How to Use Xiaohongshu: A Beginner’s Guide for TikTok Creators

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If you know how to make TikTok videos but are new to Xiaohongshu (also called Little Red Book or RED), start with one useful question, a clear profile, and a note that answers that question with evidence. Do not copy a TikTok caption, add ten unrelated tags, and expect the same audience response. Our first test is simpler: can a new reader understand the note’s question, find the evidence, and ask a useful follow-up?

This guide is for creators and small teams exploring the platform. It is not a claim that TikTok users as a group have moved to Xiaohongshu, nor a promise of reach. App menus, sign-in methods and eligibility can differ by device, region and account. Follow the prompts in your current app rather than treating a screenshot or button path in an old blog post as a rule.

Before you make an account: pick one reader task

Write down who should benefit and what they need to decide. “Skincare in Malaysia” is too broad for a first note. “How I compare two moisturiser textures in humid weather” gives a reader a question, a setting and observable evidence. If you have not used the products, do not write the comparison as a personal review; explain the criteria instead.

We would prepare three things before posting:

1. A specific question. Search that question, plus natural Chinese and English variants if you can assess both accurately. Note which details existing posts answer and which they skip. This is editorial research, not a search-volume estimate.
2. Material you can substantiate. Use your own photos or footage, a sourced public example, or a clearly labelled explanation. Keep permissions and product claims in view.
3. A useful result. The reader should leave with a choice, checklist or next step, even if they never follow your account.

If your real task is choosing between live-commerce channels, our Shopee vs TikTok live shopping comparison covers that separate decision. A Xiaohongshu note should address its own reader question rather than duplicate that article.

Set up a profile people can understand

Install the current Xiaohongshu app from your device’s official store and use a sign-in method the app offers to your account. Confirm the account using the current prompts. We have not verified that every historical login option or language menu in the previous version of this guide remains available in every region.

Choose a name and profile photo that identify the creator or business honestly. In a short bio, explain your subject and the kind of help readers can expect. If you represent a brand, make that relationship clear. Avoid describing yourself as an independent customer when you are selling your own product. Xiaohongshu’s rules on transaction notes specifically flag disguised consumer experiences as misleading; that rule applies to the commercial context, and the broader lesson is to disclose the role you actually have. Source: Xiaohongshu e-commerce learning centre, “Improper Marketing” rule.

Before adding contact details or an external destination, check the current rules for your account type and post. The platform’s official merchant guidance warns against taking product transactions off-platform in its campaign context; it is not a blanket specification for every ordinary profile field. Source: Xiaohongshu merchant search-term guide.

Make a first note that earns its space

Use the format that can show your evidence. A short video may demonstrate a movement or process; several photos may make a comparison easier to inspect. Before you publish, ask someone unfamiliar with the topic to read the title and first image: can they predict the question you will answer? That is a clarity check, not a platform ranking test.

A simple note outline is:

• Title: the question or decision in plain words, without a result you cannot prove.
• Opening: your answer or the limitation you are testing.
• Evidence: photos, steps, comparison criteria or a named public source, with dates and context where relevant.
• Takeaway: who the advice fits, when it may not, and what to check next.
• Conversation prompt: invite a genuine question rather than offering a reward for likes or follows.

For example, a creator who actually tested two packaging types could show what arrived, where damage occurred and how the sample was selected. Someone who has not run that test could publish a “what to check before ordering” list instead. We would rather narrow the claim than turn a hypothetical into a success story.

Xiaohongshu’s official content-quality guidance warns against misleading titles, exaggerated claims, and engagement bait. It is more useful to make the first image and title match the note than to chase a dramatic hook that the body cannot support. Source: Xiaohongshu e-commerce learning centre, content-quality rules. The cited page discusses platform content rules; it does not disclose a ranking formula.

Use search terms and topics as descriptions, not a recipe

Use the words a relevant reader would use to find the subject. If a topic fits the actual note, add it; if it does not, leave it out. Do not rely on the old “5 core + 3 secondary + 2 trending” formula in this article. We found no platform source establishing it as a general rule, and it can pull a note away from the reader’s question.

The platform’s official merchant product-note guide asks sellers in that specific programme to make search terms relevant across the title, body and topic. It says topics in that programme are not capped by a universal number but must be strongly relevant. That is evidence against our old claim that all notes have a fixed ten-topic limit; it is not a guarantee that adding more topics improves ordinary creator notes. Source: Xiaohongshu merchant search-term guide.

Our practical check: read the note once without looking at its topics. If the subject and answer are not clear, fix the content first. Topic labels cannot rescue a missing explanation.

If you do not read Chinese fluently

Use a translation tool to understand unfamiliar labels or a public note, then verify names, product terms and tone before you post in Chinese. Machine translation can miss qualifiers and cultural context. If you cannot check a claim in the target language, write the smaller claim you can verify or publish in a language you can support. Avoid pasting translated comments that sound like first-hand experience you do not have.

The current app may offer language or accessibility settings, but those controls can change. Check the settings presented on your own device; this guide intentionally does not promise a fixed menu path. For a brand account, we would have a person who can check the intended language review the customer-facing post before release. That is a recommended workflow, not a claim about PONGO’s past projects.

After publishing: learn from questions, not an imagined algorithm

Save the note URL, publish date, topic, format and intended reader question. Review what the account actually shows you: views or impressions where available, saves, comments, and the substance of questions. Note the reporting window and avoid comparing different periods as if they were identical.

A useful reply answers a real question and may reveal what the next note should explain. If readers repeatedly ask for a size, location, eligibility rule or comparison you omitted, update the information or make a follow-up. Do not infer a secret “user signal score,” a guaranteed first-round distribution pool, or a second-round threshold from the numbers visible to you. Xiaohongshu publishes some governance and merchant guidance, but that does not expose a universal recommendation formula for this article. Source: Xiaohongshu topic governance notice.

For commercial content, check that the product, price and claimed effect in the note match what a buyer will actually receive. The platform’s official merchant guidance explicitly flags false promotion and product mismatch in its product-note campaign. Source: Xiaohongshu merchant search-term guide.

A first-week checklist

• I chose one reader question and wrote the answer in the title or opening.
• My profile says who is speaking and, where relevant, that this is a brand.
• My images or video actually show the claim; I have rights to use them.
• I can substantiate product or performance statements and date time-sensitive details.
• Search words and topics describe the note; I did not use an arbitrary quota.
• I checked the current app prompts and current rules for my account.
• I saved the note URL and will assess real questions over a stated period.

Frequently asked questions

Is Xiaohongshu the same as TikTok?
No. Both can host creator video, but this guide treats Xiaohongshu as a separate content and audience test. You do not need to delete TikTok. Adapt each post to the question people ask on that channel and compare the results you can actually observe.

Should I repost the same TikTok video and caption?
You can use material you own where the current platform rules allow it, but rewrite the title and explanation for the Xiaohongshu reader. Check that the video actually answers the note’s question and that you have the rights to its music, people and product images.

How many topics or hashtags should I add?
There is no verified universal “5-3-2” mix or ten-topic maximum in the sources reviewed for this guide. Choose only relevant topics and follow the current rules for your account or campaign. The official merchant programme cited above has its own relevance requirements; do not generalise them to every post.

Can I write in English or rely on translation?
Use a language your intended reader understands and you can review accurately. Translation can help you research, but check names, qualifications and tone before publishing. If you cannot verify the translated claim, remove or narrow it.

What should I measure after the first note?
Record its URL, date, question and available account metrics over a stated period. Look at the questions and saves as well as reach. Those observations help choose the next explanation; they do not reveal a guaranteed recommendation formula or prove sales.

If you represent a brand and want to plan a creator test across Southeast Asian channels, see our influencer marketing service and contact page. We would start by defining the audience, proof you can publish, rights to the material and what a useful inquiry looks like. This is a planning suggestion, not a claim of a specific Xiaohongshu result.