Last Updated on January 15, 2025 
Jeffrey Hau
Should You Buy Followers on XiaoHongShu/REDNote?
No, buying followers on XiaoHongShu (aka REDNote) is always a bad idea. While it might seem like an easy way to boost your numbers, buying fake followers can quickly derail your journey as an influencer or brand on XiaoHongShu.
The number one principle for success on social media, including XiaoHongShu, is trust. Users and potential partners value authenticity above all.
If they discover that your account is inflated with fake followers, it’s an immediate blow to your personal or brand image. This can push away potential opportunities, partnerships, and engagement—undermining all your efforts.
Moreover, buying fake followers directly violates XiaoHongShu’s guidelines, which are built on authenticity and fairness.
When you pay for followers, you’re not only cheating the system, but you’re also undermining the efforts of other creators who work hard to grow their following organically. This can result in severe consequences, including a shadowban (which limits your visibility) or, in worst cases, a permanent ban, cutting off your presence on the platform completely.
So, Why Do People Buy Followers on XiaoHongShu?
Perceived Trust and Branding
Many brands, especially those buying fake followers on XiaoHongShu, believe it’s a clever trick to boost trust and drive sales. But the truth? It’s in fact, quite the opposite! You might think that content from an account with a huge following base is more credible, but an inauthentic following base is quite easy to spot!
An account with 5,000 followers but only 20 likes per post—seems suspicious, right? That’s because fake followers, usually accounts run by bots, don’t read and engage with content like real users do.
If your audience spotted this on your account, they will immediately lose trust in your account as well as your content, which runs opposite to your original means!
Brands Think That It Will Boost Visibility
Another common misconception among certain brands is that more followers will make their account stand out to XiaoHongShu’s algorithm, boosting visibility. However, that’s not the case for the platform’s algorithm.
Here’s how the algorithm works: XiaoHongShu promotes high-quality, authentic content that gets real engagement from users—likes, comments, and shares. XiaoHongShu’s algorithm prioritizes high-quality, authentic content that gets genuine engagement—likes, comments, and shares. The more users interact with the content, the higher the chances of being promoted by the algorithm.
The algorithm doesn’t care about follower count to ensure fairness among content creators. Plus, fake followers won’t engage with your content because, well, they’re bots.
Worse yet, the algorithm is constantly scanning for suspicious activity of accounts to keep the platform trustworthy. If it spots a sudden surge in followers without a solid reason (like a post that suddenly went viral), it could flag your account for buying fake followers. The result? A shadowban that hides your notes from users, killing your visibility!
Quick & Easy Way Out
For some brands, building a genuine following step-by-step feels too slow. They lack the patience to grow organically. But here’s the thing: the key to creating an authentic, loyal audience lies in consistently crafting engaging content and fostering meaningful interactions with viewers to keep them coming back.
Unfortunately, some brands choose to skip the hard work and take a shortcut—buying fake followers.
Let’s talk about profitability. The brands thriving on XiaoHongShu aren’t successful because of flashy numbers—they succeed because their follower base is made up of real users. These are the people who can buy their products from XiaoHongShu Shop and recommend them to others on the platform.
Only real humans can drive this kind of growth and engagement. Fake followers do nothing but inflate your numbers, making your brand ‘appear’ as successful on XiaoHongShu. In the end, they’re just a waste of money, offering no real value for your brand.
Partnership Opportunities
Influencers, like brands, sometimes resort to buying fake followers, thinking it will help them get noticed by potential partners. Since follower count is a major factor for brands when selecting influencers, it can seem like a quick way to attract attention from potential customers.
However, the influencer’s follower count only serves as an entry ticket to the collaboration. Brands are focused on the results, not just the numbers.
If your high follower count doesn’t translate into meaningful engagement or sales, and it turns out your followers are inauthentic, you could face serious consequences, including potential lawsuits from the brand.
How Can Buying Followers Affect Your XiaoHongShu Account?
Messing Up Your Data
As mentioned earlier, fake followers only serve to inflate your follower count. Since these accounts are run by bots, they don’t engage with your content, meaning they contribute nothing to your engagement rates.
Even if some of your followers are real and interact with your content, fake followers will mess up the data. When a large portion of your following is inauthentic, it dilutes your engagement rates, which can harm your brand’s performance on XiaoHongShu.
This is because engagement rates are the first factor evaluating an account’s performance on the platform.
Moreover, fake followers undermine your ability to gather valuable insights. With engagement data distorted, you won’t get an accurate picture of your target audience, their content preferences, or other insights that could guide your future strategy and content creation.
Limited Reach (Shadowban)
Let’s discuss the potential disciplinary actions XiaoHongShu can take if you’re caught buying fake followers. If you’re fortunate, the platform might impose a shadowban. During this period, the algorithm will block your content from reaching other users, severely limiting your account’s visibility.
The duration of the shadowban depends on the severity of the violation. For first-time offenders, the shadowban typically lasts around a week. However, repeated offenders may face shadowbans lasting anywhere from 15 days to a month. In some specific cases, the ban could last up to even six months!
Unfortunately, once your account is shadowbanned, the only available option is to wait it out. To avoid these consequences, we strongly recommend following the platform’s rules and avoiding buying fake followers. It’s simply not worth the risk!
Permanent Ban
Another worse consequence of buying fake followers is a permanently banned account. XiaoHongShu’s ecosystem is built on originality and authenticity, so they are constantly taking action on accounts violating these principles.
If your account is banned, you will be unable to log into your account on your new device. If you’re already logged in, you will also lose access to every function on the platform, including posting, liking, commenting, and sending messages. Basically, your account is completely frozen at this point. Depending on your violation, the ban can range from 7 days to even permanent.
When faced with a banned account, you have two options: submit an appeal to the platform hoping to lift the ban, or completely start over with a new account. Seems like trouble, right? So, do avoid buying fake followers.
Damaged Reputation
Furthermore, buying fake followers means you’re possibly sabotaging your brand’s reputation on the platform. By faking your follower count, you are trying to cheat your users and partners into believing that your account is more popular and credible than it really is.
Once this comes to light, it can easily be a PR crisis destroying your brand image. Your brand will instantly lose all credibility and trust among potential new followers, as well as drive away your existing followers. Worst case scenario, people will start to question your brand ethics, leading to more devastating outcomes such as boycotts on your brand!
The costs to handle a PR crisis are unimaginable. According to studies, a professional crisis management system can cost up to $500 an hour! This may not seem heavy, but do consider that a crisis management campaign can take days, weeks to even months! Plus, not to mention the losses in terms of potential customers and partnerships you already suffered through the PR crisis.
This cost used to handle the PR crisis on top of the primary cost you ‘invested’ in fake followers (it’s actually not cheap – 500 fake followers can range from hundreds to thousands of RMB!) is simply not worth it. Why not just grow your followers organically that’s free of charge?
Lawsuits or Legal Action
Another potential consequence of buying fake followers is facing legal action from XiaoHongShu itself. While there haven’t been any specific cases involving fake followers, XiaoHongShu has a track record of suing companies for dishonest behavior.
In 2022, the platform took legal action against four companies for using ghostwriters to create misleading promotional content, demanding 10 million RMB in damages. This shows that XiaoHongShu doesn’t take violations lightly—and similar legal action could be possible for buying fake followers.
The risk of legal trouble far outweighs any short-term benefits from fake followers. It’s simply not worth it!
Alternatives to Buying Followers on XiaoHongShu
Instead of buying fake followers, there are plenty of better alternatives to grow your account successfully on XiaoHongShu.
The first and most important strategy is to focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience. When you consistently produce engaging, interesting content, users are more likely to interact with it—and follow your account for more!
To attract more followers, it’s important to focus on a specific target audience, rather than trying to please everyone. Deep, insightful content on a particular topic tends to work better than surface-level content that covers many different topics. Identify your strengths and choose a niche that aligns with your interests and expertise!
Remember, the XiaoHongShu algorithm thrives on engagement. By carefully planning your content to spark more views and interaction, you’ll naturally increase your visibility and attract more followers.
For brands, consider partnering with influencers, like Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs), to promote your brand through the “seeding” process. KOCs are trusted for their user-centric content, and if they introduce your brand to their audience, you’ll gain awareness and followers more effectively.
Lastly, if you want to invest in improving your account’s performance, skip the fake followers and try XiaoHongShu’s official promotion plan, “ShuTiao.” It allows you to pay XiaoHongShu to promote your content to more users. It’s a safer, more cost-effective option that guarantees real, engaged followers. But remember, ShuTiao only increases your reach and views, high-quality content is still key to attracting new followers!
Need Some Help Growing Your Followers the Right Way?
Buying fake followers isn’t the way to boost your brand’s performance on XiaoHongShu.
It’s a waste of time and money—and the risks involved far outweigh any benefits!
Instead of taking shortcuts, why not grow your follower count organically? It may seem challenging, but it’s a whole lot easier with PRIZM by your side.
At PRIZM, our experienced team based in Guangzhou has the skills and expertise to help your brand thrive on XiaoHongShu. We’ll be your trusted partner in navigating the platform and building an authentic, engaged following!
Ready to take your XiaoHongShu journey to the next level—risk-free? Click the button below for a free consultation!
