Last Updated on May 16, 2025
Unlike traditional social media platforms, it’s no secret that user-generated content thrives on Xiaohongshu.
Because of this, many businesses rely on peer-driven posts to “seed” content and product ideas in the minds of their target audiences. This type of content marketing strategy is known to effectively drive product discovery, more traffic, long-term brand recognition, and even sales conversions.
Read along as we discuss what it means to launch a Xiaohongshu content seeding campaign, how to use it to reach the right audience, and some best practices we recommend.
What is a Xiaohongshu Content Seeding Strategy?
A Xiaohongshu content seeding campaign refers to creating and distributing organic posts that promote products and services on social media user feeds, in-app search engines, and other channels.
The best example of this content marketing strategy is gifting products to Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) so they can share genuine reviews or “before-and-after” demos. These posts may come in the form of detailed media-rich notes or short-form tutorial videos embedded with product links.
KOC Content Seeding Campaign by Miguo (觅菓)
Xiaohongshu’s algorithms favor helpful, authentic, and high-quality content. Because of this, notes with clear visuals and descriptive text stay visible under relevant search terms in the long run.
In a way, seeding is a form of earned media: businesses support content creation, but rely on peer influence to build local trust and brand awareness.
Over time, savvy marketers leverage Xiaohongshu as a launchpad for new products by “sowing” brand mentions early (in ads and UGCs) so that organic searches and recommendations naturally guide users to buy.
Why is content seeding important to brand marketing in Xiaohongshu?
Xiaohongshu’s audience demographic and user behavior patterns make content seeding campaigns especially powerful. It’s among China’s most populated social platforms, serving over 300 million monthly active users.
It’s not a surprise that many content seeding campaigns end up driving sales because Xiaohongshu’s user base is highly concentrated in China’s first- and second-tier cities and has disposable income.
Many users primarily come to Xiaohongshu for inspiration and reviews. In fact, roughly 45% discover new products here, and 43% use the app to research items they intend to buy.
In addition, about 90% of Xiaohongshu users check product reviews before purchasing, and 60% of content traffic comes from in-app search engines. This means any product-related content you seed can be found by curious shoppers even long after it’s posted.
Best Content Seeding Practices on Xiaohongshu
1. Optimize for Xiaohongshu search and trends
Search on Xiaohongshu resembles a consumer-centric discovery engine. Since about 60% of traffic comes from in-app search, your brand’s content seeding approach should include popular keywords and hashtags related to your industry.
Here are some factors worth optimizing:
- Brand Keywords
Many Xiaohongshu users search for brand or product names when browsing content within the app. Always check and make sure that your top notes rank for your brand and product names by including them in titles, tags, and text. Also, try to actively monitor the general sentiment for these terms. If you can, address, resolve, or remove any negative content on these searches to protect your brand reputation.
- Category/Industry Keywords
Users searching category terms have a vague but real need for high-quality, informative notes rather than hard-sell ads.As a marketer, you need to capture the pain points of your targeted audience. From this information, you can determine what kind of category or industry keywords you can optimize within your brand’s content to feed user search needs.
- Competitor Keywords
Bidding or seeding on competitor brand names can intercept your target audience’s purchasing journey. You can check what keywords they’re using in their campaigns, how they’re utilizing these terms, and what’s working in their favor. This way, your content can appear when consumers seek the best alternative.
- Long-tail Keywords
Xiaohongshu’s recent analytics emphasize scenario-driven search. For example, instead of a generic “hand cream,” target specific contexts like “gifts for coworkers”, “winter commute essentials,” or “office skincare.”L’Occitane’s campaign showed that focusing on niche-specific keywords outperformed broad terms. They mapped out a search matrix of brand, category, and lifestyle keywords and created content around each term. This helped them occupy valuable placements in Xiaohongshu’s search results.
2. Collaborating with Niche-Specific Influencers
Many of the most popular Chinese social media platforms, like Xiaohongshu, favor content posted by micro-influencers or KOCs primarily due to their higher engagement rates and credibility.
This is why brands routinely send products to these “grassroots” users so they can post honest reviews (this is where the term product seeding came from). Here’s how you can leverage these collaborations for your content seeding campaigns:
- Thorough and vetted selection
Identify influencers whose style matches your brand’s values and target demographic. For example, a sports apparel brand might work with fitness micro-creators who share training tips, while a skincare line would partner with beauty KOCs known for honest product testing. Remember, influencer campaigns are more than a one-time effort. So, look beyond follower counts. Check if their past notes generate real likes/comments, and if they genuinely engage with audiences.
- Balance KOL and KOC For a big campaign, it’s best to combine a few top-tier KOLs (for broad visibility) with many micro-KOCs (for niche credibility). The idea is reach plus resonance. We recommend analyzing your product and audience to build an influencer “matrix”, then crafting content strategies based on audience insights.
- Content Formats
Xiaohongshu supports various note formats. In addition to traditional notes that include combinations of image carousels, texts, and links, content seeding can also take the form of short-form videos or live streams. Pay attention to titles and cover images in all formats, as the algorithm tends to favor aesthetically pleasing content with higher click-through rates. Use relevant hashtags and location tags to extend reach, but avoid over-tagging, which may be penalized.
3. Monitoring and Measuring Campaign Success
Tracking content seeding campaigns can be tricky, but key metrics you can count on include note views, engagement (likes/saves/comments), follower growth, virtual storefront conversions, and in-app search ranking.
If you posted notes, you can refer to Xiaohongshu’s data dashboard to better understand how the campaign works and what improvements you can make to increase visibility and user engagement. High “收藏” (saves) or reposts signal strong interest. Use these to refine content style.
You can also track your brand’s rankings and related keyword search volumes. An increase in searches or a climb in search result position is a sign of rising brand awareness.
Your seed campaign may also gather new followers. As the brand audience grows, it’s important to read comments and conduct sentiment analysis.
As stated earlier, if brand-related feedback is negative, it’s best to address it quickly. Meanwhile, positive feedback can be used for the next content angles.
What kind of brands can do content seeding on Xiaohongshu?
Fashion/Luxury
Global luxury brands have harnessed Xiaohongshu for brand events. For Milan Fashion Week 2025, GUCCI created a “live-stream reservation” system and targeted in-app ads to drive viewers to its runway show.
After the event, it flooded Xiaohongshu with high-quality recap notes and behind-the-scenes content. The result: GUCCI-related searches jumped fivefold, and user-generated posts about the show rose 11 percent.
Beauty & Personal Care
Xiaohongshu has long been the go-to platform for foreign beauty brands to build consumer trust. Estée Lauder created an “体验式种草” (experience-style seeding) model.
The brand ran Xiaohongshu splash ads and feed ads to raise awareness, then offered product trials via a custom mini-program (“试用中心”) built on the platform.
Interested users could sign up and receive free samples of the cream, while influential users posted authentic trial reviews and usage tips.
Source: Estee Lauder’s Xiaohongshu Ads
This integrated approach drove significant buzz. The brand’s trial mini-program received over 60,000 visits and delivered over 8,000 samples, with a +170% new-user conversion rate. This translated into higher online sales and search interest across channels.
Lifestyle/Home Appliances
Even non-fashion categories can thrive by “breaking out” of their expected niche. Chinese brand Casarte (water heaters) ran a campaign positioning its product as a home wellness device.
By coining the heater concept as a “personal hot spa”, it seeded content into beauty and family-life niches. Within two months, Casarte’s Xiaohongshu search rank for water heaters went from #9 to #1, search volume grew 415%, and platform-referred sales hit over ¥13 million.
The key to this Xiaohongshu content seeding campaign was tapping into broader industry terms related to your brand and products rather than just relying on one aspect of your business.
Your Trusted Xiaohongshu Marketing Partner in China!
Content seeding campaigns are more than just working with known influencers on Xiaohongshu. In a way, this strategy exposes your brand to multiple marketing channels within the platform to ingrain your offerings in the minds of your potential audiences.
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Sekkei Digital Group understands the importance of creating a content seeding strategy that raises awareness, cultivates interest, and ultimately increases in-platform conversions. With our extensive industry experience and hands-on expertise, we can help your brand build a strong presence on Xiaohongshu.
Whether it’s optimizing content for Xiaohongshu’s algorithm or working with relevant KOCs, we have all the digital solutions you need! Get in touch with us today, and let’s start mapping your next move in China’s dynamic consumer market.
