Why Your Brand Is Popular on Xiaohongshu, but No One's Buying

We hear this from brands all the time. They invest in influencer seeding, create buzz. Yet when it comes to actual sales, there’s little to show for it: no clear conversion, and certainly no repeat purchases.

So what’s going wrong? The uncomfortable truth is:

Your campaign may have gone viral, but your brand didn’t.

Below are five of the most common reasons why brands fail to convert awareness into action on Xiaohongshu, and what you can do about it.

1. People remember the influencer, not your brand

Influencers bring visibility, but that attention often sticks to them, not the brand they’re promoting. 

Users may follow the KOL for their style or personality, but fail to recall what product was featured in the post. If the influencer’s tone, story, or aesthetics don’t clearly connect with your brand’s unique value proposition, the impression doesn’t stick.

In short: the KOL becomes the content. Your brand becomes the backdrop.

What to do: Treat influencer campaigns as co-created narratives. Make sure their persona amplifies your brand voice.

2. No follow-up in the comments

The comment section is where intent happens. Users are actively asking: “Where can I buy this?” “Is it really effective?” “Any dupes?” Too often, no one from the brand responds.

That silence is a missed opportunity, not just for conversion, but for building trust and credibility. On Xiaohongshu, comments are not an afterthought. They’re part of your content strategy.

What to do: Have a team (or agency partner) actively engage in the comment section. You don’t need to hard-sell, just be present, helpful, and human.

3. Lack of a content ecosystem

Many brands treat Xiaohongshu as a one-shot campaign platform. They seed with influencers, then disappear.

But a high-performing content strategy on Xiaohongshu is multi-layered. It includes:

● A consistent brand-owned account that builds trust over time

● KOL campaigns that are aligned with your narratives

● UGC activation to invite real customers to participate

● Comment engagement and community feedback loops

All of this should be tied together by a clear visual identity, tone of voice, and product positioning.

What to do: Build a long-term presence. Treat influencer posts as the spark, but invest in owned content to keep the flame going.

4. Your content looks just like everyone else’s

Xiaohongshu is filled with trends: certain filters, phrases, thumbnail styles, and content formulas dominate every week. But blindly following these trends can backfire. Your brand ends up sounding and looking like everyone else.

And if there’s nothing unique, there’s nothing memorable.

What to do: Use trends as context, not content. Keep the format native, but lead with what makes your brand distinct. What’s your aesthetic, your tone, your POV?

5. No balance between branding and performance marketing on Xiaohongshu

Even great content won’t convert if no one sees it, or if the traffic is misaligned. Some brands focus only on paid traffic without fixing the core story. Others rely on “organic” hoping virality will come. Neither works alone.

What to do: Marry creative with media. Use paid seeding to boost strategic posts. Retarget people who’ve shown interest. Make sure your landing pages and conversion journey are just as strong as your content.

Final Takeaway

Xiaohongshu works—but only when you treat it as a long-term brand-building platform, not a one-time campaign tool. It’s a place where consumers are actively searching, evaluating, and making decisions. If your brand isn’t present with a clear, consistent voice, you’re simply handing over attention to someone else.

If your team is investing in RED this year and wants to build more than just buzz, we’d love to talk.