XHS Advertising Glossary: 40 Terms Every Media Buyer Should Know
Date Published
Table Of Contents
1. Why XHS Advertising Has Its Own Language
2. Platform & Infrastructure Terms (Terms 1–8)
3. Ad Formats & Placement Terms (Terms 9–16)
4. Audience & Targeting Terms (Terms 17–23)
5. Bidding, Budgeting & Performance Terms (Terms 24–31)
6. Content Culture & Creator Terms (Terms 32–40)
7. Quick Reference: Chinese Characters & Pinyin Index
If you've ever opened a Xiaohongshu (XHS) advertising brief and found yourself googling "Juguang vs Shutiao" or wondering what exactly "Zhongcao" means for your campaign strategy, you're not alone. XHS advertising sits at the intersection of Chinese social culture, a search-first platform architecture, and a proprietary ad ecosystem — and it comes loaded with terminology that has no direct equivalent in Western media buying.
This glossary is built for international brand marketers and media buyers who are actively working on XHS campaigns — or preparing to. It covers 40 essential terms across five categories: platform and infrastructure, ad formats and placements, audience and targeting, bidding and performance metrics, and content culture. For each term, you'll find the Chinese characters, the pinyin transliteration, and a plain-English explanation of what it means in practice.
Whether you're briefing a local agency, analyzing a campaign report, or setting up your first Juguang account, this reference will keep you grounded in the language of XHS advertising.
Why XHS Advertising Has Its Own Language {#why-xhs-advertising-has-its-own-language}
Xiaohongshu — also known as RedNote or Little Red Book — is not simply a Chinese version of Instagram or Pinterest, even though those comparisons circulate widely. The platform is fundamentally a consumer decision-making engine with over 300 million monthly active users, where search behavior, social trust, and commerce are woven together in ways that Western ad platforms haven't replicated.
Because of this architecture, the advertising ecosystem on XHS has developed its own vocabulary. Terms like KFS, Zhongcao, CES, and AIPS describe mechanics that are native to this platform and don't map cleanly onto Google Ads or Meta terminology. For Western media buyers, not knowing these terms doesn't just create confusion in meetings — it leads to misallocated budgets, misread reports, and campaigns that ignore how XHS users actually behave.
The 40 terms below are organized into five functional categories, moving from the infrastructure level down to the cultural layer where XHS advertising is ultimately won or lost. Explore AllXHS's industry-specific XHS marketing strategies to see how these terms apply in your specific vertical.
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Platform & Infrastructure Terms (Terms 1–8) {#platform-infrastructure-terms}
These are the foundational tools and systems that power XHS advertising. Understanding them is a prerequisite for everything else.
1. Xiaohongshu / XHS (小红书)
The platform's full Chinese name, translating literally to "Little Red Book." Also known internationally as RedNote. XHS is a social commerce platform with over 300 million monthly active users that functions simultaneously as a lifestyle content feed, a product search engine, and an e-commerce marketplace. For media buyers, its defining characteristic is the search-first user behavior — a large share of users open the app with the intention of researching products, not passively consuming entertainment.
2. Juguang / Aurora (聚光)
Juguang is XHS's official enterprise-level advertising platform, also referred to internally as Aurora. It is the primary destination for brands running paid campaigns at scale, providing tools for feed ad and search ad creation, audience targeting, budget management, and performance analytics. Juguang requires a verified business account and operates on a prepaid model — your account balance must be funded before any campaign goes live. Foreign entities cannot open a Juguang account independently; access requires a Chinese entity or a local operating partner.
3. Juguang Lite (聚光Lite)
A simplified, app-based version of Juguang designed for brands that want to self-manage lighter ad investments without navigating the full enterprise dashboard. Juguang Lite has a lower entry budget threshold and is accessible to brands earlier in their XHS journey.
4. Pugongying / Dandelion (蒲公英)
XHS's official influencer collaboration platform, named after the dandelion flower. Brands use Pugongying to search for, vet, and contract with KOLs and KOCs across more than 30 content categories. All collaborations booked through Pugongying come with in-platform transaction safeguards and creator credit scoring. XHS strongly encourages (and in some cases algorithmically enforces) that paid influencer content is routed through this platform — posts created outside of Pugongying may face restricted distribution. Pugongying charges a 10% service fee on collaborations.
5. Chengfeng (乘风)
Chengfeng is XHS's integrated e-commerce marketing platform built specifically for Xiaohongshu merchants. It is designed to support live commerce campaigns and drive direct sales through the XHS store ecosystem. Brands running live-streaming sales or product-launch campaigns on XHS will typically encounter Chengfeng as their primary promotional tool.
6. Shutiao (薯条)
Shutiao is a lightweight, self-serve content amplification tool available to individual creators and brands. It works similarly to a "boost" function — you select an existing note (post) and pay to extend its reach. Shutiao does not carry a "promotional" label in the feed, meaning boosted content can appear more native than Juguang ads. It is well-suited for early-stage accounts testing content performance, or for amplifying KOC posts that have already shown organic traction. Budget requirements are lower than Juguang, making it accessible for brands at the seeding stage.
7. Lingxi (灵犀)
Lingxi is XHS's brand marketing analytics center. It provides data on product (SPU) performance, content effectiveness, keyword reach, and audience growth metrics. For media buyers, Lingxi is the primary tool for understanding whether a seeding or paid campaign is building genuine audience interest — not just generating impressions.
8. Qianfan (千帆)
Qianfan is XHS's merchant backend management system. It covers store operations including product listings, order management, inventory, and logistics. From an advertising perspective, Qianfan also includes built-in promotional exposure features and performance tracking tied directly to e-commerce behavior. Unlike Juguang (which is focused on broad paid media), Qianfan is designed specifically for merchants selling through XHS stores.
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Ad Formats & Placement Terms (Terms 9–16) {#ad-formats-placement-terms}
Understanding where and how ads appear is essential for planning XHS campaigns correctly.
9. Feed Ads / In-Feed Ads (信息流广告)
Feed ads are the primary display format on XHS, appearing natively within the content discovery feed (发现页) as users scroll. They blend with organic posts from accounts users follow and content recommended by the algorithm. The most effective feed ads are built on content that has already demonstrated organic traction — posts with strong save rates, comments, and engagement — which are then promoted to broader look-alike audiences. Feed ads support image, video, and multi-image card formats, and they appear with a subtle "广告" (ad) label.
10. Search Ads (搜索广告)
Search ads appear within XHS's search results when users actively query specific keywords. Because users searching on XHS are typically in a research or purchase mindset, search ads target high-intent audiences at the most commercially valuable point in the funnel. Brands bid on keywords relevant to their product category, and sponsored content appears prominently alongside organic results. Search ads function similarly to Google's pay-per-click model but within a lifestyle and social commerce context.
11. Open Screen Ads / Splash Ads (开屏广告)
Open screen ads appear in full-screen format immediately when a user opens the XHS app. They offer maximum visibility and are often used for major product launches, seasonal campaigns, and brand awareness pushes. Per Chinese internet advertising regulations, open screen ads must include a clearly visible one-click close button.
12. Notes (笔记)
A "note" is the native content unit on XHS — the equivalent of a post. Notes combine images or video with text and are the fundamental building block of both organic and paid content on the platform. When media buyers talk about "boosting a note" through Shutiao or amplifying a "KOL note" through Juguang, they are referring to this format. Notes that perform well organically are prime candidates for paid amplification.
13. Video Notes (视频笔记)
A note format where video is the primary content element. Video notes tend to generate higher engagement on the XHS discovery feed and are increasingly prioritized by the platform's algorithm. For advertisers, video feed ads are a high-performing format in competitive categories like beauty, fashion, and food.
14. Brand Zone (品牌专区)
The Brand Zone is a premium XHS advertising placement that gives brands enhanced visibility within search results for branded keyword queries. When a user searches for a brand name, the brand zone allows the brand to occupy a prominent, dedicated space at the top of the results page — controlling the narrative at the moment of direct brand intent.
15. POI (Point of Interest / 地点标签)
POI refers to location-based tags on XHS notes and ads. Users can tag physical locations (restaurants, stores, hotels, attractions) in their posts, creating a geographic layer of discovery content. For brands with physical retail presence or hospitality businesses, POI targeting allows ads to reach users who are searching for or engaging with content linked to specific locations.
16. KFS Model (KOL + Feed + Search)
The KFS model is XHS's officially recommended full-funnel marketing strategy, developed by the platform's Inspiration Marketing (小红书灵感营销) team. The three components map to three stages of the user journey: K (KOL/KOC content) builds awareness and trust in the browsing stage (浏览场); F (Feed Ads) amplifies high-performing content to broader audiences in the discovery stage (搜索场); S (Search Ads) captures high-intent users at the purchase stage (消费场). The KFS model treats paid and organic as a system — feed ads amplify what already works, and search ads capture the demand that seeding generates. Running only one component typically underperforms running all three in coordination.
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Audience & Targeting Terms (Terms 17–23) {#audience-targeting-terms}
XHS targeting options go well beyond basic demographics. These terms describe the platform's more nuanced audience tools.
17. Interest Targeting (兴趣定向)
Audience targeting based on content categories and topics a user has engaged with. XHS's algorithm organizes content into highly specific interest clusters — from "Korean skincare dupes" to "Shanghai specialty coffee" — and interest targeting allows brands to reach users who have demonstrated sustained engagement with relevant topics.
18. Behavioral Targeting (行为定向)
Targeting based on users' past actions on the platform, including search history, content interactions (likes, saves, shares), and purchasing behavior within the app. Behavioral targeting is particularly powerful on XHS because user actions are strongly correlated with purchase intent — a user who has saved five skincare reviews is a meaningfully different audience than a user who has only browsed.
19. Look-alike Audiences (相似人群)
A targeting method that expands reach by identifying users whose behavioral profiles are similar to a seed audience (such as existing brand followers or past converters). Look-alike audiences are a core tool for scaling campaigns beyond a brand's direct follower base.
20. Retargeting (再营销 / 重定向)
Re-engaging users who have previously interacted with a brand's content, visited its profile page, or engaged with prior ads. Retargeting on XHS is especially valuable given that many users research products across multiple sessions before converting — retargeting keeps the brand visible across that extended consideration window.
21. AIPS Audience Asset Model
The AIPS model is XHS's proprietary framework for measuring how deeply a brand has penetrated a target audience. AIPS stands for: A (Awareness — the user knows the product exists), I (Interest — the product is attractive to the user), P (Purchase — the user has bought), S (Share — the user has shared their experience). Brands build "audience assets" at each stage, which can then be used for retargeting and lookalike expansion. Monitoring AIPS progression tells media buyers whether a campaign is actually building brand equity or just generating top-of-funnel impressions.
22. Crowd Backflow Model (人群回流模型)
An XHS audience growth framework that traces how users move from broad awareness pools into high-value purchase-ready segments. The model identifies core audiences, high-potential audiences, and broad audiences, and helps brands understand which content and paid touchpoints are most effective at pulling users deeper into the funnel. Lingxi and Juguang both provide tools for tracking Crowd Backflow metrics.
23. DMP (Data Management Platform / 数据管理平台)
A data infrastructure tool within Juguang that allows brands to import, manage, and activate first-party audience data for targeting purposes. Brands with CRM data or offline customer lists can upload these to the DMP to run targeted or exclusion-based campaigns.
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Bidding, Budgeting & Performance Terms (Terms 24–31) {#bidding-budgeting-performance-terms}
XHS uses familiar performance marketing metrics alongside some platform-specific ones. These are the terms you'll encounter in Juguang reports and agency briefings.
24. CPM (Cost Per Mille / 千次曝光成本)
Cost per 1,000 impressions. CPM bidding is most appropriate for awareness-stage campaigns where the primary objective is reach and visibility rather than clicks or conversions. On XHS, CPM campaigns are typically used for feed ad formats.
25. CPC (Cost Per Click / 点击单价)
Cost per click. CPC bidding charges the advertiser each time a user clicks through to the ad's landing destination. It is well-suited for campaigns with defined traffic objectives — driving users to a brand's XHS profile, product page, or landing form.
26. OCPM (Optimized Cost Per Mille / 优化千次曝光成本)
OCPM is a smart bidding model that uses XHS's algorithm to optimize ad delivery toward users most likely to complete a defined target action — such as a click, engagement, or conversion — while still charging on a per-impression basis. OCPM is the most commonly used bidding model in Juguang for performance-oriented campaigns because the algorithm allocates budget toward high-probability conversions rather than broad reach.
27. CPA (Cost Per Action / 每次行动成本)
Cost per action (sometimes called cost per acquisition). CPA measures the average cost to achieve a specific campaign goal, such as a store visit, form submission, or product purchase. CPA is a key efficiency metric for bottom-of-funnel campaign evaluation.
28. CTR (Click-Through Rate / 点击率)
The percentage of users who click on an ad after seeing it. On XHS, average CTRs for feed ads typically range between 2–5% depending on the industry and creative quality, though highly native content and strong cover images can push this higher. CTR is a primary signal for creative performance.
29. CES (Content Engagement Score / 内容互动评分)
XHS's proprietary content scoring system that weights different engagement actions to determine how broadly a piece of content should be distributed. The CES formula weights actions as follows: Likes (1 point), Collections/Saves (1 point), Comments (4 points), Shares (4 points), and Follows (8 points). The weighting matters strategically — brands that optimize for likes are chasing the lowest-value signal, while saves, comments, shares, and follows are what drive algorithmic reach. This scoring system applies to both organic notes and ad-amplified content.
30. ROAS (Return on Ad Spend / 广告支出回报率)
Total revenue generated divided by total ad spend. ROAS is the standard financial efficiency metric for XHS campaigns with direct commerce objectives. Media buyers should be aware that XHS's cross-platform attribution (users who research on XHS but convert on Tmall or JD) means ROAS tracked purely within the XHS ecosystem typically understates the platform's actual commercial contribution.
31. CVR (Conversion Rate / 转化率)
The percentage of users who complete a desired action after clicking an ad. Depending on campaign objective, "conversion" may be defined as a purchase, a profile follow, a form submission, a store visit, or a private message initiation. XHS delivers notably strong CVRs compared to Western social platforms, partly because users are already in a research and purchase mindset when they engage with ad content.
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Content Culture & Creator Terms (Terms 32–40) {#content-culture-creator-terms}
These terms describe the cultural and behavioral mechanics that make XHS advertising fundamentally different from Western social media. Ignoring this layer is the most common mistake international brands make on the platform.
32. Zhongcao / Grass Planting (种草)
Zhongcao is one of the most important concepts in XHS marketing. Literally meaning "planting grass," it describes the phenomenon where a piece of content — a review, tutorial, or lifestyle post — plants the desire for a product in the viewer's mind. The goal of a Zhongcao campaign is not to push a hard sell but to create organic-feeling desire that builds over time. Most XHS advertising strategy is fundamentally designed around enabling or amplifying Zhongcao. Content that feels authentic and peer-driven generates far stronger Zhongcao effects than polished brand advertising.
33. Bacao / Grass Pulling (拔草)
The complement to Zhongcao. Bacao ("pulling grass") refers to the moment of purchase — when the desire planted by a piece of content converts into an actual transaction. Understanding the Zhongcao-to-Bacao journey is essential for full-funnel attribution on XHS, where seeding content may drive purchase decisions that happen days or weeks later, on or off platform.
34. KOL (Key Opinion Leader / 关键意见领袖)
A KOL is an influencer with a substantial, established following — typically an expert, celebrity, or well-known content creator within a specific category. KOLs are used primarily at the top of the funnel to build brand awareness and credibility at scale. On XHS, KOLs are divided into tiers by follower count, and their fees vary accordingly. Higher-tier KOLs drive reach; they don't always drive the highest conversion rates.
35. KOC (Key Opinion Consumer / 关键意见消费者)
A KOC is an everyday user with a smaller but highly engaged following — typically between 1,000 and 10,000 followers — whose recommendations read as genuine peer endorsements rather than paid advertising. KOCs are the engine of XHS seeding strategy. Because XHS's algorithm rewards authentic engagement over follower count, a campaign deploying 50 KOCs simultaneously can generate stronger algorithmic reach and higher conversion rates than a single top-tier KOL placement. For international brands new to XHS, KOC seeding is frequently the highest-ROI starting point.
36. UGC (User-Generated Content / 用户原创内容)
Content created organically by users about a brand or product, without direct payment or formal collaboration. UGC is the lifeblood of XHS's content ecosystem — approximately 90% of content on the platform is user-generated. For brands, accumulating authentic UGC is both a trust signal to the algorithm and a source of high-performing creative assets for paid amplification.
37. Seeding (种草投放 / 内容种草)
In the XHS marketing context, seeding refers to the strategy of distributing product samples or collaboration briefs to a large number of KOCs to generate a critical mass of authentic-looking reviews across the platform. The objective is to "saturate" the search results for a product category or brand name with positive peer content — making the brand appear to be the consensus choice. Seeding campaigns are typically the first phase of a new brand's XHS launch strategy.
38. Professional Account / Enterprise Account (专业号)
A verified XHS account for brands and businesses. The Professional Account is the prerequisite for accessing all commercial features on XHS, including Juguang advertising, Pugongying influencer partnerships, and XHS Store functionality. Overseas brands can register a Professional Account without a Chinese subsidiary, though Juguang access itself still requires a Chinese entity or partner.
39. Daihuo (带货)
Literally "carrying goods," Daihuo refers to the practice of influencers or live-stream hosts directly promoting and driving sales of products to their audiences. Daihuo content is inherently commerce-focused — the creator's primary role is to move product, often through time-limited discounts, live demonstrations, or direct purchase links embedded in content. Daihuo is central to live commerce campaigns on XHS.
40. 广告 / 合作 Labels (Ad Disclosure Labels)
Chinese advertising regulations — specifically Article 14 of the Advertising Law and Article 9 of the Internet Advertising Measures — require that all paid content be clearly identifiable as advertising. On XHS, sponsored feed content must carry a "广告" (advertisement) or "合作" (collaboration) label. Compliance with these disclosure requirements is non-negotiable; violations can result in content removal, account suspension, or regulatory fines of up to CNY 2 million for repeated or serious breaches.
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Quick Reference: Chinese Characters & Pinyin Index {#quick-reference-index}
Use this index when reading Chinese-language reports, agency briefs, or Juguang dashboards.
| English Term | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| Xiaohongshu / Little Red Book | 小红书 | Xiǎo Hóng Shū |
| Juguang / Aurora | 聚光 | Jùguāng |
| Pugongying / Dandelion | 蒲公英 | Púgōngyīng |
| Chengfeng | 乘风 | Chéngfēng |
| Shutiao | 薯条 | Shǔtiáo |
| Lingxi | 灵犀 | Língxī |
| Qianfan | 千帆 | Qiānfān |
| Feed Ads | 信息流广告 | Xìnxī liú guǎnggào |
| Search Ads | 搜索广告 | Sōusuǒ guǎnggào |
| Notes | 笔记 | Bǐjì |
| Open Screen Ads | 开屏广告 | Kāipíng guǎnggào |
| Brand Zone | 品牌专区 | Pǐnpái zhuānqū |
| KOL | 关键意见领袖 | Guānjiàn yìjiàn lǐngxiù |
| KOC | 关键意见消费者 | Guānjiàn yìjiàn xiāofèizhě |
| Zhongcao / Grass Planting | 种草 | Zhòngcǎo |
| Bacao / Grass Pulling | 拔草 | Bácǎo |
| Daihuo | 带货 | Dàihuò |
| Professional Account | 专业号 | Zhuānyè hào |
| Advertisement (label) | 广告 | Guǎnggào |
| Collaboration (label) | 合作 | Hézuò |
For deeper guidance on how these tools and terms apply to your specific industry vertical, explore the AllXHS industry-specific resources covering 20+ categories including beauty, fashion, F&B, and mother & baby.
XHS advertising is not complicated once you have the right vocabulary. The platform's terminology reflects how it actually works: a search-driven, trust-based ecosystem where paid media amplifies authentic content, influencer seeding creates demand, and the full KFS framework guides users from discovery to purchase.
The 40 terms in this glossary give you a working foundation — enough to read a Juguang report, brief an agency in China, or sanity-check whether your campaign structure actually matches how XHS users behave. But terminology is just the entry point. The real skill is knowing how to combine these pieces: using CES to identify which notes deserve Shutiao amplification, layering Juguang search ads on top of a Pugongying seeding campaign, or reading an AIPS dashboard to understand whether your brand is genuinely building equity or just buying impressions.
For brands that are ready to move from understanding the language to building a strategy, AllXHS offers 378+ data-driven industry reports, a 21-module training academy, and 25+ tools and templates designed specifically for international brands entering and scaling on Xiaohongshu. Explore the full library of free XHS resources to go deeper on any of the concepts covered here.
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Ready to put this glossary into practice? Whether you're launching your first XHS campaign or looking to scale an existing presence, AllXHS provides the expert guidance, platform-specific tools, and localization support international brands need to succeed on Xiaohongshu. Get in touch with the AllXHS team to discuss your XHS marketing strategy.