Xiaohongshu has grown to become China’s leading shopping site for beauty, fashion, and luxury goods, over the years. It has around 300 million registered users and 85 million monthly active users as of 2021.

Xiaohongshu is largely used by young Chinese females to provide reviews on cosmetics, beauty items, fashion, and so on. You’ll notice a lot of Xiaohongshu KOLs pushing various items and sharing their thoughts on them.

Why Are KOLs Necessary?

KOLs are considered trustworthy. Users focus on quality content shared on a brand account, but they will always value user-generated content more. Many consumers rely on KOLs to help them cut through the noise and make quick purchasing decisions.

KOLs understand how to develop the right type of content for the platform. They can write in a conversational, informative tone that looks authentic.

KOLs confirm the desirability. If consumers go to Xiaohongshu to research your product and finds almost to no user-generated content, they the quality of the product. KOLs also help discovery of new audiences for your business.

The 3 Types Of  Xiaohongshu KOLs 

1. Loyal platform users who organically developed an audienceThese influencers, whether micro or top-tier (explained below), are likely to have a solid understanding of the platform, and a strong connection to its audience.
2. Other platform influencers – Example: Weibo and WeChatAs Xiaohongshu grows in popularity, an increasing number of established influencers have launched accounts on the platform. Working with them has the advantage of allowing them to post material for a single campaign across several platforms; however, unless they’ve been on Xiaohongshu for a long time, they may not be as effective as a ‘homegrown’ influencer.
3. CelebritiesMany celebs, both from China & the West, have joined Xiaohongshu. Chinese celebs use it to connect with fans; content is generally more behind-the-scenes and casual, compared to what you see on their Weibo accounts.

Here is a classification based on follower count & average cost:

Gifting & Price Negotiation

Xiaohongshu is an open forum for product reviews and suggestions, product seeding is an excellent way for brands to gain exposure online. Gifting is an excellent way for brands to attract KOLs for product seeding, especially for brands that are new to the market.

There will always be KOLs who refuse a non paying gigs, but with enough effort, marketers can always discover KOLs who understand the value in your product or brand and are prepared to conduct free content seeding in exchange for gifting. If collaboration is easy and the content is engaging, try working with them at subsequent sponsored event.

This content will be far more authentic than a paid collaboration. The table above shows the typical pricing range for KOL content if you pay for it.

Conclusion

Dealing with Xiaohongshu KOLs  for content seeding is less expensive than working with WeChat KOLs, who charge exorbitant fees. Working with the correct KOLs to provide interesting content, similar to Weibo and WeChat, is the key to a successful campaign. Get in touch with us today.