In this guide, you\u2019ll discover the most powerful Chinese social media platforms and how to use them to connect with your audience and boost your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n WeChat<\/strong><\/a> (Weixin) has a unique place in the Chinese social media landscape. But in reality, it has become much more than just an app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us show you why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WeChat started out as an instant messaging app<\/strong> for Chinese mobile users. It is often compared to Facebook, for its dominant position. And to Whatsapp for its chat-focus look and feel, as it’s a platform primarily focused on messages. But the comparison stops there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unveiled by Tencent, the creator of QQ, the \u201cChinese MSN\u201d. WeChat has grown to become the world’s (not just China’s) biggest super-app, with more than 750 million average daily active users<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a whole ecosystem on its own. With WeChat, you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We won\u2019t post the whole list of features available here, but you get the point: Wechat is massive. Not only by its never-ending list of features but by its incredible scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everybody in China is on WeChat<\/strong>. And that\u2019s not a figure of speech. This means if a company has any ambition toward the Chinese market, they need to be in it. Now it’s not only a social media site but also (or even more), an e-commerce platform, where the majority of brands offer their own stores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The central place WeChat has in Chinese users’ lives also means they spend a lot of time within the app, particularly on mobile phones. That opens great opportunities for branding & social media marketing<\/strong> in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the main tools and features that you can use for your business in China:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weibo has long been called the \u201cChinese Twitter\u201d, but in 2024 it is fair to say that it has very much grown past its Western inspiration. But can it be considered the largest communication platform in China?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weibo<\/strong><\/a> is one of the oldest Chinese social media sites. The micro-blogging platform describes itself as an open social media platform<\/strong>. More than WeChat where people not only post, share and interact but also get updated on trends and news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the place for content to go viral and for KOLs to build their online communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like its counterpart in the Western world, Weibo can be used for corporate communication and announcements<\/strong>. In fact, if there is one app on top of WeChat where companies create official accounts, it is Sina Weibo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the perks of using a Weibo official account for your business in China:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiaohongshu<\/a> is a Chinese social media app that’s similar to Instagram. It’s mainly used by young people in China to share photos and videos of the clothes they’re wearing, the food they’re eating, and the places they’re visiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This social media is a great tool if you need to market to Chinese women. Why? Because 80% of the community<\/strong> on Xiaohongshu are women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Few platforms offer such a complete, self-contained, and focused ecosystem as XiaoHongShu. The Chinese social media platform primarily focuses on UGC (user-generated content)<\/strong> but also offers a variety of tools to both its users and brands as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Little Red Book \/ XiaoHongShu is a smaller social network compared to some other big names on our list. But it offers a very focused community of young women. If that is your target audience, then it might just be the perfect platform for you to invest in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While other Chinese social media apps source their inspiration from Western social media sites, Douyin<\/a><\/strong> is different. It is the unicorn of Chinese Social Media that has conquered the World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Douyin is a short video social platform<\/strong> made for creating and sharing short videos with special effects. Relying on user-generated content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The app is owned by Chinese company ByteDance<\/strong>, which first released Douyin in September 2016 for iOS and Android in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Douyin allows users to create and share creative and trendy short-form videos<\/strong>. Short videos are, unlike long-form videos, optimal for engagement and virality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Douyin provides the ability to edit videos with engaging special effects and funny stickers to inspire its users to produce more and share more of these kinds of funny short videos with their friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brands can use content marketing to attract users. However, a brand\u2019s content has to carry the right tone to be a good fit for the platform and must not be intrusive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Douyin also offer brands the opportunity to have a business account that comes with many benefits such as access to paid advertising tools, better visibility<\/strong>, and the possibility to publish longer visibility than regular users’ account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some brands (Airbnb, Harbin Beer, and Chevrolet) collaborate with Douyin influencers<\/strong> to share their brands (through content that appears in the user\u2019s information stream) in a way that is consistent with both the Douyin tone and the brands\u2019 personalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customized challenges<\/strong> on Douyin are an effective way to create a social buzz for brands<\/strong>: Douyin is really great at creating challenges for users to engage and prove their creativity. This tactic incentivizes mass participation and results in a social buzz that can connect users to brands more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kuaishou<\/a><\/strong> is Douyin’s main competitor in China. It has gained momentum in China\u2019s lower-tier cities and is now starting to close the gap with the bigger players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kuaishou is one of China’s leading social media platforms, thanks to its innovative and surprisingly addictive short video feature.<\/strong> The app allows users to share quick, 15-second clips of their everyday lives with friends and strangers alike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While it may not be as well-known as some of the other major Chinese social media apps outside of China, Kuaishou has a strong user base within the country – second only to TikTok in terms of active monthly users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a social media, video, and live-streaming platform<\/strong>, Kuaishou offers many tools that both brands and influencers can leverage to grow their reach in the Chinese market and more specifically 3rd and 4th tier cities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Does Kuaishou have an official account option for companies, organizations, and influencers? The answer is yes. Just like Douyin, you have different types of official accounts for different types of organizations. Kuaishou official accounts allow for e-commerce integration and paid ads, they also help brands gain visibility and credibility (thanks to the verified icon on the profile).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kuaishou is a great alternative to Douyin for short videos. Today, the way we sell online with videos is evolving fast and you need to stay up-to-date with all the existing social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see above, there are many differences between those two apps. We would say, that the main differences lie in the demographic<\/strong> (with Kuaishou targeting lower-tier city consumers) and in content<\/strong>, as the focus and priorities of both apps are different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no better or worse app and when choosing one, you need to understand who will be your target customers, where they live, how they shop, and what are their interests, because Douyin and Kuaishou, apart from the fact they are both short video apps, are very different and attract different groups of people and content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This might be the biggest Chinese social platform you have never heard of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n QQ<\/a> is a Chinese instant messaging software app. It was created in 1999 by Tencent, and it became very popular in China. Similar to MSN messenger, QQ allows users to communicate with each other via text, voice, and video chat. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At launch, QQ was just a simple instant messenger. Today, you can play online games, send and receive emails and large files, share Snapchat-style disappearing videos and animations, and join online groups of like-minded individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also stream music, find a partner via QQ\u2019s dating service, and use the Facebook-like Qzone for sharing with friends and reading their posts in your news feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of the trendy Chinese social media platforms target the urban online population from first-tier cities. QQ\u2019s demographics trend towards the young and unsophisticated<\/strong>. 60% are under 30 years old and come from 2nd and 3rd-tier cities. This population has a strong consumption potential as they have an increased purchasing power and actively participate in the economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also tend to spend more time on online entertainment\/Chinese social media and are more willing to try new stuff. Brands can use QQ to engage with younger and future generations of consumers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n QQ is also popular in the workplace. They like its ease of use and facility for transmitting large files like images and video. White-collar workers use QQ for daily communication and file transferring instead of email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n QQ group chats allow users of the same interests to connect and brands to run targeted campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Youku<\/a> is often called the Youtube of China. Yes, like Youtube, it is a video hosting service<\/strong>. In China, Youku is one of the most important online video and streaming service platforms<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The unique point of Youku is that it offers long-form videos<\/strong>. Despite the emergence of short video and live streaming platforms, longer videos are still preferred when users want to gain deeper knowledge, learn about a topic, or watch the news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Youku can help you reach out to a wider audience. Youku is a great tool to increase brand awareness and loyalty<\/strong>. It offers great exposure for your brand via video content and drives traffic to your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a great social media to promote digital ads. You can use the pre-roll ads, the post-roll ads, or even the banner ads. Your advertising will be displayed while the user is watching a video, which will increase your brand visibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, Youku wisely selects a target audience depending on the content they used to be interested in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bilibili could be overlooked by some as yet-another youtube-clone. But its initial focus on Chinese youth<\/strong> and its subcultures and community features has made it one of the most interesting Chinese social media platforms to explore for advertisers<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bilibili<\/strong><\/a> is a short video platform in China that allows users to share and upload videos. The site is also popular for its unique visual style and community-based features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of the videos on Bilibili are fan-made<\/strong>. And the site is especially popular amongst young adults. Initially focused on anime-related content<\/strong> and video game lovers<\/strong>. Now a wider range has joined the platform to consume videos, notably Korean drama, and other trendy shows, not always welcome by mainstream Chinese media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike YouTube or TikTok, the promotion of a video is not based on a specific algorithm to boost visibility. It is all about community (pop culture junkies ;)) and recommendations<\/strong>, a great opportunity depending on your local strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bilibili offers brands the traditional social media way to promote themselves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baidu Tieba<\/a> is an online community that was created by Baidu, a Chinese web services company. It’s similar to other online communities like Reddit or 4chan, where users can post content and discuss things with others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, one unique thing about Baidu Tieba is that it’s organized around specific topics<\/strong>, called “bars.” So, if you’re interested in discussing a certain topic, you can go to that bar and find other people who are also interested in that topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tieba is essentially a BBS<\/strong> (bulletin board system) or online community where users can search or create a forum (or \u201cbar\u201d) by simply entering a query within the search bar. If the forum doesn\u2019t exist yet, there will be one automatically created from the query. The concept of \u2018forums\u2019 is an old one, but is often overlooked by Chinese social media platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the things that make Tieba so great compared to other Chinese social media is that the topics can be hyper-specific; anything from niche video games to types of cell phone cases can be a \u201cbar\u201d (topic).<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing to keep in mind is that Tieba doesn\u2019t allow ads. So make sure to keep your posting as informative as possible<\/strong> and try not to include too many links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using this platform correctly can help develop an organic presence in China without paid advertising. It can also be a powerful tool for collecting feedback from Chinese netizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zhihu<\/strong><\/a>, the Chinese version of Quora, is a popular online Q&A and social platform in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zhihu was attracted from the beginning to social elites like lawyers, independent consultants, IT professionals, and entrepreneurs who want to share their specialties with others and gain wisdom in return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides, Zhihu gave high authority on answers that get the most upvotes and they don\u2019t order the answers by time series. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This also helps encourage people to get serious about answering. In these ways, Zhihu has maintained high trustworthiness among social media users<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Users on Zhihu are promising consumers because Zhihu\u2019s user base is high-income, high-consumption, and highly educated people.<\/strong> Actually, 30% of Zhihu users make more than 10,000 RMB per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toutiao<\/a>, which literally means \u201cToday\u2019s Headlines\u201d, is an emerging mobile platform for content creation, aggregation, and distribution<\/strong>, featured by machine learning techniques. Of the various social media platforms we saw, it might be the most singular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toutiao is a news and information content platform<\/strong>, founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming. It is one of the most popular apps in China, with over 120 million daily active users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toutiao aggregates news and videos from a wide range of sources, including traditional media outlets, online publications, blogs, and major Chinese social media sites such as Weibo and WeChat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most significant selling point of Toutiao is its \u201cintelligent news feed\u201d, where artificial intelligence and machine learning software<\/strong> tailor and bring audience content based on their unique interests and browsing history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Its AI-powered information\/content platform means, that the more people use it, the more data people can contribute. The more data people contribute, the better-fit content they will see, then the more frequently people use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/4-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWeChat – The Most Popular China’s Super-App<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/7-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat is WeChat?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/8-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWeChat for Business: Best Features for Wechat Marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/10-1024x576.png\")
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![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/9-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSina Weibo – Is It The Chinese Twitter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is Sina Weibo?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/11-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial Media Marketing on Sina Weibo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/13-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/12-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLittle Red Book \/ Xiaohongshu – The Chinese Instagram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/14-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial Media Marketing on Little Red Book<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/15-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDouyin – The Chinese TikTok<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/17-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial Media Marketing on Douyin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/18-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nKuaishou – TikTok\u2019s Innovative Challenger<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/19-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial Media Marketing on Kuaishou<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The two most efficient ways to promote a brand on Kuaishou are: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
How is Kuaishou different from Douyin?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nQQ – The Chinese MSN (Still Kicking!)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/36-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/QQ-Social-Media-Messages-Users-Statistics-Study.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow to use QQ for your Chinese Social Media Strategy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/case-study_general_jl-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nYouku – The Chinese Youtube<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/22-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial Media Marketing on Youku<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bilibili – The Chinese Youtube, also?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/23-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy is Bilibili Different? \u2013 The Community Virality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Social Media Marketing on Bilibili<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Baidu Tieba<\/span><\/span> – The Chinese Reddit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/29-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial Media Marketing on Baidu Tieba<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"forum](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/baidu-tieba-thailand-sub-forums-tourism-china-marketing.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nZhihu – the <\/span><\/span>Chinese Quora<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/27-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial Media Marketing on Zhihu<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/28-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nToutiao – The Hottest Chinese News, Information & Entertainment Platform<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Toutiao](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Toutiao-Social-Media-China-Strategy-Agency.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nToutiao’s \u201cintelligent news feed\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/AI-Functioning-Explanation-Toutiao-China.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSocial Media Marketing on Toutiao?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/case-study_general_AE-fb-scaled-1-1024x600.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMeituan Dianping -The Reviews and Comments Social Media App<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/30-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/31-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/marketingtochina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/37-1024x576.png\")
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