XiaoHongShu (小红书), known as “REDnote,” is a social platform for sharing, discovering, and promoting content.
However, succeeding in XiaoHongShu requires understanding its unique rules and best practices. Here’s a complete guide to the do’s and don’ts to help you navigate the platform better.
Click here for a basic guide on XiaoHongShu marketing.
The Do's on XiaoHongShu (REDnote)
Establishing a clear positioning
Here are three common positioning strategies:
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Corporate Positioning: Define your brand’s identity and market stance to build a clear image that attracts your target audience.
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Recruitment Positioning: If seeking partners or agents, showcase your business model, collaboration benefits, and success stories to entice potential collaborators.
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Sales Positioning: Emphasize your product’s unique selling points and value, directly targeting consumers to drive sales.
After defining your positioning, ensure visitors quickly grasp your business by clarifying:
Brand Message: What core message do you want to convey through XHS?
Product Value: What specific value does your product offer?
Unique Selling Proposition: What distinguishes your product from competitors?
Clearly articulating these elements in your profile and content helps visitors understand your business, fostering trust and engagement.
Account Packaging
Construct a persona 搭建人设 tailored to your desired industry. Effective account packaging can enhance professionalism, convey value, build user trust, and direct user focus.
REDnote best practices
To maintain compliance with REDnote and avoid content restrictions, consider the following best practices:
Avoid Overt Marketing and External Redirects:
Refrain from directly urging users to contact you or directing them away from REDnote.
Do Not:
Overemphasize marketing content; adopting a value-driven approach is crucial, as overt sales tactics are generally unwelcome on the platform.
If You Want Users to Contact You:
Please encourage them to send you a private message (PM) within XiaoHongShu or leave a comment, prompting them to DM you directly.
You can include the business area, but it’s best not to include the full address.
Content Restrictions:
Avoid using exaggerated language or making marketing promises.
Do not include direct links, QR codes, or contact information (such as phone numbers, email addresses, WeChat IDs, etc.) in your posts, as this can lead to reduced visibility.
Prevent Private Domain Redirection:
Avoid mentioning or displaying icons of other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Shopee, or Google.
Refrain from sharing private contact details, including WeChat IDs, phone numbers, WhatsApp numbers, website links, QR codes, or full addresses.
Content Marketing in REDnote
Before publishing a post (note), consider the following questions to ensure it resonates with your target audience:
- Does the customer have this pain point? Are they eager to solve it?
- Do they have the financial means and decision-making power?
- Is this audience sizable and easily identifiable?
When selecting topics, consider these four key references:
- Guides: e.g., “6 Days and 5 Nights in Japan,” “Renovation Guide: How to Create a MUJI-Style Home,” “Common Causes of Bathroom Leaks,” “Latest News: Solar Subsidies.”
- Methods: Teaching “how-to” approaches.
- Steps: e.g., “Five Steps Women Can Take to Look Younger.”
- Recommendations: e.g., “Best Restaurants in Melaka,” “Valuable Insights.”
Adopting an altruistic mindset is crucial, especially in areas like business development, monetization, and service industries.
Please don’t bring the “hard sell” advertising approach from Facebook to Xiao Hong Shu; for example, ads with marketing promises or obvious CTAs.
KW research in REDnote can be done just like on Google—using Google’s autocomplete (recommendations from the search bar).
Popular tools use in XiaoHongShu Marketing
Chinese marketers on XiaoHongShu (小红书) commonly use the following tools to enhance their content:
Butter Camera (黄油相机): Ideal for adding decorative text and enhancing images.
Meitu Xiuxiu (美图秀秀): Great for creating collages and removing backgrounds.
Jianying (剪映): A user-friendly video editing tool for crafting engaging clips.
By utilizing these tools, you can create compelling content that captures attention and encourages user engagement.
The Don'ts on XiaoHongShu (REDnote)
Why Xiaohongshu so strict?
Xiao Hong Shu (小红书) enforces strict content regulations to comply with China’s advertising laws, such as the Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China, which mandates truthful and accurate advertising to protect consumers.
Additionally, the platform aims to maintain a positive community atmosphere by implementing guidelines that promote authentic interactions and prevent misleading content.
Sensitive or Overly Promotional
敏感词和营销违规禁词
Certain terms are flagged as sensitive or overly promotional, which can lead to content restrictions or reduced visibility. These include superlatives like “best” or “No. 1,” as well as exaggerated claims about product efficacy. To maintain compliance and ensure content visibility, it’s crucial to avoid such terms in your posts.
Over Exaggeration
Content that includes exaggerated language, marketing promises, direct links, QR codes, or direct contact information (such as phone numbers, email addresses, WeChat IDs, etc.) may be subject to reduced visibility. This is because XHS restricts private domain traffic redirection. To comply with platform guidelines:
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Avoid Mentioning Other Social Media Platforms and Icons:
- Refrain from referencing or displaying icons for platforms like Facebook (FB), Instagram (IG), TikTok, Shopee, Google, etc.
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Limit Private Contact Information:
- Do not include personal contact details such as WeChat IDs, phone numbers, WhatsApp numbers, website links, QR codes, or full addresses in your posts or profile.
Adhering to these guidelines helps maintain your content’s reach and engagement on XiaoHongShu.
So how? Tips to overcome
- IG > 艾居
- FB > 蓝书
- Telegram > 纸飞机
- Add my WeChat > 加v
- RM > 🐎币/ $ sign
- 聪明的你知道在哪里找到我 (you know where to find me)
Some users employ creative strategies to share contact information without violating platform guidelines.
For instance, instead of directly posting a phone number or WeChat ID, they might use homophones, insert special characters, or share partial information that prompts interested parties to inquire further.
Content with hard selling CTA
A “hard selling post” refers to content that directly urges users to take a specific action, such as making a purchase, or attempts to redirect them to third-party platforms.
This approach is often characterized by overt calls to action (CTAs) and explicit promotional language. In the context of XHS, such posts may be subject to restrictions or reduced visibility, as the platform emphasizes authentic content and discourages direct marketing tactics.
Plagiarism 内容盗取 & Unverified Promises 保证/承若 内容
Copying others’ content and making unverified promises can also reduce visibility. The platform emphasizes original, authentic content and discourages plagiarism and unsubstantiated claims. To maintain your account’s reach, always create unique content and avoid making promises that cannot be verified.
What to do if there is a violation?
If your REDNote, XHS account has violated platform guidelines, consider the following corrective actions:
Implementing these strategies can help restore your account’s standing and improve content visibility on XiaoHongShu.
1. Account Rehabilitation ”养号“:
- Purpose: Restore account health and credibility.
- Duration: Typically requires 3-4 days.
- Actions:
- Engage authentically by liking, following, and interacting with content relevant to your industry.
- Delete posts that violate guidelines.
- After rehabilitation, publish new, optimized content that adheres to platform rules.
2. Content Modification:
- Purpose: Amend specific posts that breached guidelines.
- Actions:
- Edit the offending posts to remove or correct the violations.
- Ensure the revised content complies with all platform standards to regain visibility.
3. Account Replacemen 开新号:
- Purpose: Address severe or repeated violations leading to significant account penalties.
- Actions:
- Consider deactivating the compromised account.
- Create a new account, ensuring strict adherence to platform guidelines to maintain a positive standing.
REDnote in a nutshell
The essence of marketing lies in creating customer value, with all efforts centered around addressing genuine customer needs. This involves providing solutions to problems or offering valuable information.
Crafting Authentic and Engaging Content:
Resonate with the Audience: Connect emotionally by sharing relatable experiences, emotions, or viewpoints.
Ensure Credibility: Present genuine experiences without exaggeration, fostering trustworthiness.
Example: Highlighting an unassuming job that yields substantial income.
Encourage Interaction: Create content that prompts users to comment, like, save, or share.
Example: Posing a question like, “If you had USD 100k, how would you use it?”
Deliver Value: Offer content that helps users solve problems or provides useful information.
By focusing on these principles, marketing efforts can build trust and effectively meet customer needs.