Xiaohongshu Media Buying Guide: Rates, Negotiation & Campaign Planning
Date Published
Table Of Contents
1. Why Media Buying on Xiaohongshu Is Different
2. Understanding the Xiaohongshu Advertising Ecosystem
3. Xiaohongshu Paid Ads: Rates & Benchmarks
4. KOL & KOC Fees: What International Brands Actually Pay
5. Negotiating Fair Rates on Xiaohongshu
6. Building Your Xiaohongshu Media Plan: A Seasonal Framework
7. Budget Allocation: How to Split Your Spend
8. Key Compliance & Platform Rules to Know
If you've spent time planning media buys on Instagram or Meta, your instincts will only get you so far on Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote or Little Red Book). China's fastest-growing social commerce platform operates with its own ad infrastructure, pricing logic, and influencer economy — and the brands that treat it like a translated version of Western social media almost always underspend where it counts and overspend where it doesn't.
This guide is built for international brand managers and marketing teams who need real numbers and a workable planning framework. We'll break down Xiaohongshu's ad platform ecosystem, current CPC and CPM benchmarks by industry, KOL fee tiers, how to negotiate rates without burning bridges, and how to time your campaigns around China's commercial calendar. Whether you're planning your first campaign on XHS or optimizing an existing media strategy, this is the operational guide you need.
Why Media Buying on Xiaohongshu Is Different {#why-different}
Xiaohongshu sits at a unique intersection: it's part social feed, part search engine, and part product review community. Unlike platforms where ads interrupt passive scrolling, Xiaohongshu users are actively searching for product recommendations. Over 40% of users prefer to research purchases through the platform's search function before making a buying decision — which means paid placements here reach audiences in a fundamentally different mindset than on Douyin or Weibo.
This distinction matters for media buying because it shapes the entire cost and performance logic of the platform. A click on Xiaohongshu typically carries stronger purchase intent than a click on a more passive scrolling environment, which justifies higher CPCs in competitive categories. It also means that creative quality and content authenticity aren't just nice-to-haves — they directly affect your ad delivery costs, because Xiaohongshu's auction system weights content quality scores alongside bid amounts.
For international brands, there's an added layer: the platform's primary user base is approximately 80% female, predominantly aged 18–35, and concentrated in China's tier-one and tier-two cities. These consumers are brand-literate, research-driven, and quick to identify inauthentic marketing. Your media buying strategy needs to account for this audience's expectations, not just the platform's technical specs.
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Understanding the Xiaohongshu Advertising Ecosystem {#ad-ecosystem}
Before discussing rates, it's essential to understand what you're actually buying. Xiaohongshu offers a layered suite of advertising and promotional tools, each suited to different campaign objectives and budget levels.
Juguang (聚光) is Xiaohongshu's enterprise-level advertising platform — the equivalent of Meta Ads Manager or Google Ads, but built specifically around XHS's content-discovery and search behaviors. It supports Feed Ads (native in-stream posts that appear within the discovery feed) and Search Ads (placements triggered when users search relevant keywords). Juguang leverages the platform's behavioral data to deliver highly personalized ad experiences, and it's the right tool for brands running large-scale campaigns with precise targeting and measurable conversion goals. Importantly, Juguang's interface is in Chinese only, and a functioning account currently requires a Chinese business entity — meaning most international brands will need to work through a local agency or operating partner to access it.
Juguang Lite is a simplified, self-serve version available within the app to verified business accounts. It's better suited for smaller brands testing content amplification or light-touch lead collection before committing to full Juguang campaigns.
Chengfeng (乘风) is Xiaohongshu's performance platform designed specifically for merchants running XHS stores. It focuses on closed-loop e-commerce marketing — driving product purchases, livestream traffic, and direct conversion within the platform ecosystem.
Shutiao (薯条) is a lightweight content-boosting tool that allows brands and creators to amplify organic posts for greater reach and engagement. It's an excellent entry point for early-stage brand accounts or for testing which content resonates before scaling into Juguang.
Pugongying (蒲公英) is the platform's official influencer-matching marketplace, connecting brands with a network of over 100,000 KOL and KOC creators across 30 content categories. When you book a KOL through Pugongying, you gain the security of in-platform transaction safeguards and Xiaohongshu's creator credit scoring system.
Understanding which tool serves which objective — and when to combine them — is one of the most important decisions in your media planning process. If you're looking for tailored guidance on which platforms and tools fit your brand's specific category and goals, AllXHS's industry-specific Xiaohongshu marketing strategies offer vertical-by-vertical frameworks across 20+ sectors.
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Xiaohongshu Paid Ads: Rates & Benchmarks {#rates-benchmarks}
Let's get to the numbers. Xiaohongshu's paid advertising operates on three primary pricing models:
• CPC (Cost Per Click): Pay when a user clicks your ad. Best for driving traffic to brand pages or in-app stores.
• CPM (Cost Per Mille): Pay per 1,000 impressions. Best for building brand awareness at scale.
• CPA (Cost Per Action): Pay when a user completes a defined action, such as a purchase or sign-up. Best for conversion-focused campaigns.
CPC Benchmarks
Based on aggregated campaign data heading into 2025, the average CPC on Xiaohongshu sits in the range of RMB 3 to RMB 15 (approximately USD 0.40 to USD 2.10), with significant variation by category. Entry-level campaigns targeting broader audiences in lower-competition categories tend to sit toward the lower end of this range, while premium lifestyle, beauty, and luxury categories regularly exceed RMB 10 per click. Search Ads generally carry higher CPCs than Feed Ads due to intent-matching — users who click from a search result are further along in the purchase journey.
CPM Benchmarks
CPM rates on Xiaohongshu typically range from RMB 15 to RMB 40 (approximately USD 2.10 to USD 5.60), varying significantly by targeting parameters and seasonal factors. To break this down by vertical:
• Beauty and skincare: RMB 60–120 CPM, reflecting high competition and strong conversion rates
• Luxury fashion and accessories: RMB 90–120 when targeting high-net-worth consumers in tier-one cities
• Contemporary fashion and mid-market apparel: RMB 50–70 CPM
• FMCG and mass-market products: RMB 30–60 CPM with volume-based strategies
• Domestic travel promotions: RMB 30–50 CPM; international luxury travel, RMB 50–75
Minimum Budgets
Brands can begin testing Xiaohongshu paid ads with entry-level campaigns starting around RMB 10,000 (approximately USD 1,400), making it more accessible than platforms like Douyin, which typically requires significantly higher minimum investments. Brands looking to run splash or topic campaigns should budget upward from RMB 50,000. A practical starting approach is to launch with small daily budgets of RMB 500–1,000, test three to five creative variations, and then scale the top performers.
How Quality Affects Your Costs
Here's something that catches many first-time Xiaohongshu advertisers off guard: Xiaohongshu's auction-based bidding system considers content quality scores, engagement predictions, and relevance ratings — not just bid amounts. A well-crafted campaign with native-style creative can achieve lower effective CPMs than a competitor bidding higher amounts with inferior content. This rewards brands that invest in platform-authentic creative, and it's one reason why boosting a well-performing influencer post as an ad — rather than running a purely brand-produced asset — can reduce CPC by 30–50% while improving engagement.
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KOL & KOC Fees: What International Brands Actually Pay {#kol-fees}
Influencer marketing (working with KOLs and KOCs) is often the highest-impact and highest-cost component of a Xiaohongshu media strategy. Here's a realistic breakdown of what to expect, organized by creator tier:
Micro-KOLs / KOCs (under 10,000 followers)
Many accept free products plus a small fee — typically USD 50–150 per post. These creators are exceptionally cost-effective for seeding authenticity across multiple posts and for brands with limited initial budgets.
Mid-tier KOLs (10,000–100,000 followers)
Expect fees in the range of USD 1,000–5,000 per post, depending on engagement rate, niche, and content format. A more granular breakdown from industry benchmarks: micro-KOLs (5,000–50,000 followers) typically charge RMB 2,000–8,000 per post, while mid-tier creators (50,000–300,000 followers) run RMB 8,000–30,000.
Top KOLs (300,000–1 million followers)
Rates typically range from RMB 30,000–80,000 per post (USD 4,200–11,200).
Celebrity KOLs (1 million+ followers)
Expect RMB 80,000–300,000+ per post (USD 11,200–42,000+). International luxury brands frequently pay 2–3x standard rates for exclusive collaborations with fashion KOLs who demonstrate strong purchase influence among tier-one city consumers.
Content Format Premiums
Format significantly affects pricing. Video content commands a 30–50% premium over image posts at all tiers. Livestream rates start at 2–3x the cost of standard posts. If you're planning a video-forward strategy — which increasingly drives conversion on the platform — factor these premiums into your budget before outreach.
Niche Premiums
Vertical expertise matters. Beauty and skincare KOLs command approximately 50% higher rates than general lifestyle creators at equivalent follower counts. Mother-and-baby content creators run 30–40% above baseline. Specialized luxury, tech, or premium skincare creators charge 30–50% more than generalists. These premiums exist because their audiences carry demonstrably higher purchase intent.
For a deeper dive into influencer selection, vetting, and contract structures by industry, explore AllXHS's free Xiaohongshu resources, which include ready-to-use tools and templates built for international brand teams.
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Negotiating Fair Rates on Xiaohongshu {#negotiating}
Negotiating KOL rates on Xiaohongshu is not like negotiating with a Western influencer over email. Most mid-tier and top KOLs work through management agencies or MCNs (Multi-Channel Networks) that handle negotiations, content planning, and compliance — so expect structured processes rather than casual back-and-forth. With brands reporting price quotes that can vary by as much as 300% for seemingly similar collaborations, having a clear negotiation framework is essential.
Know What You're Evaluating
Follower count is a lagging indicator of value on Xiaohongshu. An influencer with 50,000 followers but an 8% engagement rate may deliver significantly better results than one with 200,000 followers at 1% engagement. When assessing creator value, look at the like-plus-save-to-follower ratio (a benchmark of 1.5% or above is a useful quality indicator), quality of comments (substantive conversations versus generic emoji responses), and the consistency of engagement across recent posts — not just viral outliers.
Tactics That Work
• Bundle posts for volume discounts. Long-term partnerships (three to six months of ongoing collaboration) typically cost 20–30% less per post than individual engagements, and they produce more authentic content over time.
• Lead with data. Come to negotiations with performance benchmarks from comparable campaigns. If a creator's quoted rate significantly exceeds the platform average for their tier and engagement level, you have grounds to negotiate — and data makes that conversation easier.
• Offer content usage rights as a trade-off. If a creator is firm on fee, negotiate for the right to repurpose their content as Juguang Feed Ads. This extends your content investment and is often valuable enough to justify a small rate reduction or an added deliverable.
• Be transparent about deliverables upfront. Clearly outline the number of posts, content formats, posting schedule, approval process, and usage rights from the outset. Ambiguity in the brief almost always leads to scope creep and renegotiation.
• Account for platform fees. If you're booking through Pugongying (Xiaohongshu's official influencer platform), expect a 10% service fee on top of the creator's quoted rate. If you're working with an external agency, their management fee typically runs an additional 10–20% of total campaign budget.
Seasonal Timing Affects Rates
KOL rates increase 20–40% during peak shopping periods — Singles' Day (Double 11), the 618 Mid-Year Festival, and Chinese New Year. If you're planning campaigns around these windows, begin KOL outreach 8–12 weeks in advance. Waiting until four weeks out means paying peak rates and getting second-tier creator availability.
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Building Your Xiaohongshu Media Plan: A Seasonal Framework {#media-plan}
Xiaohongshu media buying doesn't happen in isolation — it follows a rhythm shaped by China's commercial calendar. Getting this calendar into your planning process is one of the highest-leverage things an international brand can do.
The Four Peak Periods to Plan Around
1. Chinese New Year (January–February) — The platform's influence peaks during CNY, when users actively seek gift ideas, festive fashion, home decoration inspiration, and dining content. Consumer research for CNY purchases now begins approximately 8–10 weeks before the festival itself, meaning brands that start their pre-heat in December capture the early research phase when competition is lower. CPMs rise 40–70% in the final two to three weeks before the festival.
1. 520 / International Women's Day (March–May) — 520 (May 20) has become a major gifting and beauty moment on Xiaohongshu, aligned with Valentine's-style spending. International Women's Day on March 8 also generates significant brand engagement, particularly for beauty, wellness, and lifestyle categories.
1. 618 Mid-Year Festival (June) — One of China's two largest shopping events, 618 drives massive spikes in search volume and ad competition across the platform. Major festivals like 618 require 8–12 weeks of lead time for creative production, KOL booking, and inventory planning. Planning campaigns to run in the two to three weeks before the festival window — rather than during it — often delivers better cost efficiency while still capturing purchase-intent momentum.
1. Singles' Day / Double 11 (November) — The largest single shopping event in China. CPMs and CPC rates inflate by 30–60% during this period. Begin content seeding on Xiaohongshu by September to build awareness before paid competition peaks. Bid adjustments of 20–30% above normal are typically necessary during peak periods to maintain competitive visibility.
The Pre-Heat / Peak / Wind-Down Structure
Every major campaign window on Xiaohongshu has three phases that need to be mapped separately: the pre-heat phase (KOL content seeding and awareness building), the peak conversion window (higher-intensity paid amplification), and the wind-down phase (retargeting and retention). Most international brands underinvest in the pre-heat phase and overspend during peak — which is both the most expensive time to buy media and the point where user decisions have already been shaped by earlier content.
Lower-Competition Windows to Leverage
July and early August are typically lower-spend months on the platform, making them excellent windows for content seeding, creative testing, and building organic post performance that can be amplified later via Juguang. The same logic applies to late February after CNY and early October before the Double 11 build-up begins.
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Budget Allocation: How to Split Your Spend {#budget-allocation}
Most experienced Xiaohongshu marketers recommend a blended approach across three budget buckets: paid platform advertising, KOL/KOC collaborations, and content production. Here's a practical starting framework:
• Paid advertising (Juguang/Chengfeng): Allocate roughly 30–40% of your total Xiaohongshu budget here. Concentrate heavier spend around key shopping festivals (CNY, 618, Double 11), when conversion intent is highest.
• KOL and KOC collaborations: This is typically the largest single budget line. Allocate approximately 60% of your influencer budget to micro and mid-tier creators — this generally delivers 30–50% better engagement rates than top-tier-only strategies, while producing more authentic content at lower per-post cost.
• Content production and seeding: Even when working with KOLs, brands often cover additional production costs for high-end shoots, professional editing, or usage rights. Budget for this separately, and build in repurposing rights from the start to reduce overall content costs by 40–60% by reusing assets across formats.
For brands just entering the platform, a phased three-stage approach across 60–90 days works well: launch with small daily budgets and three to five creative variations to establish performance baselines; scale winning creatives and audiences in the second phase while adding creator-led content; then in the third phase, increase budget on top-performing campaigns and introduce seasonal or topical amplification.
For expert guidance on building and managing a full Xiaohongshu media strategy tailored to your category — from beauty and fashion to F&B and mother-and-baby — AllXHS's expert marketing services offer hands-on support for brands at every stage of their XHS journey.
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Key Compliance & Platform Rules to Know {#compliance}
Xiaohongshu enforces strict content and advertising guidelines that international brands must understand before committing budget. Advertising regulations prohibit the use of superlative language — terms like "best," "most," "luxury" (in certain contexts), or "number one" cannot appear in ad copy. This aligns with the platform's broader commitment to authentic, trustworthy content: Xiaohongshu has historically removed millions of paid posts and biased reviews to protect the user experience.
On the influencer side, sponsored content must be clearly disclosed. The platform actively penalizes accounts that post inauthentic content or have artificially inflated follower counts. This has professionalised the creator economy, with many top-tier KOLs now working through management agencies or MCNs that handle compliance alongside negotiation. For international brands, certain industries face admission restrictions on Juguang — health, pharmaceutical, and financial services categories require additional documentation and approval. Review Xiaohongshu's industry admission rules before beginning the account verification process.
For international brands without a Chinese entity, note that while a foreign business license can be used to register a Professional Account on Xiaohongshu, a functioning Juguang advertising account currently requires a Chinese entity. Working with a local agency partner or operating partner is strongly recommended to avoid delays and compliance issues during setup.
Xiaohongshu's media buying landscape rewards preparation, cultural fluency, and creative investment in equal measure. The brands that perform best on the platform aren't necessarily the ones with the largest budgets — they're the ones who understand the seasonal rhythm of China's commercial calendar, negotiate KOL partnerships with data rather than guesswork, and match their paid amplification strategy to content that has already demonstrated organic resonance.
For international brands, the gap between knowing the benchmarks and building a high-performing campaign is often a matter of the right local expertise and the right resources. The rates and frameworks in this guide give you a starting point — but every category, every campaign window, and every creator portfolio involves trade-offs that benefit from hands-on knowledge of the platform.
AllXHS exists to close exactly that gap. As the #1 English-language resource hub for international brands marketing on Xiaohongshu, we offer 378+ industry reports, a 21-module training academy, and 25+ ready-to-use tools and templates — everything you need to plan, execute, and optimize your XHS media strategy with confidence. Explore our free Xiaohongshu resources to get started, or browse industry-specific marketing strategies across beauty, fashion, F&B, mother-and-baby, and 20+ other verticals.
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