What Is Xiaohongshu and How to Operate It Effectively: A Practical Guide

1. What kind of app is Xiaohongshu?

Xiaohongshu is a lifestyle-sharing app beloved by young users, especially young women. They care about fashion, beauty, food, travel, and more — using the platform to discover and recommend products. Xiaohongshu functions as a“recommendation” or “seed-planting” platform, and its content heavilyinfluences consumer purchase decisions.

2. Key characteristics of Xiaohongshu

1) Diverse and rich contentThe platform covers a wide range of verticals: fashion, beauty, food, travel, home, maternity & baby, entertainment, etc. It can satisfy different user interests and touchpoints.

2) Authentic and usefulMany users share genuine shopping experiences and life insights. That authenticity makes the content valuable as a reference for decision-making.

3) Powerful marketing capabilitiesFeatures like professional accounts, “Puhongying” (dandelion) marketing tools, and other ecosystem services help brands and creators scale product marketing and visibility.

3. How to operate on Xiaohongshu?

01. Positioning

Positioning is foundational. You must be clear from day one about the identity you want to project and the content niche you are competing in. Do not treat Xiaohongshu like a personal Moments feed. Decide early whether you’re focusing on food recommendations, travel guides, fashion tips, etc.

How to choose a vertical:

• Interest: What you love and enjoy doing

• Expertise: Skills you have from your background or what you’re good at

  
  

Positioning determines your target audience. The goal is to be vertical and specific, not vague and broad.

02. Account warm-up

Proper account nurturing (“yanghao”) takes 3–7 days. Activate the account with natural behavior: browse relevant content, give a few likes, save/bookmark, leave light comments—spread these activities throughout the day to mimic a real user. Build “net sense” by frequently consuming content in your chosen domain.

03. Account name / bio / cover

• Name: Easy to remember, avoid rare characters, minimize duplicates if using English. Ideally reflect profession, interests, or differentiators to help quick recognition in search.

• Bio: Clarify who you are, what content you output, what value/service you provide; include a personal viewpoint or slogan. (New accounts should avoid including email in the bio.)

• Cover image: Should align with your persona/niche. If there’s overlaid text, ensure it isn’t obstructed or cut off.

04. Benchmarking and deconstructing viral posts

How to find benchmark accounts:Look for accounts in your field whose content and format you can learn from. Search both broad and refined keywords. Early-stage creators should avoid blindly copying mega-influencers whose rapid growth trajectory may no longer fit today’s ecosystem. Instead, target accounts that have performed well in the past six months, have grown quickly, show stable metrics, and post with consistent frequency. Study their viral notes and begin creating similar themes. Later, raise the bar to 100k+ creators, observing their persona, visual style, and viral content.

How to deconstruct viral posts:

• Pick 5–10 successful notes.

• Topic: What is the core subject? What format (image+text, video, etc.)?

• Cover: Single image or carousel, shooting angles, overlay text content, font, size, placement.

• Copywriting: Structure, wording style, hooks.

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After deconstruction, extract recurring viral elements—common topic types, formats, visual cues—and prioritize creating content using those successful factors.

05. Content creation

Cover image:Vertical 3:4 ratio. Reference benchmark compositions, tones, and layouts.

• For real-shot covers: Main subject clear, bright lighting, clean background.

• For text-style covers: Minimalist, focus on key message without clutter.

Title:

• Include key value or hook + amplified benefit.

• Use numbers to improve clarity and perceived practicality.

• Ask a question to trigger curiosity.

• Add real-life scenario to enhance relatability.

Copy:

• Keep it under 800 words. Avoid redundancy. A “point-summary-point” (intro-body-conclusion) structure works best.

• Opening: Briefly frame what the note is about, set expectations.

• Tone: Avoid overly formal language—lean into conversational style and a “talking to a friend” voice.

• Body: Present the core content with clear structure; can use punctuation and light emphasis to highlight insights

• Ending: Summarize succinctly, include a motivational or emotional pull (“small wisdom” / quote) to provoke resonance or action.

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06. Data analysis

• Views: If low, revisit topic selection, cover image, and title.

• Likes & Saves: High engagement here suggests the content has utility.

• Comments: If sparse, the post may lack interactive prompts or controversial/relatable angles—add questions or calls to engage next time.

• Followers gained: If a particular note drives follower growth, consider pinning it to the top.

Never stop posting because of one weak performance. Continuously review: what worked, what didn’t, extract lessons, iterate. Persistence is the multiplier—if you keep showing up consistently, you’ve already won more than half the battle.

Conclusion / Call to ActionXiaohongshu is not a quick hack; it’s a long-term presence built on clarity, consistency, and content that resonates. Start with a focused niche, benchmark intelligently, craft thoughtful visuals and copy, and iterate based on real feedback.

Contact:WeChat: QW13828777726Phone: 217–318–6661