Xiaohongshu followers are highly valuable because Xiaohongshu—also known as Little Red Book, RedNote or RED—has become one of the fastest-growing social commerce platforms, attracting over 300 million monthly active users in 2025. Its unique mix of community-driven interaction, engaging content, and integrated e-commerce makes it a powerful space to build a loyal audience.
To grow your follower base, authenticity is key. Sharing genuine reviews, lifestyle tips, and real product experiences resonates deeply with Xiaohongshu users. Consistent posting, smart use of relevant hashtags, and active engagement with your audience further increase visibility and drive organic growth.
Still, many creators and businesses struggle to gain traction and increase their Xiaohongshu followers. You might be asking: How long does it really take to reach 1,000 followers—the milestone where brands start gaining meaningful visibility? While growth can feel challenging at first, the right strategies can accelerate your progress.
In this article, I’ll break down 8 proven factors to help you grow your Xiaohongshu followers and strengthen your brand presence—quickly, sustainably, and with impact.
8 Methods to Increase Xiaohongshu Followers
(1) Content
(a) Stay Consistent with Updates
The single most important driver of engagement and virality on Xiaohongshu is your content. Create a content calendar and post as consistently as possible—ideally daily, or at least 3 to 5 times a week. The more active your account is, the more often your posts will be pushed up by the system. You will hence appear more frequently in potential followers’ feeds.
When you publish a note and then stop for too long, the algorithm struggles to gauge your activity level, which can hurt visibility. A steady posting rhythm, even if it’s just a small update each day, is far more effective than uploading one big post per week. If you miss a few days, try to catch up quickly to maintain momentum.
(b) Authentic, Everyday Content Performs Best
Xiaohongshu increasingly favours lifestyle-oriented and genuine content. Users prefer real experiences over curated perfection. Examples of authentic content that perform well include:
- Behind-the-scenes clips – show your workflow or process.
- Casual product reviews – share honest, unscripted opinions.
- Day-in-the-life updates – relatable snapshots of your routine.
- Unfiltered lifestyle moments – small details like meals, hobbies, or coffee setups.
Authenticity builds trust, makes your brand relatable, and encourages sharing.
(c) Focused on Value
Your content should always deliver real value to your audience. Quality notes targeted at your ideal followers are far more effective than broad, generic updates. Provide valuable information, unique insights, and deep analyses. Ensure your content is logical and clear, stands out, and offers perspective that makes it memorable amidst a sea of posts. “Newbie” accounts can be given a visibility boost if you consistently publish such quality notes, especially under trending topics.
Whether you’re sharing skincare tips, fashion styling ideas, or everyday life hacks, the goal is to be useful. When users feel they’ve gained something, they’re more likely to like, save, and follow you. With more engagement, the algorithm is also more likely to recommend your notes to a wider audience, hence helping to increase your Xiaohongshu followers.
(d) Use Simple, Relatable Language
Avoid overly technical or professional jargon—keep your content simple and easy to digest. Even in promotional posts, only recommend products or services you’ve personally used or tested. This lowers the barrier for new followers and makes your account feel approachable. Over time, clear and relatable language builds stronger trust and long-term engagement, and will help grow your Xiaohongshu followers.
(e) Diversity Your Content Formats
Don’t limit yourself to one format. While image-text notes are common, video notes are increasingly popular and can perform even better. Here’s how to approach it:
- Test both image-text and video notes.
- Track performance—see which format drives more likes, saves, and shares.
- Double down on the format that works best, while still mixing in the other for variety.
The right balance keeps your content fresh and appealing to different types of users.
(f) Optimise Images and Titles
Strong visuals and catchy headlines are critical for grabbing attention in a crowded feed.
- Cover images: High-quality, relevant images embedded in your posts will enhance readability and user engagement. Use faces, people, or bold comparison shots. If adding text, keep it short—no more than 12 Chinese characters.
- Titles/headlines: Ensure your title or headline clearly indicates the essence of your post. Highlight a clear benefit or spark curiosity, making your readers want to read more. Example: “Look 10 Pounds Slimmer with This Outfit.”
- Avoid clickbait: Misleading titles can lead to reports and reduced reach. Stay truthful while still intriguing.
(g) Tap into the Content Inspiration (创作灵感) Section
Xiaohongshu offers a built-in Content Inspiration section, filled with prompts across categories like Recommendation (推荐), AI Techniques (AI 玩法), Photo Collage (拼图), Vintage (复古), Cover Templates (封面模板), Selfies (自拍), Wefies (合照), Food (美食), Lifestyle Snippets (生活碎片), Scenery (风景), and vlog. Use these to brainstorm fresh ideas, experiment with different styles, and discover trending templates. This feature helps you avoid creative blocks and stay relevant without starting from scratch.
(h) Leverage Trending Topics
Posts tied to trending conversations or viral themes have a much higher chance of landing on Xiaohongshu’s “hot topic” charts. This can massively increase your visibility in a short time.
For example, if a beauty trend, fashion challenge, or seasonal festival is buzzing, create content that ties your brand naturally into that trend. Timing is key—join while the topic is still hot.
Also, when publishing a post, avoid using hashtags directly like “#”. Instead, place your note in the context of trending topics and combine it with official popular topics to leverage a wave of traffic.
(i) Role Model for Growth
Even if your account is new, you can learn from others. Visit the Creator Centre (创作者中心) and check out the section called Role Model for Growth (成长榜样), which highlights the top content creators in your niche. By studying these cases, you can understand what makes simple content go viral, adapt winning formats and angles to your own niche, and build popularity faster without needing a huge audience.
(j) Add a Location Tag
Tagging your posts with a location can increase exposure, and you can build brand awareness in your local area by using relevant location hashtags.
(k) Optimise Keywords
Understand the search keywords your target audience uses, and incorporate these keywords into your post to raise your ranking and increase views.
(2) Enhanced Interaction and Social Features
Xiaohongshu is no longer just a content platform—it’s evolving into a social community. Simply pushing content isn’t enough; engagement is the key. Actively reply to comments and questions, join conversations, and interact sincerely with other users to create a vibrant presence. Encourage participation and discussion to build a positive interaction and community. Also participate in daily check-ins, posting, sign-in cards, and other activities makes your posts more likely to be seen in recommendation pools.
Timing also matters: the first 3 minutes after posting often determine a note’s success. If your post quickly gets likes, comments, saves, or shares, the algorithm boosts its reach.
(3) Use Xiaohongshu’s Internal Features to Boost Exposure
Many creators don’t realise that new accounts can apply for official promotion features like Pugongying, or Dandelion platform (蒲公英), the official influencer/creator marketplace where brands and creators can collaborate. Even smaller accounts can apply, and successful applications can give your content more reach, help your notes gain extra visibility and reach a wider audience. Pair this with carefully chosen tags and topics that match your content, making it easier for Xiaohongshu to recommend your notes to the right people.
(4) Multi-Platform Linkage
Maximise your exposure and grow your Xiaohongshu followers by connecting your Xiaohongshu with other platforms like Xigua (西瓜), Toutiao (头条), or Douyin (抖音). Syncing your existing content across multiple apps helps you build initial momentum faster and capture different audience groups. Choose the linkage method that fits your resources and goals best.
(5) Observe Data and Adjust in Time
Analytics are your best friend. Check your data at least once a month and track key metrics like views, likes, and saves.
- Identify which content types perform best.
- Adjust your strategy accordingly.
- Double down on what works, and refine or drop what doesn’t.
This cycle of observation and adjustment is the fastest way to improve results over time.
(6) Follow the Rules
Violating Xiaohongshu’s community rules can severely limit your reach—or worse, get your account banned. Avoid restricted keywords, misleading claims, or inappropriate content.
Think of the rules as part of your growth strategy: the cleaner and more compliant your account, the more trust the algorithm (and your audience) will place in your content.
Check out this article for more information.
(7) Collaborate with Influencers and Engage in Community Activities
Partnering with relevant Xiaohongshu influencers, KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), or micro-influencers who share your niche can greatly expand your reach and credibility. Co-create content with them, engaging actively in the community by participating in trending challenges, and joining topic-based groups to build relationships and attract followers genuinely interested in your content. This organic social proof can accelerate follower growth and improve brand trust.
(8) Ad Placements
If you have the budget, paid ads can accelerate the growth of Xiaohongshu followers. Platforms like Douyin or Qianchuan (千川) allow you to target potential followers with precision. Even a small investment can deliver strong results—though some experience in ad management is recommended to avoid wasting spend.
Final Note
Applied consistently, these strategies deliver results. Even with straightforward approaches, steady execution fuels steady progress and sets the stage for your brand to gain real visibility on Xiaohongshu.
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Navigating Chinese social media may seem tricky, but with the right approach, it can become a game-changer for your brand. Let’s unlock Xiaohongshu’s potential together. Contact me at +65-9622-8824 or bei@beithoven.com.
Bei, a bilingual (English/Chinese) Singapore content strategist, has over 20 years of experience in marketing. She mostly writes about visual storytelling, AI art, content creation/optimisation, social media and China marketing.