XHS Influencer Campaign Guide: Lessons From The First 6 Months

For those unfamiliar, XHS is China’s lifestyle-driven social platform where users share everything from beauty and fashion to food, travel, and life hacks. Think of it as a vibrant online community that blends authentic experiences with social discovery.

Fun fact: Malaysia is now the second-largest market outside of China, with over 2.5 million users, mostly Gen Z and millennials. It’s a powerful audience base for brands looking to engage young, trend-driven consumers.

Through our work with clients on XHS, here are a few key lessons we’ve learned along the way:

Lesson 1: You can’t just copy paste your IG or TikTok strategy

Clients often ask, can’t we just reuse the same content from IG or TikTok? The short answer is no. The platform rewards authenticity and community-driven storytelling. Hard-selling or heavily branded content tends to get flagged or suppressed, while organic post or “non-sponsored” perform best and that is the key.

Lesson 2: Sensitive words are everywhere

XHS moderation is strict. Posts can be restricted or removed for reasons that aren’t always clear, whether it’s a brand name, a keyword, or even a product image. To give it a try and failing on an objective is part of the process. So to be safe, keep the content as natural and subtle as possible.

Lesson 3: Localization is key

With majority content in Chinese, it's very important to blend in and adapt using the Chinese internet slang, emoji replacements, and even shortening brand names.  Tactics like delaying branded hashtag for a few days are also proven to help posts gain traction before being flagged as commercial. 

Lesson 4: Follower size isn’t everything

Usually brands often chase influencers with big numbers on Instagram or TikTok, with micro-influencers often outperform larger creator on XHS with 1K - 6K followers often outperformed bigger accounts. Why? Their authenticity and niche focus resonate better with XHS audiences who value personal and genuine recommendations.

Lesson 5: How to stand out without hard selling

You might be wondering, if everything has to be soft sell with minimal brand mention, then how do you make the content stand out? What worked best for us so far is problem solution content with a strong hook at the start. Package it like a life hack and show results early in the video to keep people watching. It feels natural on XHS but still grabs attention.

After months of testing, one thing is clear; that XiaoHongSHu is unpredictable, and that’s the beauty of it. The success comes from flexibility, experimentation and being able to adapt to the platform’s trend. For a brand who is looking to do marketing with XHS, you need to understand that you’re playing by completely different rules.

At Audience2Media, we understand the nuances that make platforms like XiaoHongShu can be both challenging and rewarding. The team has worked with brands across Asia to craft influencer and social strategies that can actually perform. Whether you’re a brand that aims to scale your influencer presence across multiple markets, we can help you connect with the right audience, build meaningful engagement and analyse performance to ensure every campaign delivers real ROI.