In today’s digital age, social media platforms have become essential tools for brands to connect with their target audience and build a loyal following. However, with the ever-changing algorithms and unique features of each platform, navigating the Chinese social media landscape can be a daunting task. This guide aims to demystify the algorithms of popular Chinese social media platforms – Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and WeChat Channels – and provide actionable tips for brands to create engaging content that resonates with their audience and boosts follower growth.

According to Statista, with around 57.7 billion yuan in user traffic value, Douyin became the most valuable short video app in China as of June 2023. The platform has over 400M active users daily, of whom over 250M consume content for more than one hour on a daily basis.

Similar to TikTok, Douyin’s recommendation algorithm is a complex system that combines multiple machine learning techniques to deliver relevant and personalized content to users.

For creators and brands who are seeking to succeed on Douyin, it’s a must to understand the recommendation algorithm, which is “Tag” to “Tag” in essence:

• If you are a user, the types of video content you see on Douyin are determined by your interests described by roughly 150 tags, based on your browsing preferences. As your interests change, Douyin’s algorithm adapts, allowing you to see content that corresponds to your interest tags.

• In the same way, as a creator or brand on Douyin, you will also be attributed to about 150 tags, and the same rule will apply when your content changes.

The next step is quite intuitive. As you may have guessed Douyin will match users’ tags with creators’ tags. Upon matching, the algorithm will determine whether or not to further recommend the content to a wider pool of users. This is all based on the performance data of the content. Douyin evaluates your video before recommending it with the following 5 key metrics:

In recent years, social media usage and purchasing power of seniors have increased exponentially, yet little effort has been put into studying their needs and behavior changes … This is a missed opportunity for brands across many industries. 

Short Video: Seniors’ Favorite

80% of netizens over age 60 spend on average 1.5 hours each day browsing short videos [S]. Many retired seniors report experiencing common issues such as loss of vision and hearing capabilities. Short video, offering graphic motion and clear sound, is more entertaining and effortless for seniors to enjoy and kill time compared to plain text and images.

Douyin and Kuaishou are China’s two major short video players. 49.3% of senior viewers choose Douyin as their go-to video platform, while Kuaishou comes in a close second at 33.3% [S]. With both focused on live-streaming and e-commerce, “Dou Kuai” (Short for “Douyin and Kuaishou”) continue to grow and increasingly encroach on each other’s territory vying for viewers.