In 2025, using influencers (KOLs and KOCs) effectively in China requires a very localized, strategic, and trust-first approach. Chinese consumers are influenced by content, not just celebrity. So if you want your brand to resonate — whether it’s beauty, fashion, tech, or food — you need to collaborate smartly with the right voices on the right platforms.
📣 10 Tips to Use Influencers in China (2025 Guide)
1. Know the Difference: KOL vs. KOC
| Type | Meaning | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| KOL | Key Opinion Leader (influencer) | Awareness, launches, major exposure |
| KOC | Key Opinion Consumer (micro-user) | Trust-building, reviews, organic feel |
✅ Combine both:
KOL = “Loud megaphone”
KOC = “Whispers that build trust”
2. Choose Platform-Specific Influencers
| Platform | Influencer Focus |
|---|---|
| RED (Xiaohongshu) | Lifestyle, beauty, skincare, fashion |
| Douyin (TikTok CN) | Viral content, reviews, humor, short videos |
| CRM, VIP groups, private recommendations | |
| Bilibili | Long-form reviews, tech, in-depth tutorials |
✅ Match platform to your niche.
3. Pick the Right Influencer, Not the Biggest
- Chinese followers value authenticity > follower count
- Vet their engagement rate, content quality, and follower comments
- Use influencer platforms or agencies to analyze fake followers and ROI
✅ Use micro-KOLs (10k–100k followers) for cost-effective campaigns.
4. Tell a Story, Not an Ad
Good influencer content in China is subtle and emotionally driven.
✅ Tips:
- Frame your product in a daily ritual or problem-solving scenario
- Add before/after, try-on, or comparison content
- Let influencers script content in their voice, not yours
5. Use “种草” (Planting the Seed)
“Seeding” campaigns create buzz by making people want to try it.
✅ How to:
- Send your product to 50+ KOCs and micro-influencers
- Encourage them to post personal stories, not just unboxings
- Repost top-performing content on your brand page
6. Leverage Livestreaming for Big Conversions
- Partner with livestreamers on Douyin, Taobao Live, or Kuaishou
- Structure the stream: Education → Try-on → Promo → Urgency
- Include exclusive coupons or time-limited gifts
✅ Best for beauty, fashion, home, and wellness brands.
7. Time Influencer Campaigns with Shopping Festivals
⏰ Leverage sales peaks like:
- Double 11 (Nov 11)
- 6.18 Mid-Year Festival
- Qixi (Valentine’s)
- Women’s Day
✅ Plan 3–4 weeks in advance to reserve top influencers.
8. Track, Measure, and Optimize
Metrics to track:
- Engagement (likes, saves, shares, comments)
- CTR to Tmall/Douyin/WeChat
- Sales conversion (use unique codes per KOL)
✅ Pro Tip: Run A/B tests with different messaging styles.
9. Repurpose Influencer Content
- Use UGC for:
- Tmall product pages
- Douyin ads
- RED reposts
- WeChat newsletters
✅ Increases content volume + social proof.
10. Build Long-Term Relationships
Chinese users notice repeat appearances = builds trust
✅ Tips:
- Turn top KOLs into brand ambassadors
- Give early access to products, trips, or insider updates
- Offer affiliate programs or co-branded collections
🚀 Bonus: Typical Budget Tiers (Estimated 2025)
| Influencer Type | Followers | Typical Cost/Post |
|---|---|---|
| Top-tier KOL | 1M+ | ¥50,000–¥200,000+ |
| Mid-tier KOL | 100k–500k | ¥10,000–¥50,000 |
| Micro-KOL | 10k–50k | ¥1,000–¥10,000 |
| KOC (Seeding user) | <10k | Free product or ¥300–¥800 |
Would you like me to help you create a KOL campaign brief, identify influencer niches for your brand, or draft a full RED seeding strategy?
How Celebrities Act as the Best KOLs
The importance of KOLs is now highly being utilized by the UK based market. The fact that Fan Bingbing, a Chinese superstar, is the brand ambassador of many foreign brands in China shows how Bingbing is the brand ambassador of a diverse range of brands in China, including L’Oreal, Chopar, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
The Role of E-Celebs
While models, performers and actors make great Key Opinion Leaders, there is a new wave of celebrities which have emerged through the immense popularity of social media in China. China has its own social media networks which are immensely popular over there. The social media has given birth to its own stars which are now called as the E-Celebs. These stars are equally popular as any other traditional celebrity in China, and many international brands are now investing in them as their brand ambassadors. Find out the 7 most influencing Chinese Social Celebrities (KOL).
One E-celeb who is immensely popular is Gogobi, a fashion blogger on Weibo. He is such a sensation in China that his passion of blogging has become a full time career for him. He writes for various fashion magazines and is an official brand ambassador of Louis Vuitton in China.
So, How Can We Actually activate Influencers in China?
So, if you are trying to break into the Chines market then you should definitely use the power of the influencers for promoting your brand. Whether you are an established brand or even a new stat up, you can definitely use KOL for promoting your brand. However, be careful, there are some terrible mistakes made on Chinese social media.
1. Be Careful Whom to Choose as Your KOL
Not every celebrity can be your KOL. There are many factors to consider before making this decision. The most important factor is to consider the fact whether the particular celebrity goes with your brand identity or not. So, if you represent a hipster style, it is not suggested to go for a celebrity who is famous for his geeky looks.
2. The Number of Followers Cannot be Trusted When Selecting an Influencer
There was a time when a star’s popularity on the social media was determined through the number of followers on his social media account. However, there is a rising trend of having paid followers on not just the Chinese but the Western social media as well. The main factor to consider is how much user engagement is present on any celebrity’s account. If the followers are active and the celebrity does get engaged with his fans, then he can be a god choice for being your brand’s influencer in China. Estee Lauder’s online strategy is a successful case regarding this.
3. You Should Get a Clear Return on the Investment
So, once you have got your E-celeb as your KOL, now the job is to make sure that you are getting a fair turnout from your investment. Every post which your ambassador makes should come with a good ROI. Your ROI is determined by the number of likes, shares and engagement present on the post.
4. Make Sure That Your KOL is Popular Enough
The thing with the celebrities is that the level of their popularity keeps on changing from time to time. If a KOL is extremely famous, his or her popularity may decrease after 6 months or even a year. So you should keep this thing in mind as well when appointing someone as a brand ambassador. So, the best practice is to get help from an independent agency which can help you in determining the consistency of a celebrity’s popularity over a certain period.
5. High Endorsing KOLs May Not be the Best
While it seems ideal to get a KOL who represents a lot of brand and is popular among people, it is practically not a good practice. The main reason is that their fans start looking at them as brand representing machines, whose sole purpose is to promote different brands without caring about their quality and authenticity.
We are a KOL agency in China
