2025 Xiaohongshu Marketing Guide: 5 Effective Tips to Grow Your Audience

Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) has emerged as a powerful blend of social media and e-commerce, captivating millions of users in China and globally. Increasingly, local businesses are leveraging Xiaohongshu to achieve exceptional marketing results. For brands aiming to penetrate the Chinese or overseas Chinese markets, Xiaohongshu is an indispensable tool. This guide introduces Xiaohongshu from scratch and offers five practical marketing tips to help you maximize the platform's potential and elevate your brand's visibility in China.

What is Xiaohongshu Marketing?

Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), often dubbed the "Chinese Instagram," is one of China’s most popular social platforms. It integrates social media with e-commerce, boasting a highly effective “shopping inspiration” function. Users share posts on various topics, such as lifestyle, fashion, beauty, wellness, travel, and food, often tagging products or services directly in their content. With over 260 million monthly active users, the platform has become a go-to for brands seeking partnerships with influencers (KOLs) and micro-influencers to promote products and services. This form of marketing, known as “grass planting,” is highly effective at driving brand awareness and conversions.

The Benefits of Xiaohongshu Marketing

Xiaohongshu’s unique ecosystem offers several advantages, making it a top choice for brands and marketers:

1. Targeting a Young Audience

The platform’s primary users are aged 18–35, with 72% being born after 1990. This age group is characterized by high purchasing power and a strong focus on quality of life, aligning perfectly with the target demographics of many brands. Xiaohongshu also uses machine learning to deliver tailored content to users based on their interests, shopping habits, and location, ensuring promotional content reaches the most valuable audience segments.

2. Building Brand Reputation

Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) thrives on user-generated content (UGC), such as reviews, product trials, and personal experiences. This UGC can significantly boost a brand’s credibility. Authentic user reviews foster trust and influence purchasing decisions. Partnering with trusted influencers allows brands to integrate promotional content seamlessly into personal stories, enhancing brand trustworthiness.

3. Robust Content Ecosystem

With over 20 million active creators sharing diverse experiences, Xiaohongshu fosters deep consumer resonance and influencer loyalty.

4. Seamless Social-Commerce Integration

Xiaohongshu combines social interactions with direct shopping capabilities. Influencers can embed product links in posts, enabling users to purchase items instantly. This unique fusion enhances the platform's commercial value by enabling real-time social engagement and sales.

Industries Best Suited for Xiaohongshu Marketing

Xiaohongshu marketing works well across various B2C industries, including fashion, food and beverage, beauty, travel, finance, and insurance. Even B2B sectors are starting to explore the platform with positive results. Collaborating with niche influencers in relevant fields can help build original, valuable content to amplify brand awareness.

How to Collaborate with Xiaohongshu Influencers

1. Reach Out Directly

Search relevant keywords on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) to find influencers in your niche. Contact them directly using the information in their profiles. This method avoids third-party fees but requires more time for outreach and vetting. Without analytics tools, gauging an influencer’s true impact and fan quality can be challenging.

2. Use KOL Tools

Various tools are available to streamline the search for Xiaohongshu influencers. These platforms can match brands with suitable KOLs based on campaign requirements or allow KOLs to apply for collaborations. However, selecting the right influencer may still require time and effort.

3. Partner with Marketing Agencies

Professional agencies, like Lotus Social Agency, have extensive experience and a robust influencer database. We craft customized marketing strategies aligned with your goals, content needs, and budget. From negotiation and content planning to performance tracking, our team handles the entire process, saving you time and resources.

5 Practical Tips for Xiaohongshu Marketing

1. Choose an Eye-Catching Cover Image

Your cover image is the first impression users have of your post. Ensure it is high-quality, relevant, and visually appealing to attract clicks.

Tips for a great cover image:

• High resolution: Avoid blurry or distorted images.

• Proper dimensions: Use 1080 x 1620px at 72dpi resolution.

• Clear title text: Include concise, eye-catching titles on the image.

• Consistent colors: Maintain a cohesive color scheme.

• Content alignment: Ensure the cover matches the post’s content to avoid misleading users.

2. Longer Posts Perform Better

Detailed posts often outperform shorter ones, as they provide more in-depth information. Comprehensive reviews, tutorials, or stories enhance user trust and understanding, improving search rankings and reader engagement.

3. Optimize Keywords

Xiaohongshu sees nearly 300 million daily search queries. To gain visibility, optimize your posts with strategic keywords that match your audience's search habits. Include long-tail keywords to target specific needs with less competition. Use keywords naturally in the title, introduction, and throughout the content.

4. Use Hashtags

Add relevant hashtags to make your posts more discoverable. Incorporate trending or location-specific hashtags to boost visibility, but avoid irrelevant ones that could mislead readers.

5. Post at the Right Time

Thursday and Friday evenings (7–10 PM) are peak times for Xiaohongshu users. Experiment with different posting times and monitor engagement metrics to determine the best schedule for your audience.

Mastering Xiaohongshu requires continuous testing and strategic adjustments. For businesses unfamiliar with the platform, partnering with experts can streamline the process.

At Lotus Social Agency, our experienced Xiaohongshu marketing team specializes in creating tailored strategies to help brands succeed in the Chinese market. Contact us today to learn more about how we can elevate your brand presence on Xiaohongshu.