Xiaohongshu reportedly trials paid content feature for creators

Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu is reportedly testing a new feature that will allow creators to offer paid content. The pilot programme is currently accessible by invitation only.

The invite-only pilot phase targets two specific creator groups: visual artists, who can charge for high-resolution, watermark-free original files, and long-form writers, who can offer partial content with the remainder placed behind a paywall.

To qualify for the beta, applicants must have at least 100 followers, a clean compliance record over the past 90 days, and completed real-name verification. Eligible posts must be public, allow downloads, and be labelled as original.

A spokesperson from Xiaohongshu told Sina that the paid feature for long-form notes is currently by invitation only and is not yet available to all users. The platform will gradually increase the number of invitation slots in the future.

The move follows similar paid content initiatives already launched on other major Chinese platforms such as Zhihu, Bilibili, WeChat Official Accounts, and Douyin. It also coincides with the platform's growing influence, particularly in Hong Kong.

The 2025 Xiaohongshu User Insights Report indicates that 40% of Xiaohongshu users in Hong Kong search for brand or product information weekly, with over half placing the highest trust in posts from regular users.

The report also revealed that fewer than half of Hongkongers (41.5%) have sought advice or help on Xiaohongshu, despite 58% reporting that they use the platform. Among those who did seek help, the most common reason (23.3%) was the high quality of answers provided by other users.

In contrast, 58.4% of Hongkongers have never sought advice on the platform. Among them, 28.4% found the comments unhelpful or irrelevant, while 23.6% didn't consider using the platform in the first place.  

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Xiaohongshu for a statement.

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