Xiaohongshu Professional Accounts: A Detailed Guide for Foreign Businesses

Xiaohongshu, also known as “Little Red Book” or recently as “REDnote” has emerged as a powerful social media and e-commerce platform in China. With its unique blend of user-generated content and product discovery, it has become a crucial platform for brands looking to tap into the vast Chinese consumer market. For foreign businesses, understanding and leveraging Xiaohongshu professional accounts is essential for success. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of Xiaohongshu professional accounts and how foreign businesses can utilize them effectively.

What is a Xiaohongshu Professional Account?

A Xiaohongshu professional account is a business account on the Xiaohongshu platform that allows brands and businesses to engage with users, promote products or services, and build a strong online presence. It serves as an entry ticket for businesses to conduct commercial activities on Xiaohongshu.

Key Features and Benefits

Xiaohongshu professional accounts come with a range of features and benefits designed to help businesses succeed on the platform:

• Exclusive Blue V Identification: Professional accounts are distinguished by a special blue V logo, which helps to enhance credibility and build trust with users.
• Enhanced Operational Functions: Professional accounts offer powerful operational functions, including lottery features and operational guidance, to strengthen fan interaction and facilitate user connections.
• Marketing Tool Unlocking: Professional accounts unlock upgraded marketing functions, enabling more precise traffic conversion and improved marketing effectiveness.
• Community Operation:
  • Exclusive Identity: Gain a community-exclusive identity, and upon applying for enterprise status, receive a blue V logo to enhance user recognition and trust.
  • Search Rights: Meet the criteria to be prioritized in search results, efficiently reaching potential users and increasing account exposure.
  • Data Insights: Implement data-driven operations, access first-hand data, and quickly optimize operational strategies.
  • Lottery Notes: Enhance fan engagement and foster closer user relationships.
  • Commercial Topics: Aggregate high-quality content and efficiently connect with users.
  • Associated Stores: Claim offline stores and drive online traffic to offline locations.
• Store Operation:
  • Open a Store: Quickly open an in-platform store to efficiently complete the transaction loop.
  • Product Notes: Link products in notes, enabling direct order placement from content.
  • Store Live Streaming: Conduct live selling to engage more closely with consumers and accelerate transactions.
  • Account Association: Use personal accounts for sharing and enterprise accounts for operations, jointly creating a more comprehensive brand profile. After completing account association, personal accounts can directly link to stores and publish product notes, increasing traffic entrances for stores and products.
• Commercial Promotion:
  • French Fries Promotion: Utilize efficient promotion tools to quickly boost note visibility.
  • Brand Collaboration: Precisely match with bloggers to co-create high-quality content.
  • Effect Promotion: Achieve precise reach to high-conversion audiences for effective results and high returns.

Why Xiaohongshu is Important for Foreign Businesses

Xiaohongshu has become a vital platform for foreign businesses due to its unique characteristics and user behavior:

• Product Discovery: Xiaohongshu is a go-to platform for Chinese consumers to discover new products and trends. Users often turn to Xiaohongshu for recommendations and reviews before making purchase decisions.
• User-Generated Content: The platform thrives on user-generated content, with users sharing their experiences, reviews, and recommendations. This creates a trusted environment where consumers value authentic opinions.
• Community and Engagement: Xiaohongshu fosters a strong sense of community, with users actively engaging with each other and with brands. This provides businesses with opportunities to build relationships and interact with their target audience.
• Influence on Purchase Decisions: Xiaohongshu plays a significant role in influencing purchase decisions, particularly among younger consumers. Brands that can effectively leverage the platform can drive significant sales and brand awareness.

How to Set Up a Xiaohongshu Professional Account

Setting up a Xiaohongshu professional account is a straightforward process. There are two ways to apply for a professional account:

• App :
  • Professional Account Upgrade Entry: Regular users can click the top-left  on their personal page, enter to access the professional account upgrade.
  • Choose Personal/Enterprise Identity: Based on different business needs, you can choose to apply for a personal or enterprise identity.
  • Select Industry Identity and Authenticate: Choose the appropriate primary/secondary industry and specific identity based on your personal/enterprise situation.
    • ※ Professional account personal identities only require real-name authentication to successfully apply. Professional account enterprise identities need to submit relevant qualifications for review.
• PC : Professional account enterprise identities can log in to the professional account center (pro.xiaohongshu.com) and select the corresponding application to complete the professional account upgrade.

Important Notes:

• You can also directly select setup store (only available to China market currently) to enter the process of opening both an account and a store.
• Currently, the web page (pro.xiaohongshu.com) only supports enterprise identity applications. If you need to apply for a personal identity, you need to operate on the Xiaohongshu mobile app.

Tips for Optimizing Your Xiaohongshu Professional Account

Once you have set up your professional account, it’s crucial to optimize it for success. Here are some key tips:

• Account Homepage Essentials:
  • Avatar:
    • Reflect your brand or product.
    • Use a 1:1 ratio in JPG/JPEG/PNG format.
    • It is recommended to use the brand logo.
    • Avoid using third-party information or images that may create a poor visual experience.
  • Introduction:
    • Convey your brand spirit.
    • Keep it within 100 words.
    • Use simple and clear language to summarize the brand’s core values and connect with users.
    • Pin activity notifications, such as “Focus on Eastern plant fragrances, new products are launched every Thursday at 8 PM.”
  • Background Image:
    • Communicate your brand image.
    • Use a 4:3 ratio in JPG/JPEG/PNG format.
    • Choose bright and clean images, which will be automatically darkened by 50% after uploading.
    • The effective information area is the right half of the image (not obscured).
  • Custom Menu:
    • Enhance traffic conversion.
    • Divide into three main categories based on actual needs: store, offline store, and group chat.
• Custom Menu Optimization:
  • Store: You can directly jump to the official Xiaohongshu store for actions such as adding to the shopping cart and placing orders, facilitating product conversion.
  • Offline Store: You can directly jump to the location information of nearby stores, with navigation.
  • Fans Group: You can directly jump to the official fan group. Users can get the latest information and discounts after joining the group!
• Content Creation:
  • Common Note Types:
    • Product Information: Provide professional knowledge and purchasing guides from a brand perspective, so that users are no longer confused when facing different categories!
    • Brand Lottery: Regularly setting up lottery activities is a good way to attract customers. Be sure to highlight important information about participation in the notes, such as activity prizes, time, and participation methods.
    • Industry How-Tos: Talk about industry topics and “reveal” insider information that outsiders don’t know. Help the public understand industry knowledge from an expert perspective and create a deep and reliable brand image.
    • Single Product Recommendation: Showcase real usage scenarios and provide recommendations from the product’s usage experience and performance aspects. (If reposting content from influencers, be sure to @ the original blogger in the text).
    • Brand Dynamic: Product upgrades, packaging revisions, live broadcast previews, etc. The official account can push first-hand information to the market and directly reach fans faster.
    • User Dialogue: Chat about daily life and have sincere conversations with users. This not only enhances fan favorability and strengthens fan loyalty but also creates a friendly persona to connect with users.
  • Leveraging Homepage Components: Utilize homepage components effectively to match different marketing needs, such as product transactions, store navigation, topic aggregation, and new product recommendations.
  • Creating High-Quality Notes: Follow these 7 steps to create high-quality notes and build a strong account content structure:
    • Topic Selection:
      • Refine seasons
      • Refine target audience
      • Refine scenarios
      • Refine locations
      • Refine holidays
      • Refine feelings
    • Write a Title:
      • The title should include product features, user pain points, and usage scenarios.
      • Incorporate key search keywords.
      • Create curiosity, anticipation, and resonance.
      • Use emojis effectively.
    • Create Content:
      • Write concisely, logically, and in a down-to-earth manner.
      • Use a reasonable amount of emojis without interfering with user reading.
    • Prepare Materials:
      • Use a combination of images and text.
      • The aspect ratio of the first image should be 3:4.
      • Stay focused on the topic and avoid lengthy posts.
      • Featuring real people has a higher click-through rate.
    • Write Comments:
      • Use comments to guide interaction.
      • Avoid directly asking for likes, collections, follows, or comments in the text.
      • Pay attention to negative feedback.
    • Optimize Notes:
      • Publish during peak traffic times.
      • Use the “horse racing mechanism” to identify high-quality notes.
      • Adjust the title, materials, and content of average-performing notes.
    • Check and Publish: Guide users to purchase in the Xiaohongshu store.
  • Building a Good Professional Account: Follow these four steps to build a successful professional account:
    • Personalized Persona:
      • Professional account name
      • Professional account introduction
    • Enrich Homepage Functions:
      • Activity topics
      • Store
      • Custom menu
    • Prepare High-Quality Notes:
      • Eye-catching cover
      • Combination of people and scenery in images
      • Concise introduction
      • Prominent keywords in the title
      • Useful and interesting content
      • Add popular topics
    • Start Note Promotion:
      • French Fries
      • Information flow ads
      • Search ads
      • Private message communication scripts
      • Keyword replies

Conclusion

Xiaohongshu professional accounts offer a powerful suite of tools and features for foreign businesses to engage with Chinese consumers, build brand awareness, and drive sales. By understanding the platform’s unique characteristics, optimizing your professional account, and creating high-quality content, you can effectively leverage Xiaohongshu to achieve your business goals in the Chinese market.

Ready to take your business to the next level in the Chinese marketing?

• Set up your Xiaohongshu professional account today and start connecting with your target audience.
• Download our comprehensive guide to Xiaohongshu marketing for more in-depth strategies and tactics.
• Contact our expert team for personalized assistance with your Xiaohongshu marketing efforts.