Xiaohongshu Ad Formats Explained: Feed Ads, Search Ads, Splash Ads & More
Date Published
Table Of Contents
1. What Is Xiaohongshu's Advertising Ecosystem?
2. The Juguang Platform (聚光): Your Command Centre
3. Feed Ads (信息流广告): Discovery-Stage Advertising
4. Search Ads (搜索广告): Intent-Stage Advertising
5. Splash Ads (开屏广告): High-Impact Brand Moments
6. Shutiao (薯条): Lightweight Content Boosting
7. Juguang Lite (聚光Lite): Self-Serve for New Advertisers
8. Chengfeng (乘风): E-Commerce Performance Ads
9. Brand Zone (品牌专区): Premium Brand Real Estate
10. Which Ad Format Is Right for Your Brand?
11. Ad Format Best Practices for International Brands
When international brands decide to advertise on Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote or Little Red Book), the first question is rarely whether to run paid campaigns — it's which ad format to use. That question is harder to answer than it looks. Xiaohongshu has built one of the most sophisticated paid advertising ecosystems of any social commerce platform in China, offering formats that range from native in-feed posts to full-screen splash experiences, keyword-targeted search placements, lightweight content boosts, and dedicated brand zones. Each format serves a different stage of the customer journey, a different budget level, and a different campaign objective.
This guide breaks down every major Xiaohongshu ad format available to brands — Feed Ads, Search Ads, Splash Ads, Shutiao, Juguang Lite, Chengfeng, and Brand Zone — explaining how each works, when to use it, and what international brands need to know before launching. Whether you're entering the Chinese market for the first time or looking to scale an existing presence, understanding the full ad format landscape is the foundation of an effective Xiaohongshu strategy.
What Is Xiaohongshu's Advertising Ecosystem? {#advertising-ecosystem}
Xiaohongshu sits at an unusual intersection: it is simultaneously a social media platform, a product search engine, and an e-commerce marketplace. With over 300 million monthly active users — the majority of whom are young, urban, and high-income Chinese women aged 18–35 — the platform shapes purchase decisions in a way few others can replicate. Users don't just scroll passively; they actively search for product reviews, tutorials, and recommendations before buying. This behavior creates a distinctly high-intent advertising environment.
Because of this, Xiaohongshu's advertising products are not one-size-fits-all. The platform has developed a full-suite commercial ecosystem that covers every stage of the marketing funnel, from broad awareness at app launch to high-intent keyword capture at the point of purchase. Understanding which tool does what — and which one your brand actually needs — is the first step toward spending your budget effectively.
At the heart of this ecosystem is Xiaohongshu's official KFS marketing model: KOL content (K), Feed Ads (F), and Search Ads (S). This framework maps paid advertising activity across the full consumer journey, from content discovery through to purchase. Feed Ads build awareness and drive discovery; Search Ads capture the intent those efforts generate. KOL and KOC content seeds the ecosystem with authentic, community-driven recommendations that make the paid activity work harder. Brands running only one component of this model are leaving significant performance on the table.
Beyond KFS, Xiaohongshu offers additional formats and platforms — including Splash Ads, Shutiao, Juguang Lite, Chengfeng, and Brand Zone — each designed for specific objectives, budgets, and stages of brand maturity. For a full view of industry-specific strategies across these tools, see AllXHS's industry-specific Xiaohongshu marketing guides.
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The Juguang Platform (聚光): Your Command Centre {#juguang-platform}
Juguang (聚光), meaning "spotlight," is Xiaohongshu's primary enterprise advertising platform. It is the system through which Feed Ads, Search Ads, and other performance-focused campaign types are created, managed, and optimised. Think of it as the equivalent of Meta Ads Manager or Google Ads Console — but built specifically for Xiaohongshu's content-discovery and social commerce environment.
Juguang provides brands with advanced targeting capabilities, including demographic segmentation by age, gender, and city tier, as well as interest-based, behavioural, and look-alike audience targeting. It supports both CPM (cost-per-thousand-impressions) and CPC (cost-per-click) pricing models, and offers comprehensive data reporting to track campaign performance across the full funnel. Crucially, Juguang operates on a prepaid model — brands must top up their account balance before any campaign goes live.
One important constraint for international brands: Juguang accounts can only be opened under a Chinese business entity. Foreign companies cannot access Juguang directly. In practice, this means most international brands work through a local agency partner to run Juguang campaigns. The platform interface is also entirely in Simplified Chinese, which adds another layer of complexity for teams without Mandarin capability.
It's also worth noting that Juguang has a relatively high budget threshold, making it most suitable for brands with dedicated marketing budgets and specific performance goals. Newer advertisers or those testing the platform may find Shutiao or Juguang Lite a more accessible starting point.
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Feed Ads (信息流广告): Discovery-Stage Advertising {#feed-ads}
Feed Ads are the most widely used paid format on Xiaohongshu, and for good reason. They appear natively within the platform's content discovery feed — the waterfall-style browse experience that users scroll through when they open the app. Because Feed Ads blend visually with organic posts from creators and accounts users follow, they feel less like advertisements and more like natural content recommendations. A small "广告" (ad) or "合作" (collaboration) label is required by law, but the overall aesthetic matches the platform's UGC-driven look.
Feed Ads support three creative formats: single image, multi-image carousel, and video. Video Feed Ads appear both within the standard discovery feed and in the dedicated video tab. Both formats operate on a CPM buying model and can be served up to three times per day per user. Targeting options include demographics, interests, browsing behavior, keyword history, and look-alike audiences modeled on your best existing customers.
The most important strategic principle for Feed Ads is content selection. The highest-performing Feed Ads are not created from scratch — they are organic posts that have already demonstrated strong performance (high saves, comments, and engagement) and are then amplified through Juguang to reach broader, similar audiences. This is the core logic of the KFS model: Feed Ads extend what already works, rather than introducing untested content into a paid environment where the stakes are higher.
For international brands, Feed Ads represent the most versatile paid format on the platform. They work across virtually every product category and campaign objective, from awareness to consideration to direct conversion. They are the right starting point for most brands building a Xiaohongshu advertising presence.
Feed Ad specifications at a glance:
• Formats: Single image, multi-image carousel, video
• Targeting: Demographics, interests, behaviors, keywords, look-alikes
• Pricing: CPM and CPC models available
• Placement: Discovery feed and video feed
• Label: Required "广告" or "合作" disclosure
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Search Ads (搜索广告): Intent-Stage Advertising {#search-ads}
Search Ads are the second pillar of Xiaohongshu's core paid advertising offering, and they target users at the most commercially valuable moment in their journey — when they are actively searching for a product, brand, or solution. Xiaohongshu recorded nearly 600 million daily search queries in Q4 2024, and over 40% of users actively search for product reviews when considering a purchase. This makes Search Ads a critical capture mechanism for any brand investing in Feed Ads or KOL content.
Search Ads appear at the top of Xiaohongshu's search results when users query relevant keywords. Unlike Feed Ads, which intercept users during passive browsing, Search Ads engage users who have already demonstrated clear purchase intent by typing a search query. This distinction makes Search Ads particularly powerful for competitive product categories where consumers are actively comparing options.
Keyword selection is the core of Search Ad strategy. Brands bid on keywords relevant to their product or category — from broad category terms to branded search queries — and their content appears when users search those terms. The creative format for Search Ads mirrors that of Feed Ads (image, carousel, or video), maintaining the native look and feel of the platform even in a paid search context.
A common mistake brands make is treating Feed Ads and Search Ads as alternatives. They are, in fact, complementary. Feed Ads generate awareness and plant the brand in users' minds; Search Ads then capture those same users when they follow up with a search query. Running one without the other creates gaps in the funnel — and typically leaves conversion rates lower than they should be.
Search Ad specifications at a glance:
• Placement: Top of search results pages
• Targeting: Keyword-based, category-level, brand-level
• Best use: High-intent capture, competitive categories, retargeting
• Formats: Matches Feed Ad creative formats (image, carousel, video)
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Splash Ads (开屏广告): High-Impact Brand Moments {#splash-ads}
Splash Ads, known in Chinese as 开屏广告 (kāi píng guǎng gào, literally "open-screen ads"), are full-screen advertisements that appear immediately when a user opens the Xiaohongshu app. They are the platform's highest-visibility format — impossible to miss, guaranteed maximum exposure, and lasting approximately 3–5 seconds before users can proceed into the app.
Because they appear before any content is loaded, Splash Ads function as premium brand placements that deliver a strong first impression at scale. They support static images, animated graphics, and short video, and can be paired with targeting to reach specific demographic segments or geographic markets. Full-screen display captures prime traffic flow, which makes this format particularly effective for building brand awareness and retention across a broad audience.
Splash Ads are ideally suited for major brand moments: product launches, seasonal campaigns, national holiday promotions, or rebranding efforts where immediate mass visibility is the primary goal. They are not optimised for direct response or conversion — users cannot easily interact with a 3–5 second full-screen ad in the same way they can engage with an in-feed post. The value is in reach and recall, not click-through.
From a budget perspective, Splash Ads represent the most premium entry point in Xiaohongshu's ad format lineup. Budget requirements typically start at ¥50,000 RMB or above for Splash Ad campaigns, making them most appropriate for established brands with significant campaign budgets rather than brands in an early testing phase.
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Shutiao (薯条): Lightweight Content Boosting {#shutiao}
Shutiao (薯条) — which translates literally to "French fries" — is Xiaohongshu's native post-boosting tool, accessible directly within the app through a brand or creator's account. It is the most accessible and lowest-barrier paid promotion option on the platform, and it works differently from the Juguang-based formats described above.
Rather than creating standalone ads through an external platform, Shutiao allows brands to select existing published notes and boost their visibility to a wider audience. Promotion goals can be set based on the desired outcome — note views, engagement (likes, saves, comments), follower acquisition, or product page visits. Budgets can be as small as a few hundred RMB, and campaigns can run for as few as three days, making Shutiao an excellent tool for testing content performance before committing to a larger paid push.
Shutiao is particularly well-suited for three scenarios. First, early-stage brand accounts that need steady reach while they build their content presence on the platform. Second, organic posts that have already demonstrated strong engagement and deserve a second wave of amplification. Third, lightweight creative tests — for example, comparing two different cover image treatments or headline hooks before investing in a full Juguang campaign.
The key limitation of Shutiao is its targeting depth. Compared to Juguang, Shutiao offers more limited audience segmentation and targeting controls. It is not designed for complex, performance-driven campaigns with defined conversion goals. Think of it as a content accelerator, not a full advertising platform.
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Juguang Lite (聚光Lite): Self-Serve for New Advertisers {#juguang-lite}
Juguang Lite (聚光Lite) is a simplified, app-based version of the full Juguang advertising platform, designed specifically for verified business accounts that want to run paid campaigns without the complexity or budget thresholds of enterprise-level Juguang. It sits between Shutiao and full Juguang in terms of capability and investment requirement.
Like Shutiao, Juguang Lite is accessible from within the app interface rather than through the separate Juguang web console. It supports core campaign objectives including content amplification and light-touch lead generation, and offers a more accessible entry point for brands that are new to Xiaohongshu advertising or exploring the platform's paid tools for the first time. Budget requirements are lower than full Juguang, and the setup process is more streamlined.
For international brands navigating the Xiaohongshu advertising landscape for the first time, Juguang Lite offers a practical middle ground: more targeting control than Shutiao, but without the full complexity and budget commitment of running campaigns through the enterprise Juguang console. It is an appropriate starting point for brands that have established their account and content presence and are ready to begin investing in paid reach.
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Chengfeng (乘风): E-Commerce Performance Ads {#chengfeng}
Chengfeng (乘风), meaning "riding the wind," is Xiaohongshu's integrated e-commerce marketing platform, designed specifically for brands and merchants operating a Xiaohongshu store. Where Juguang is optimised for brand advertising and lead generation, Chengfeng is built for direct commercial outcomes — driving product page visits, add-to-cart actions, purchases, and livestream traffic.
Chengfeng links directly to a brand's in-app store, creating a closed-loop experience between paid ad exposure and purchase. It is particularly valuable for brands running livestream commerce on the platform, as it can be used to drive real-time traffic into live shopping sessions. Campaigns through Chengfeng are designed around e-commerce data signals, and the platform uses purchase behavior and product-interest signals to optimise ad delivery for conversion efficiency.
For brands whose primary Xiaohongshu objective is direct sales rather than brand building, Chengfeng is the most conversion-focused tool available. However, it requires an active Xiaohongshu store to use effectively. Brands that have not yet opened a store on the platform — or whose product categories are not yet sold through Xiaohongshu e-commerce — would find Juguang or Juguang Lite more immediately applicable.
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Brand Zone (品牌专区): Premium Brand Real Estate {#brand-zone}
Brand Zone (品牌专区) is one of Xiaohongshu's more premium, reserved advertising placements — a dedicated space within the platform that showcases a brand's products, official content, and account in a consolidated, high-visibility environment. It functions as branded real estate within the Xiaohongshu ecosystem, giving established brands a persistent presence that goes beyond individual ad placements.
Brand Zone is typically accessible to brands that have a verified Professional Account and a meaningful content and commercial presence on the platform. It is designed for long-term brand visibility rather than short-term campaign bursts, and is most commonly used by larger consumer brands in categories like beauty, fashion, and premium lifestyle. For most brands entering Xiaohongshu for the first time, Feed Ads, Search Ads, and Shutiao will be the priority formats — Brand Zone becomes relevant at a more mature stage of platform investment.
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Which Ad Format Is Right for Your Brand? {#choosing-format}
Choosing the right Xiaohongshu ad format depends on three factors: your campaign objective, your brand's maturity on the platform, and your available budget. The table below summarises how the major formats map to these dimensions.
| Ad Format | Primary Objective | Budget Level | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed Ads (via Juguang) | Awareness, consideration, conversion | Medium–High | All brands with organic content; KFS campaigns |
| Search Ads (via Juguang) | Intent capture, conversion | Medium–High | Brands with established awareness; competitive categories |
| Splash Ads | Brand awareness, mass reach | High (¥50,000+) | Major product launches, seasonal campaigns |
| Shutiao | Content boosting, early reach | Low (entry-level) | New accounts; content testing; organic post amplification |
| Juguang Lite | Content amplification, lead gen | Low–Medium | New advertisers exploring paid tools |
| Chengfeng | Direct e-commerce conversion | Medium–High | Brands with an active Xiaohongshu store |
| Brand Zone | Long-term brand visibility | Premium | Established brands with significant platform presence |
For most international brands entering Xiaohongshu for the first time, a practical starting sequence looks like this: begin with Shutiao to test content performance and build organic reach, then layer in Juguang-based Feed Ads and Search Ads once your content foundation is established and you're ready to invest in performance-level campaigns. Chengfeng and Brand Zone come into play once your store is live and your platform presence is mature.
Brands in the beauty, fashion, F&B, and mother-and-baby categories — all strong-performing verticals on Xiaohongshu — will typically find the KFS model (Feed Ads plus Search Ads, amplifying KOL and KOC content) to be their most effective paid framework from day one. For tailored guidance across specific industries, explore AllXHS's industry-specific Xiaohongshu marketing strategies.
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Ad Format Best Practices for International Brands {#best-practices}
Regardless of which ad format you use, several principles apply universally to Xiaohongshu paid advertising for international brands.
Authenticity over production value. Xiaohongshu users have a low tolerance for content that looks or reads like a traditional advertisement. The platform's culture is built around authentic, peer-style recommendations. The most effective ads are those that feel indistinguishable from a high-performing organic note — detailed, visually appealing, and written in a conversational Simplified Chinese register. Direct translations of English ad copy rarely perform well, and overly polished, brand-studio aesthetics can signal inauthenticity to the platform's community.
Start with what's already working. The single most common mistake in Xiaohongshu Feed advertising is building campaigns around untested creative. Before investing in paid amplification, identify your organic posts with the highest save rates, comment quality, and engagement — these are your proven performers. Feed Ads built on this content will consistently outperform ads built on new, unvalidated material.
Pair Feed and Search. Running Feed Ads without Search Ads leaves you exposed at the conversion stage. Users who see your brand in the discovery feed will frequently follow up with a search query — and if your brand doesn't appear in those results, a competitor will. Treat Feed Ads and Search Ads as a single system, not as separate campaign options.
Localise for the platform, not just the language. Effective Xiaohongshu ad content goes beyond language translation. It means understanding platform-specific aesthetics (bright cover images, 4:5 aspect ratios, text-on-image titles), trending content formats (product comparisons, tutorials, lifestyle inspiration), and cultural nuances that resonate with the platform's specific user community. Brands that localise their creative to match Xiaohongshu's content culture see meaningfully higher engagement rates than those that adapt global campaigns.
Maintain compliance. All Xiaohongshu ads must comply with China's Advertising Law and the Administrative Measures for Internet Advertising. Key requirements include mandatory ad labelling ("广告" or "合作"), prohibition on superlative claims ("best," "number one," "national standard"), and category-specific certification requirements for regulated industries including healthcare, cosmetics, food, and financial services. Non-compliance can result in post removal, account suspension, or fines of up to CNY 2 million for serious violations.
For comprehensive, platform-specific guidance on running effective Xiaohongshu campaigns, explore the free Xiaohongshu resources available through AllXHS, including industry reports, templates, and training modules covering paid advertising strategy, content localisation, and compliance.
How AllXHS Can Help {#allxhs-help}
Navigating Xiaohongshu's advertising ecosystem — from understanding which format fits your campaign objective to executing a compliant, locally-relevant campaign — is one of the most common challenges international brands face when entering the Chinese market. The platform's ad tools are powerful, but they are built for Chinese advertisers, run in Simplified Chinese, and require local entity access for enterprise-level execution.
AllXHS is the leading English-language resource hub for international brands marketing on Xiaohongshu. Whether you need data-driven industry reports on platform advertising trends, ready-to-use campaign planning templates, or hands-on expert consultation to help you select the right ad formats and build your paid strategy, AllXHS has the resources to support every stage of your Xiaohongshu journey — from first campaign to full-scale platform growth.
With 378+ industry reports, a 21-module training academy, and 25+ tools and templates spanning 20+ verticals including beauty, fashion, F&B, and mother and baby, AllXHS bridges the gap between Western marketing expertise and Xiaohongshu's platform-specific requirements — so your brand doesn't have to figure it out alone.
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