Last Updated on December 4, 2024 
Jeffrey Hau
Who are the Influencers of XiaoHongShu (Little Red Book)?
Influencers on XiaoHongShu generally fall into two main categories: Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs), each with unique roles and approaches in brand promotion.
KOLs are typically experts or well-known figures in their field and have a high follower count, often partnering with brands for in-depth product introductions, tutorials, or lifestyle showcases.
Their posts are perceived as knowledgeable and credible, helping brands establish authority and trust with a broader audience. Their authority and trustworthiness make them especially effective for brand storytelling and launching new products.
In contrast, KOCs act as everyday users sharing authentic experiences and reviews. Unlike KOLs, they are not considered experts but instead act as “social proof” influencers.
Although they have smaller followings, they often create high-impact content that feels relatable and credible, helping to drive organic engagement and social proof.
Key Differences Between KOLs and KOCs on XiaoHongShu
The main difference between KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) and KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers) is the size of their following. While there’s no official cutoff, KOLs usually have more than 10,000 followers, while KOCs have fewer.
KOLs have a larger, more diverse audience because their popularity tends to attract people from all over the platform. These influencers are typically well-known figures, like celebrities or experts, with a loyal following. For instance, Fan BingBing, a famous Chinese actress, is one of the most followed KOLs on XiaoHongShu.
KOCs, on the other hand, have smaller followings, usually under 10,000, and focus on more niche audiences. While their reach is smaller, they can engage more directly with their followers, building closer and more personal connections.
Content-wise, KOLs tend to produce more polished, high-quality material, often with the help of a professional team. Because of their expertise or fame, they create content that draws in a broad audience. They frequently partner with brands to share promotional messages and encourage purchases.
KOCs create content that’s more casual and relatable. They share honest product reviews and personal experiences, giving followers a real consumer’s perspective.
While KOLs might introduce a product, KOCs dive deeper, offering practical insights and genuine feedback, which many users find more trustworthy on platforms like XiaoHongShu.
When it comes to how users see them, KOLs are viewed as authorities or experts in their field. Whether it’s because of their fame or their knowledge, their opinions hold weight. For example, a skincare KOL might be a dermatologist or a celebrity with flawless skin, so their recommendations are highly trusted.
KOCs, however, are seen as more down-to-earth and relatable. Since they’re regular consumers just like their followers, people trust their honest reviews and experiences. This helps users make more informed decisions about products.
Effective Strategies When Working With XiaoHongShu Influencers (KOL/KOC)
When working with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), brands typically use strategies like store reviews, boosting feed or search ads, and hosting live-streamed product launches.
The main goal with KOLs is to tap into their large fan base and build brand awareness quickly. It’s not about driving immediate sales, but rather getting your product in front of a wide audience and making sure it’s noticed.
For KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers), a great strategy is seeding campaigns. In this approach, brands send products to a group of KOCs to try out and share their experiences.
The idea behind “seeding” is that KOCs share their honest feedback, planting the seed of product awareness among their followers. Over time, this can lead to actual purchases.
This kind of organic word-of-mouth, combined with KOL endorsements, creates a multi-layered influence that connects with the audience on platforms like XiaoHongShu (XHS) or Little Red Book (LRB).
Another powerful strategy is the KFS Model, which is designed for XiaoHongShu marketing. The KFS Model works in three stages:
- KOL and KOC Collaboration: KOLs and KOCs create high-quality content that resonates with their audience.
- Feed Ads: This content is then boosted through Feed Ads to grab attention and increase visibility.
- Search Ads: Finally, Search Ads target specific keywords, helping the brand show up at the top of search results when users are looking to make a decision, strengthening brand recall.
This approach ensures that your brand gets maximum exposure and engagement.
Unlike platforms like Douyin (TikTok) or Weibo, influencers on XiaoHongShu focus on creating detailed, practical, and visually appealing content. Their followers are usually looking for genuine recommendations and personal insights.
This is because, on XiaoHongShu, influencers need to build a loyal, engaged following over time, unlike Douyin or Weibo, where success can happen more spontaneously.
How Much Do Influencers on XiaoHongShu Charge?
Follower count is usually the biggest factor when deciding how much an influencer charges. For KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers) with 1,000 to 10,000 followers, you can expect to pay between 200 and 1,000 RMB per note. If you’re not familiar, a ‘note’ is the official term for posts on XiaoHongShu.
For KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) with over 10,000 followers, their fees can range from 1,000 to 20,000 RMB per note, depending on how big their following is.
But it’s not just about follower count. An influencer’s engagement rate—how much their followers like, comment, and share their posts—also affects the price.
For example, video posts that take more effort to create tend to cost more than simple image posts. Plus, even if an influencer has fewer followers, they might still charge higher fees if their followers are highly engaged and interact with their content regularly.
Step by Step Guide on Working With Influencers (KOL/KOC) on XiaoHongShu
Define Your Marketing Objectives
First, it’s important to be clear about what you want to achieve. As we mentioned earlier, KOLs and KOCs have different impacts on XiaoHongShu.
For example, are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or build trust? If brand awareness is your goal, working with KOLs would be a better choice. On the other hand, if you’re focused on building credibility and trust with XiaoHongShu users, KOCs can help you achieve that.
Knowing your objectives will help you decide whether to focus on KOLs, KOCs, or a mix of both. This step is crucial because it ensures you make the right choice and avoid spending money without seeing results for your brand.
Source the Right Influencers For Your Brand
At this stage, it’s important to select influencers who align with your brand. With so many influencers out there, each with their own style and audience, you want to choose those whose content and message match your brand’s image.
This will ensure their posts resonate with your target audience and make the collaboration feel more natural.
There are several tools to help you find influencers on XiaoHongShu (XHS) or Little Red Book (LRB). For example, XiaoHongShu has its official influencer management tool called ‘Dandelion.’
Since all influencers use Dandelion to post on the platform, it’s a great resource for your research. It even features an influencer ranking page, where you can see the most popular influencers and the types of content they cover, helping you make the best choice.
Vetting These Influencers
Once you’ve identified a group of relevant influencers to work with, the next step is to evaluate them based on their performance and key characteristics to find the best fit for your brand.
Dandelion can help with this process too! The platform offers a filtering feature that lets you narrow down influencers based on specific criteria.
For example, you can filter for influencers with an actively growing fan base or those based in a particular location you want to target.
When vetting influencers, be sure to consider factors like engagement rates, content quality, and how much their followers interact with their posts. These metrics will help you choose the influencer with the most potential for your brand.
Plan Your Personalized Content
The next step is to collaborate with the influencer to create content that will work best for your campaign. Remember, different industries require different types of content to connect with their audiences.
For example, if you’re a beauty brand, working with a beauty blogger to create makeup tutorials using your products may be more effective than just posting a photo.
If you’re a travel or lifestyle brand, teaming up with lifestyle influencers to share stunning photos or detailed stories about their experiences with your product can produce better results.
Be sure to think about the influencer’s unique strengths and skills, and make sure they align with your brand’s message for the best possible outcome.
Measure Results & Monitoring Data
The final step is to track the results of your collaboration. According to Dandelion, there are four key metrics to measure the success of working with influencers: exposure, views, clickthrough rate, and cost-per-view.
For exposure and views, you can assess the effectiveness by comparing the performance of the influencer’s post to their previous posts, as well as to other influencers’ posts on similar topics.
The clickthrough rate shows how many users are clicking on the influencer’s post about your brand.
Cost-per-view is calculated by dividing the cost of working with the influencer by the number of views their post received.
For example, if you paid 1,000 RMB for a post that got 5,000 views, the cost per view would be 0.2 RMB. Generally, a lower cost-per-view means better performance.
While influencers can use tools like XiaoHongShu’s in-app analytics to track views, saves, and shares, as a brand, it’s better to use platforms like Dandelion to access more detailed insights and data specific to your influencer collaborations.
Successful XiaoHongShu Influencer Case Studies
JD Sports (Australia & New Zealand)
PRIZM New Zealand helped JD Sports connect with the Chinese community in Australia and New Zealand to promote its Mid-Year Sale through XiaoHongShu.
The campaign worked with local Chinese influencers in lifestyle, fashion, and sports, who shared fun and engaging content about exclusive deals and products.
To make sure the message reached the right people, these posts were targeted at audiences in Australia and New Zealand, and top-performing content was boosted with paid ads on XiaoHongShu.
We helped them increase brand awareness, drive more traffic to both online and physical stores, and boost sales during the sale!
Blackmores (New Zealand)
We helped Blackmores promote its heart care product bundle, which includes Omega and CoQ10 supplements, in New Zealand with a smart influencer campaign on Little Red Book.
We helped them partner with 50 influencers from all walks of life—lifestyle bloggers, health experts, fitness lovers, new moms, and busy professionals. These influencers shared personal stories, helpful tips, and real-life advice that resonated deeply with their audiences.
From personal testimonials to everyday health tips, they showed how Blackmores’ products can make a difference.
This approach not only raised awareness about heart health but also built trust in Blackmores, leaving a lasting impact in the New Zealand market.
Megatel (New Zealand)
Megatel, a leading telecommunications provider in New Zealand, set out to grow its customer base among Chinese international students by launching a targeted campaign on XiaoHongShu, a platform popular with this target demographic.
We organized a campaign that focused on three key areas: tips for settling into life in New Zealand, ways to save money, and a comparison of Megatel’s mobile plans.
By collaborating with influencers who are trusted by the Chinese student community, the campaign delivered authentic, engaging content that truly connected with the audience.
The result? Over 200 qualified leads expressed interest in Megatel’s mobile plans, showing how successful the influencer-driven approach was in reaching potential customers.
Auckland Airport (New Zealand)
Auckland Airport’s shopping platform, “The Mall,” wanted to increase its visibility and attract more Chinese travelers to both its online and physical stores.
To achieve this, we helped them tap into XiaoHongShu via influencers, and launched a campaign aimed at connecting with this audience.
The campaign included collaborations with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs), focusing on a variety of themes.
These included a shopping guide to “The Mall,” personal shopping experiences from influencers, Chinese New Year gift ideas, and a selection of popular products for Chinese tourists.
The content was designed to feel relatable and engaging, positioning “The Mall” as a must-visit shopping destination.
As a result, PRIZM New Zealand helped them boost online engagement and increased foot traffic, successfully making “The Mall” a top choice for Chinese shoppers at Auckland Airport.
Looking to Start Your Own Influencer Campaign on XiaoHongShu?
If you want to start tapping into the Chinese market via XiaoHongShu, no doubt that influencer marketing is the way forward.
However, going in blind is almost always not a good idea. Why not let us do it for you? After all, we have years of experience on XiaoHongShu in helping brands succeed and thrive in the Chinese market!
Feel free to click the button below for a free consultation, or check out our XiaoHongShu service scope to find out more!
