Online Advertising in China : 2025 Guide

Entering the Chinese market through online advertising in China is essential for any international brand aiming to gain visibility and success. By the end of 2024, China had over 1.108 billion internet users, with more than 95% accessing content via mobile devices. In such a vast digital ecosystem, if you’re not advertising online, your brand essentially doesn’t exist to Chinese consumers.

However, China’s digital environment is vastly different from that of Western countries. Global platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are inaccessible. Instead, brands must tap into local ecosystems such as Baidu, Douyin (TikTok China), WeChat, Weibo, Zhihu, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book). Each of these platforms operates with its own unique advertising logic and mechanisms.

This guide breaks down the online advertising features, ideal scenarios, and strategic tips for each platform—helping your brand successfully navigate and grow in the Chinese digital market.

1. Baidu Online Advertising in China

Baidu is China’s largest search engine, holding over 70% market share. With hundreds of millions of active users, Baidu Ads is one of the most effective ways for international brands to enter the Chinese market. Its advertising platform provides a full suite of solutions—ranging from search marketing to programmatic display, native ads, and conversion optimization.

Why Choose Baidu Ads?

Precise Search Marketing (SEM)

Your ads are displayed at the top or in key positions when users actively search for relevant keywords—leading to higher click-through rates (CTR) and better conversion.

Multi-Scenario, Multi-Device Reach

Ads appear not only in Baidu Search but also across a vast network, including the Baidu App, Baidu Tieba, Baidu Maps, and Haokan Video.

Full-Funnel Data Analytics

Baidu provides comprehensive analytics and data-tracking tools so you can monitor ad performance, optimize campaigns, and make data-driven decisions.

Brand Awareness + Conversion Loop

From brand zones to smart forms and conversion tracking, Baidu Ads helps drive exposure while also converting interest into action.

Key Ad Products on Baidu

Search Ads (SEM)

Triggered by user keyword searches and charged on a CPC (Cost-Per-Click) basis. These ads capture strong user intent and are ideal for industries like education, healthcare, B2B, and local services.

In-feed Ads (Infomercials)

These native ads are embedded in content across platforms like the Baidu App, Tieba, and Haokan Video, and are algorithmically recommended to users. Great for e-commerce, FMCG, and broad brand exposure.

Brand Zone Ads

When a user searches your brand name, a dedicated branded page appears—complete with logo, slogan, and navigation links—to boost credibility and trust. Ideal for brand-building and official endorsements.

Programmatic Display Ads (Baidu Juping)

Display ads that span across websites, apps, and smart devices. Best for large-scale visibility, event promotions, and market penetration.

Native Ads (Baiyi)

These “soft-sell” ads are integrated into the content in a way that feels natural to the user, making them perfect for content marketing, brand storytelling, and educational promotions.

How to Get Started with Baidu Ads

• Visit the official Baidu Ads website

• Register your account by submitting company details and uploading your business license. Account approval typically takes 1–3 business days.

• Complete real-name verification and provide industry qualifications if required (especially for sectors like medical or education).

2. WeChat Online Advertising in China

WeChat is one of the most powerful social advertising platforms in China. With over 1.3 billion monthly active users and deep user engagement, WeChat allows brands to run full-funnel marketing campaigns—from awareness to conversion—across a variety of formats, including Moments (Friend Circle), Official Accounts, Channels (Video Accounts), and Mini Programs.

Thanks to its foundation in real-life social networks, advertising on WeChat benefits from a higher level of trust and shareability. Furthermore, brands can track user behavior throughout the entire customer journey—making WeChat an indispensable channel for entering and scaling in the Chinese market.

Key Advantages of WeChat Advertising

• High User Engagement: As China’s most-used app, WeChat users spend an average of 2+ hours per day on the platform.

• Social Trust & Virality: Built on real-world relationships, content shared or engaged with on WeChat has a higher likelihood of spreading through word-of-mouth.

• Closed-Loop Data Tracking: Brands can track everything from ad impressions and clicks to public account follows, Mini Program interactions, and final purchases.

• Multi-Scenario Ad Placement: Ads can be placed in Moments, Official Account articles, Channels, and Mini Programs, covering almost all usage scenarios within WeChat.

Main Types of WeChat Ads

Moments Ads (Friend Circle Ads)

Comparable to Facebook’s News Feed ads, these appear natively within a user’s WeChat Moments.

• Support formats: images, videos, interactive cards

• Redirect options: Mini Programs, Official Accounts, product landing pages, etc.

• Ideal for: brand exposure, e-commerce conversions, store promotions.

• Social features like likes, comments, and brand avatars help build trust and encourage engagement.

Official Account Ads

These ads appear within articles published by WeChat Official Accounts, either mid-text or at the bottom.

• Similar to native infomercials

• Can be targeted by account category or audience interest

• Support CPC (Cost-Per-Click) and oCPC (optimized CPC) bidding

Mini Program Ads

• Ads are integrated into the interface of popular Mini Programs across categories like games, shopping, and utilities.

• Formats: banner ads, interstitials, rewarded videos.

• Ideal for: interactive marketing, user registration, conversion-driving campaigns.

Video Account Ads (Channels)

• These appear within WeChat’s short video feed, either in-stream or before/after videos.

• Best suited for video storytelling, product demonstrations, and e-commerce conversion

How to Get Started with WeChat Ads

Open an Account Register through the official WeChat Ads platform with:

• A business license

• A registered website or Mini Program

3. Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) Online Advertising in China

Xiaohongshu, often referred to as China’s go-to “seeding” platform, plays a vital role in influencing consumer purchasing decisions—especially among young, urban, high-spending women. With its core user base centered in first-tier and new first-tier cities, Xiaohongshu excels in promoting lifestyle, beauty, fashion, home, and maternity products through authentic user-generated content.

Users frequently turn to Xiaohongshu to search for real product reviews, experiences, and recommendations, giving the platform immense credibility. Brands can leverage native content, KOL collaborations, and search ads to build trust, plant interest (“grass-planting”), and drive conversions (“grass-pulling”) efficiently.

Why Advertise on Xiaohongshu?

Trusted Content Drives High Conversions

Xiaohongshu is synonymous with “real, unfiltered sharing.” When ads are presented in the form of native notes or short videos, they blend seamlessly with organic content and are more readily trusted—leading to strong conversion rates.

Young, Female, High-Spending Audience

Around 70% of Xiaohongshu users are young women, primarily in affluent urban areas. This makes it ideal for mid-to-high-end brands in sectors like beauty, fashion, parenting, wellness, and home goods.

Search-Driven Purchase Intent

Xiaohongshu functions like a search engine for product decisions. Users actively search for reviews and comparisons before buying, meaning search-based ads can precisely reach high-intent shoppers.

Evergreen Exposure & Long-Tail Traffic

Unlike platforms where posts quickly disappear, high-quality content on Xiaohongshu remains discoverable through searches and recommendations—yielding long-term exposure and a strong long-tail effect.

Native Ad Formats with High User Acceptance

Ads closely resemble regular user posts, maintaining platform harmony and minimizing ad fatigue. This native environment enhances both trust and brand affinity.

Social Sharing and Viral Potential

The platform’s community encourages likes, comments, saves, and shares, creating natural word-of-mouth momentum and the potential for viral “social fission”.

Key Xiaohongshu Advertising Formats

Native Infomercials (Open-Screen & Homepage Feed Ads)

• Appear in the content feed like ordinary posts (notes), enhancing authenticity

• Formats: images, videos, product cards, Mini Program links

• Targeting options: age, gender, location, interests, device type, etc.

• Suitable for: brand exposure, content seeding, early-stage conversion

Search Ads

• Appear at the top or middle of search results when users look for keywords

• Target high-intent users actively searching for specific products

• Customizable landing pages: notes, brand homepage, product detail page

• Use keyword bidding for maximum relevance and control.

Brand Account Operations (Official Brand Account)

• Verify a corporate account (Brand No.) to build a long-term content presence

• Post regular seeding content, engage users, and link directly to products

• Helps cultivate a private traffic pool and brand loyalty over time

KOL/KOC Collaborations (“Daren Notes”)

• Work with influential Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) or Consumers (KOCs)

• Authentic seeding content builds credibility and purchasing intent

• Choose partners based on follower demographics, style, and past performance

Xiaohongshu Live

• Host live streams for product demonstrations, launches, and flash sales

• While not as explosive as Douyin, it’s more effective for niche trust-building

• Especially useful for premium products, new collections, or in-depth storytelling

4. Douyin Online Advertising in China

Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, has grown into one of the most powerful short-video platforms in China. With over 700 million daily active users and an average user engagement time of over 90 minutes a day, Douyin is a key player in the digital marketing landscape. Known for its immersive short videos and advanced recommendation algorithms, Douyin offers unparalleled ad exposure, brand seeding, live streaming opportunities, and high conversion rates, making it a top choice for brands looking to expand their reach in China.

Why Advertise on Douyin?

Massive User Base and High Engagement

Douyin’s 700 million daily active users cover a significant portion of the Chinese internet population. With an average user spending over 90 minutes daily on the app, your ads have the potential to reach a highly engaged audience multiple times a day in an environment conducive to brand interaction.

Immersive Content and High User Acceptance

Douyin’s full-screen video format and auto-play feature create a highly immersive viewing experience, which makes ads more likely to be accepted by users. Because the ads blend seamlessly into the content feed, they feel like natural part of the video experience, making them easier for users to consume without feeling disrupted.

Accurate Algorithm and Targeted Reach

Douyin leverages behavioral data and interest mapping to personalize ad placements, ensuring that your ads are shown to users based on criteria like gender, location, interests, and even device type. This precision enhances the relevance of your ads and improves the conversion rate.

Effective for Brand Seeding and Emotional Engagement

Douyin’s short-form video format is ideal for creating visually impactful, story-driven content. Brands can harness this format to generate a strong emotional connection with viewers, guiding them from initial interest to purchase. This dynamic format is especially effective for lifestyle, fashion, and beauty products.

Seamless E-Commerce Integration

Douyin has built a closed-loop e-commerce system where users can easily watch content, make purchases, and even pay without leaving the platform. This direct path from viewing to purchasing dramatically reduces friction, improving the likelihood of conversion and decreasing bounce rates.

Diverse Ad Formats for All Brand Goals

Whether you’re aiming for large-scale brand exposure or need interactive campaigns to boost engagement, Douyin supports a variety of ad formats that can be tailored to every stage of your marketing funnel—from brand awareness to conversion.

Main Types of Douyin Ads

Open-Screen Ads

• Format: Full-screen ads shown when users open the app

• Duration: 3-5 seconds

• Ideal for: Large-scale brand exposure, node marketing for brand launches

• Targeting: Can be customized for specific cities or times of day

Infomercials (Dou+ & Bidding Ads)

• Format: Embedded within the video stream, designed to look like regular content

• Functionality: Ads can link to e-commerce pages, Mini Programs, or even an App download page

• Targeting: Highly customizable based on age, gender, interests, geography, and more

Topic Challenge (Hashtag Challenges)

• Format: Brands create viral challenges by launching a #TopicChallenge

• User Participation: Encourages users to create their own content around the challenge

• Ideal for: Youth-oriented brands seeking to build engagement and generate viral momentum

Brand Stickers & AR Filters

• Format: Custom stickers and augmented reality (AR) filters for users to incorporate into their videos

• Ideal for: Fashion, FMCG, and trendy brands targeting young, interactive audiences

• Benefit: Increases user engagement and creates lasting brand memories

KOL/Daren Collaboration

• Format: Partner with influential creators (KOLs) or product influencers (Daren) for content-driven product promotion

• Ideal for: Smaller to medium-sized brands aiming to increase trust and conversion rates

• Benefit: Helps enhance credibility and user engagement through influencer-driven content

Douyin E-Commerce Ads (Mall Ads)

• Format: Integrates Douyin’s small store and mall scenarios for direct links to product pages

• Benefit: Streamlines the process from content to purchase, ensuring that the journey from discovery to transaction is smooth and seamless

5. Zhihu Online Advertising in China

Zhihu is China’s leading knowledge-sharing Q&A platform, boasting more than 500 million registered users. The platform primarily attracts young, highly educated, and high-income individuals from first- and second-tier cities, who are professionals and thought leaders in their respective fields. This highly engaged and knowledgeable user base makes Zhihu an ideal platform for targeted advertising, particularly in industries like education, finance, technology, B2B, and healthcare.

Zhihu users typically engage in in-depth content consumption and actively search for solutions to specific problems, making it a high-trust platform for decision-making. Advertisers can capitalize on this scenario to seed and convert leads in an environment with high attention and trust.

Why Advertise on Zhihu?

High-Quality User Base

Zhihu’s audience is primarily composed of young, educated, and high-income individuals—a high-value demographic with significant decision-making power. The platform’s users are typically interested in knowledge-driven fields like technology, finance, science, medical care, and education, making it perfect for advertisers offering premium products or services in these sectors.

Long-Lasting Advertising Impact

Zhihu’s content is rooted in real-world experiences and professional knowledge, which leads to a strong sense of trust among users. As a result, advertisements on Zhihu have a more enduring impact compared to other platforms. Users find ads here more authentic and insightful, which leads to stronger brand trust and a higher likelihood of long-term influence.

Strong Search Intent and Active Demand

Zhihu’s format revolves around user-driven Q&A, with users actively searching for answers to specific questions. This means users are often in the decision-making process, making them more receptive to ads that directly address their needs. Search ads are especially effective for capturing users’ intent-driven behavior, enhancing the potential for conversion.

Low Competitive Pressure

Compared to highly competitive platforms like Douyin or Weibo, Zhihu’s advertising market is less saturated, particularly in niche industries like B2B, education, and healthcare. This gives advertisers the advantage of reaching their target audience in a more focused and less competitive environment, ensuring better results for their campaigns.

Main Types of Zhihu Ads

Infomercials

• Format: Ads appear alongside Q&A content, in the recommended feed, or within video streams, designed to blend seamlessly with the platform’s native content.

• Ad Types: Graphic, video, cards, and other media formats are supported.

• Targeting: Ads can be precisely targeted based on industry, interests, region, gender, device type, and search behavior.

Search Ads

• Format: Ads appear at the top of search results when users search for relevant keywords.

• Ideal For: Capturing users with active intent, such as searching for specific products or services. Example queries might include “Which air purifier is best for a new home?” or “Which study abroad agent is trustworthy?”

• Benefit: This format allows for highly targeted exposure to users who are actively seeking solutions, leading to higher conversion rates.

Open-Screen Ads

• Format: Full-screen ads displayed when users open the app.

• Ideal For: Brand exposure and major promotions, especially during peak periods.

• Targeting: Can be customized by time, location, and user demographics to maximize relevance.

Brand Zone

• Format: Brands can create an official account to publish high-quality, trust-building content directly on the platform.

• Benefit: Helps establish long-term brand authority and trust with Zhihu users. Brands can also build a customized content page that receives consistent traffic.

• Goal: To precipitate brand loyalty and foster ongoing engagement.

5. KOL/Creator Cooperation (Zhihu Creators)

• Format: Collaborate with high-quality Zhihu creators or thought leaders to produce organic content such as evaluations, recommendations, and top-10 lists that subtly integrate the brand.

• Ideal For: Brands in rational decision-making categories (e.g., education, finance, technology, healthcare) looking to build credibility and convert highly engaged users.

• Benefit: Leverages user trust in opinion leaders, which significantly improves conversion rates and brand perception.

6. Weibo Online Advertising in China

Weibo is one of China’s most influential social media platforms, often referred to as the “hotspot maker” due to its massive reach and ability to drive trending topics. With over 500 million monthly active users, Weibo is a key platform for brands looking to make an impact in areas like news, entertainment, fashion, celebrities, and public events. Known for its fast information flow and active user base, Weibo is perfect for quickly building brand visibility, sparking discussions, and carrying out event marketing and social communication.

Why Advertise on Weibo?

• Rapid Spread of Information: Weibo’s natural topic-based platform makes it incredibly easy to trigger widespread discussions.

• Rich Entertainment & Celebrity Resources: With its massive presence in entertainment and celebrity culture, Weibo is ideal for entertainment marketing and tapping into the fan economy.

• Strong Social Influence: Weibo is home to many news media, government organizations, and celebrities, lending it high credibility.

• High-Frequency User Interaction: Weibo’s features like comments, retweets, and user @mentions promote high levels of interaction, which in turn expands brand reach and fosters engagement within the platform’s social ecosystem.

Main Forms of Weibo Ads

Hot Search/Topic Ads

• Format: Advertise to appear on Weibo’s Hot Search list or customized topic list, enabling rapid exposure and driving attention to trending topics.

• Ideal For: New product launches, brand moments, or tying ads to hot events.

• Benefit: Quickly triggers massive attention from users who follow the latest news and trends.

Fan Headlines

• Format: Promote brand content to fans or targeted groups through fan headlines, which heat up and push microblogs to the top of users’ feeds.

• Ideal For: Enhancing the exposure and interactive engagement of a specific post or campaign.

Infomercials (Fan Pass)

• Format: Native ad placement within users’ timelines, appearing in the same format as regular microblogs.

• Ad Types: Can support graphics, videos, links, e-commerce components, and cards with coupons.

• Targeting: Can be highly precise based on fan profiles, including gender, interests, location, and device type.

Start online advertising in China with STAiiRS

As highlighted earlier, online advertising in China is highly complex, with each platform operating under its own unique algorithms, rules, and user behavior patterns. To achieve optimal results with minimal effort, brands must strategically tailor their ad placements to the specific characteristics of each platform. By optimizing ad formats and strategies in line with the platform’s user interactions, brands can significantly enhance their conversion rates.

Moreover, with the ongoing enhancement of regulations such as the Advertising Law, Data Security Law, and E-Commerce Law in China, compliance is becoming more critical than ever. Brands must adhere strictly to these laws and regulations when launching ads to avoid penalties and ensure that their content is in line with legal standards.

If you need more detailed insights into entering the Chinese market, STAiiRS is here to help. As experts in online advertising in China, we have successfully assisted numerous international brands in establishing a strong presence in China. Our customized marketing strategies ensure that your brand promotion and development in China is not only effective but also compliant with all regulatory requirements.