Xiaohongshu Ads : Reaching Chinese Consumers through Authentic Advertising

Launched in 2013, Xiao Hong Shu quickly became one of the most popular platforms among Chinese consumers, especially younger generations and it predominantly targets female users.

With over 300 million registered users, Little Red Book has become essential for brands aiming to connect with Chinese consumers. Foreign brands can open their official brand account to build brand awareness and sell products, as well as run promotional campaigns. With an official brand account, they can respond to existing posts and discussions on the platform, engage in private messaging with customers, and actively participate in the community.

Many international brands in fashion, beauty, home and perfumes have already established a presence on Xiaohongshu, with cosmetic products, in particular, showing excellent promotional results in the Chinese market.

This article delves into Xiaohongshu Ads, the platform’s advertising system, and how it aids brands in reaching their target audience. If you want to learn more about Little Reb Book, you can read our « Comprehensive Guide to Xiaohongshu app 小红书« .

Xiaohongshu Ads Overview

Xiaohongshu Ads enables brands to promote their products or services on the platform. Like other social media platforms, Xiaohongshu Ads follows a pay-per-click (PPC) model, so brands only pay when users click their ads. The system is open to all brands and offers various targeting options for reaching their desired audience.

Types of Xiaohongshu Ads

These are people’s first impressions of the product, which can enhance the content exposure, and deepen the brand impression. There are several Xiaohongshu Ads options:

• Pop-up ads: a brand takeover is displayed when the user first opens Xiaohongshu. It’s either a five-second image or a three to five-second GIF or video. The ad can be linked to a brand’s landing page, which helps brand information be fully exposed. These takeovers are exclusive to different categories each day – so only one specific brand can take over a category each day.
• Feed ads: Feed ads are designed to blend in with the regular content, enhancing the user experience by being less intrusive and more engaging for users.
• Search ads: Xiaohongshu’s search ads are a targeted advertising option where brands can display their ads in response to specific search queries made by users within the platform. These ads appear among the search results, marked clearly to distinguish them from organic content.

Targeting on Xiaohongshu Ads

Little Red Book Ads offers several targeting options to help brands reach their desired audience, including:

• Demographic targeting: brands can target users based on their age, gender, and location.
• Interest targeting: Xiaohongshu’s algorithm identifies user interests from their interactions – likes, comments, and shares.
• Keyword targeting: brands can target users through relevant keywords or hashtags.
• Lookalike targeting: Xiaohongshu Ads targets users similar to a brand’s existing customer base.

KOLs and Xiaohongshu marketing

In the digital era, branding strategies and social commerce continue to evolve, and as an emerging method within Xiaohongshu marketing, Key Opinion Leaders Seeding (KOLs) has gradually become an important part of brand marketing.
With their unique charisma and expertise, KOLs have had a profound impact on Chinese users’ purchasing decisions by sharing authentic usage experiences and recommendations.  

Consumers are more inclined to trust and make purchase decisions endorsed by KOLs due to the high level of credibility these influencers maintain. Unlike traditional advertisements, recommendations from KOLs are perceived as more genuine, organic, and tailored to individual preferences.

KOLs can produce high-quality content that aligns with the brand’s image, capturing user interest and fostering engagement through their unique charm and style.

Additionally, KOLs can lead discussions on various topics and generate user-generated content (UGC), this kind of user engagement thereby enhancing the visibility and reach of brands.

Consumers are more inclined to trust and make purchase decisions endorsed by KOLs due to the high level of credibility these influencers maintain. Unlike traditional advertisements, recommendations from KOLs are perceived as more genuine, organic, and tailored to individual preferences.
KOLs can produce high-quality content that aligns with the brand’s image, capturing user interest and fostering engagement through their unique charm and style. Additionally, KOLs can lead discussions on various topics and generate user-generated content (UGC), this kind of user engagement thereby enhancing the visibility and reach of brands.

To help brands connect with influencers, Xiaohongshu has opened a new advertising platform called Pugongying (蒲公英, literally ‘Dandelion’).

Pugongying aka Dandelion has gathered over 100,000 content creators from various fan base levels and more than 30 interest categories on Xiaohongshu, providing high-quality content to foster mouth marketing and offering decision-making support to almost 300 million Chinese users.

Dandelion has developed a dual system of targeted and intelligent matching to help brands efficiently select the right KOLs. In targeted matching, Dandelion utilizes a comprehensive tagging system that includes not only the basic information of the KOLs but also key tags such as « content category, » « KOL persona, » « content features, » and « rising stars, » enabling brands to precisely match with suitable influencers and content creation. In intelligent matching, options like « similar KOLs » expansion and « personalized recommendations » are available.

When placing orders, brands can choose the « high-efficiency mode » for content cooperation, which enhances traffic to ensure more stable visibility of popular content, preventing significant exposure disparities among individual influencers.

Real data is used for data monitoring and performance interpretation for brand clients, measuring the effectiveness of marketing efforts across multiple dimensions. The Xiaohongshu analytics tools help brands identify marketing highlights, ultimately leading to the accumulation of data assets and campaign results.

Advantages of Xiaohongshu Ads

High engagement rates: Users spend around 55 daily minutes on Xiaohongshu, increasing the likelihood of ad engagement.

Authenticity: Genuine content and user-generated reviews make ads feel trustworthy, boosting conversion rates.

Younger audience: The user base consists mainly of younger generations, making Xiaohongshu Ads perfect for targeting them.

E-commerce integration: As an e-commerce platform, brands can directly sell products through Xiaohongshu, promoting both brand and sales.

Conclusion

Xiaohongshu Ads empowers brands to connect with their target audience on a rapidly growing social media and e-commerce platform in China. With versatile targeting options and creative ad formats, Xiaohongshu Ads provides a unique chance for brands to engage Chinese consumers and establish their brand in China.

By understanding the platform’s user base and behavior, brands can develop effective marketing strategies and leverage the platform’s advanced analytics to measure their ad performance. With Xiaohongshu’s growing popularity and influence, it has become a crucial platform for brands looking to expand their reach in China’s digital landscape.

If you’re keen on promoting your brand in China, especially on Xiaohongshu, feel free to reach out to us via the form below. DFC Studio is a specialized Chinese social media agency committed to assisting brands to excel in China through social media and influence.