translating emotion and culture. Knowing the local specifics, culture, and even the slang helps your message land with real impact.
From your campaigns, share one success story that started small (nano/micro) and scaled, what made it work?
We have plenty of success stories, but the ones audiences and clients remember most are the events with influencers. They create such a powerful impact that sometimes the hype outgrows the brand’s capacity to handle the demand.
On a personal note: leading an agency, an industry association, and the Summit’s communications is intense, tell us what keeps you inspired, and what’s one habit that helps you sustain creativity at scale?
Only real communication with people and being present at events keep me truly creative. Real conversations keep strategy human, that’s where the best ideas are born. I listen to problems, and my mind instantly looks for solutions. Add a little sport, art, kids, and love, here is the secret.
If you want to crack a new market, you don’t start with ads – you start with people. Radostina will be at the Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026, and this is your chance to meet her in person, ask the hard questions, and learn exactly how she turned 2,700 creators into a regional force. This isn’t theory from a screen – it’s live conversations, real insights, and the kind of connections that actually move business forward. Grab your ticket at balkanecommerce.com and meet the people building the next wave of Balkan eCommerce.