According to E-marketer, China's spending on shopping apps has reached a staggering $1.53 trillion!
Therefore, in 2021, not only Weibo and WeChat influencers will join various brand promotion activities, like those who have not opened Weibo or WeChat accounts in other mobile applications, such as Douyin (Chinese Tiktok), Weitao (Taobao's blog site), Xiaohongshu () on the Internet celebrities, will also participate in a large number of brand promotions.
However, whether for newcomers or those who have already started, The Chinese influencer circle often looks opaque and difficult to control. That's why we came up with the list of China's top KOLs for 2021.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="4" >2021, how can you grow your business through Chinese KOLs? </h1>
Influencer marketing is booming around the world, but the scale of KOL marketing in China and the diversity of consumer engagement options are unique. A 2020 study by Rakuten showed that nearly four-fifths of online shoppers aged 35-44 bought directly because of KOL endorsements. In addition, the Chinese market still trusts KOLs more than other Asian markets.
In China, live streaming is very popular, and KOLs either live stream in dedicated studios or live stream their "daily lives", interacting with fans instantly. Short videos and vlogging allow KOLs to inject their creativity into the brand's marketing.
Traditional advertising is often disruptive — placed before or between live content — and KOLs endorse it so that ads become part of live content.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" >Why do you want to indicate your business location when conducting KOL activities? </h1>
But the biggest question remains: How do I make sure fans who want to attend an event can reach the event location?
Influencers are best promoted by stating the exact location of the destination they are promoting, the best way to get there, the characteristics of the destination, and what makes them attractive (e.g., special experiences, great deals, new products or services, etc.).
Apps like Douyin and Little Red Book have positioning and navigation capabilities. When fans click on the link above, they can get more information about the advertised destination.
Most of the information can be described in kol's posts, but it's best not to overdo commercially promote it, as it can make the post appear very commercial and reduce its own appeal.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" > China's top app for KOLs marketing in different industries</h1>
Travel: Little Red Book, Weibo and Dianping will provide instant attraction recommendations to users based on the location of the app's users.
Beauty: Little Red Book dominates the beauty industry, and its user base is mainly young women. Weibo is great for sharing content on the beauty lifestyle, and Bilibili mainly provides tips.
Food & Beverage: TikTok is popular for sharing recipes and food challenges. Weibo and Bilibili go deeper.
Sports: Bilibili is actively investing in sports, while the popularity of Douyin and user-driven has been stable.
Education: WeChat is popular for its long-form content, while Weibo and Little Red Book share educational skills more as part of the community.
Parenting: Little Red Book is more product-centric, showing parents the experience and skills of parenting, while Weibo is more lifestyle and community-centered.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="22" > the top KOL apps and social media platforms for China's tourism industry</h1>
When brands are considering using KOLs and influencers to advertise to Chinese tourists, it is important to understand the social media landscape of The Chinese tourism industry. Unlike in the West, Chinese tourists have dozens of apps to provide them with reference when traveling.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="24" > Little Red Book: Before Travel</h1>
The app's main users are millennial and Gen Z women from First Tier Cities in China. The main purpose of little red book is to review the product and provide recommendations. Originally a crossover app for cosmetics and skincare, Little Red Book has become one of the top apps offering advice on a variety of things, including travel.
The brand cooperates with Chinese KOLs through Xiaohongshu on the "organic" level, and the advertising traces are not obvious. Little Red Book provides a "brand station" type of account, the brand does not sell anything, but has a brand information page with the latest updates and videos.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" > Where to Go Blog: When Traveling</h1>
When Chinese tourists go out and ask for some extra advice, they usually go to two main platforms: Qunar and Dianping.
Qunar was one of the first Chinese travel booking engines and travel bloggers. One difference with Qunar is that there are comment lines on the featured images of the posts. Qunar is easy to use and loved by users
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="30" > the top 11 Internet celebrities in China's tourism industry</h1>
Sunway #1 Chinese KOL and Travel Influencer Fans: Sina Weibo has 9.69 million fans
Shenwei's huge fan base has made him one of China's top KOLs. He took a refreshing approach to writing, and he was also a globetrotter. He has written travel literature, including Let's Go! While Youth and Dreams Are Still There" and "One Day, I Met the World", personal growth novel "Honey, You've Been Lonely, Right?" and crush books like I Like You, You Know? and I Miss You, you know? 》。
He has also been invited by many television and radio stations to host shows. Guests of "Big Entertainer", "Xiang Shang", "Travel Satellite TV Travel Sharing Meeting", "Mobile Horizon", "Turn Around and Meet Ta", "Qilu Tianxia" and other programs.
At FM94.0 Xiamen Travel Radio, he has his own travel show "Shenwei's Travel Diary". He also has his travel video programs on Youku and Tudou.
He is the tourism ambassador of Sina Travel Fresh Travel, the global hotel experiencer of Ctrip, the public welfare ambassador of Utrust Travel, and the big star of Basha Design-type Public Welfare.
He has been invited by Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia and a number of domestic tourism boards to promote their tours and hotels. He has a very important value in KOL marketing.
Fang Qi #2 China Tourism Internet celebrity fans: 10.9 million Douyin fans
Fang Qi (Weibo account Fang Qi) is the location host of the Chinese tourism program Beautiful China Tour. She travels around China, filming videos promoting lesser-known natural beauty and her travel lifestyle. Her optimism has made her one of the top KOLs in China.
Zhang Xinyu and Hong#3 China's top travel KOL fans: 9.47 million Douyin fans
Zhang Xinyu and Liang Hong are husband and wife. They co-produced "Couple's Walk," a popular show about traveling to unusual places such as Somalia, Russia's Oymyakon, Syria and Afghanistan, bringing the real-life scenes of the region to viewers intact. The adventurous couple even went to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Their program is designed to share historical, factual and interesting information for viewers about areas and topics that are not usually discussed in public in China. This show can only be viewed on a few video sites such as Youku. After the show exploded, it attracted sponsorship from Mercedes-Benz and other large companies, helping them to rank among the top KOLs in China.
Azinan #4 China Travel KOL Fans: Sina Weibo fans 7.82 million
Azinan is a globetrotter and deserves to be included in any KOL guide. Without any financial help from her family, she has visited more than 100 countries through her own efforts. She encouraged that travel should not be gendered and that women should be free to explore and broaden their lives. As one of the top KOLs in China, she has won the Top Travel KOL Award for five consecutive years.
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Maoli #5 China's top travel KOL fans: Sina Weibo fans 6.9 million
MaoLi, a globetrotter, is one of China's most famous influencers. At the same time, he is also a columnist, screenwriter, actor, model, and popular blogger of Qaeda. Graduated from East China Normal University and came from an acting family.
Since the university, he has traveled to Japan, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Iran, Armenia, Karabakh, Georgia, Turkey and other countries.
Countless people were affected by her sentence "I only worry about one thing, that is, I haven't seen the world before I die." "Impressed, follow her photos and texts around the world.
As a guide for KOLs, through platforms such as Weibo and Qianyou.com, he leads millions of fans to appreciate the humanistic customs of various countries. Published works: "Cat Force Chaos", "There is a glimmer on the road: Cat Power Chaos 2".
Miss Layla #6 China Travel KOL Fans: Sina Weibo has 5.2 million followers
Her travel model is unique, and her attitude towards tourism is "in-depth travel of independent women – exploring destinations without following fashion".
Through WeChat and Sina Weibo, Ms. Layla created China's first "Women's Private Travel Independent Travel" IP, ranking among the top in China's KOL rankings. She is helping to shape the new image of Chinese female travelers with "independence + cultivation + insight".
She also founded her own successful brand, which is revered as a travel KOL. Miss Layla became famous partly because of her divorce from one of China's most popular actors/TV hosts, and partly because of her free spirit. Today, Ms. Layla is also communicating with the audience through WeChat, creating long articles that feel like chapters of a book.
Her fan base is dominated by highly educated Chinese tourists with extensive travel experience from China's first-tier cities. Miss Layla attracts more than 85% of female visitors and has a strong commercial influence on her fans, with 1.5% organic participation on Weibo.
Look up at the scenery nono #7 China's top travel internet celebrity Sina Weibo fans 5.12 million
Look up at the scenery nono has been recognized by China's local TV programs and is one of the top KOLs in China. She is often invited to introduce lesser-known, stunning natural landscapes or mountain villages where city dwellers can rest.
Jenny #8 China's top travel KOL fans: Sina Weibo fans 4.84 million
Janice (Weibo account Jenny) is from Guangdong. She runs her own company and owns two Taobao stores. She is passionate about discovering unique and fashionable clothing in different countries and bringing them back home. She mainly attracts young audiences in KOL marketing.
Yuhan #9 China's top travel KOL fans: Sina Weibo fans 4.51 million
Winnie (Weibo account YuHan) is a well-known food travel blogger, Weibo travel player, hotel experience expert, and reporter of the China Photography Association.
She is one of the top KOLs in China and has traveled to more than 30 countries and Australia in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, as well as across China. He is currently the ambassador of Quzhou online game promotion and the public image spokesperson of Yushu Municipal Tourism Bureau.
Xiaoai #10 China's top travel KOL fans: Sina Weibo fans 4.27 million
With a footprint in more than 100 cities in more than 30 countries, Claire has gained millions of loyal followers on platforms such as Weibo by taking high-quality photos and sharing travel experiences.
What makes her special is that she is able to travel with beauty and love in an ingenious way, rather than making people feel the hardships and boredom of the journey. As a result, in 2017, she was named one of the top ten most popular and influential tourism KOLs in China. She was also invited by COSMO to participate in the reality show "K-WAVE" in Seoul.
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Ling Tingyu #11 China's top travel internet celebrity fans: Little Red Book fans 3.27 million
As a KOL who provides travel and fashion guides, Ling Tingyu shows off premium lifestyle trips to beaches and luxury hotels. An aspiring, fashionable middle-class woman will pay attention to her to see what to buy and where to go, which makes her valuable at any KOL sales event.
China's top influencers often charge high fees, so many companies can't afford it. Below we've listed the top 10 mid-level KOLs that have enough influence on sales!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="69" > China's top KOL in the beauty industry</h1>
Teacher Kevin#1 China's top beauty KOL fans: Sina Weibo fans 54.65 million
Mr. Kevin Zhou (Weibo account Kevin Teacher) is a famous stylist in Taiwan and one of the hosts of Taiwan's most popular variety show "WQueen". He is known in the industry as the "king of makeup"; this is also a recognition of his status as one of China's top KOLs.
He created his own brand, BeautyMaker, tailored for Asian women's skin and ivory complexions. Its brand takes into account the skin type and tone of Asians. He currently resides in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2005, he joined the "WQueen" team and became a makeup icon in Taiwan and Mainland China.
In 2008, he spent more than a year on the publication of his book, The Naked Makeup Bible Beauty Book, which sold more than 130,000 copies in three months. The book became the best-selling fashion lifestyle book in Taiwan in five years after "Beauty King".
Li Jiaqi #2 Top KOL fans in China's beauty industry: 45 million Douyin fans
Li Jiaqi is one of the leading KOLs in China. He began his career in lipstick live broadcasting. Known as the "lipstick brother", he won the Guinness World Record for "the largest number of lipsticks applied in 30 seconds" in 2019. He is at the top of any Chinese KOL ranking and has even attracted top celebrities to the live room.
Little P Teacher #3 China's top beauty influencer fans: Sina Weibo fans 35.8 million
Teacher P was born in Taiwan on February 8. Today, he is one of the top KOLs in China and is a very famous makeup artist, skincare expert and image designer. With its super popularity, it is now invited by many beauty TV shows such as "Woman I Am the Biggest", "I Want You to Be the Most Beautiful", "Tonight Woman Gang", "Beautiful Pretty Lady", "I Am a Big Beauty" and so on.
He provides accurate and special advice for beauty and image design, and also tells women how to deal with their skin or hair problems. He is also the founder of JMIXP, a beauty brand comparable to the Internet, providing stylish, simple and practical makeup solutions for Asian women. In addition, he has his own signature columns in several magazines such as Fashion L'OFFICIEL and Fashion COSMO. For KOL marketing, there's nothing better than that.
Pony#4 China's top beauty KOL fans: Sina Weibo fans 13.6 million
Pony (Weibo account Pony_ Park Hye-min) is a Korean blogger based overseas. She uses her platform to teach KOLs different Korean makeup and techniques, skills, and products, which is of great significance to the marketing campaign of cosmetic KOLs.
Zhang Mofan's #5 China's Top Beauty KOL Fan: Sina Weibo has 13.4 million followers
MoMo (Weibo account Zhang Mofan) is the founder of Meimo Amore Essential Oil and one of the top KOLs on Weibo. In 2010, he founded Meimo Emmel Cosmetics (Beijing) Co., Ltd., and launched the "one-to-one aromatherapy customized skin care" in China for the first time.
In 2014, she established the "Meimo Dream Fund" for the beauty and dreams of urban women. This post-90s beauty has long been famous on the Internet. The reason she became famous was because she was absolutely shocking and glamorous. She is a Baidu MCC Hall of Famer, Sina Weibo Celebrity, Renren Beauty, CJ Girl.
As a famous Taobao girl, her popularity on the Internet has always been very high, because she has shared her makeup methods with many people. She is also a Certified Aromatherapist of the British Aromatherapy Association, the founder of Mammo Emmel Cosmetics, the owner of the Mammo Emer Essential Oils Store, the founder of Mammo Emer Essential Oils, and she also provides important additions to the KOL Guide.
Doudou #6 Chinese Beauty KOL Fans: 13.2 million Douyin fans
Doudou, who lives in Beijing, is a master KOL salesman. She recommends beauty products to a wide range of fans, publishes humorous product tests, fashion merchandise reviews, and lifestyle recordings.
Tao XiaoXiao #7 Chinese Beauty KOL fans: Sina Weibo fans 11.9 million
As one of the main promoters of Korean beauty products, Tao Xiaoxiao has launched new makeup and seed products. Her product features can be of great help to KOL sales activities.
Junping Devil King #9 China's top beauty influencer fans: Sina Weibo fans 9.04 million
Junping Devil is the founder and CEO of the JUNPING brand. After graduation, he worked in well-known Internet companies such as Sohu and Target Software, responsible for online game operations.
During his work in Shanghai, Beijing and other places, he slowly became familiar with the aromatherapy beauty fashion industry. Later, he returned to Hangzhou to establish the FAC Flower Secret Language Aromatic Life Concept Store and the JUNPING brand.
Teng Yujia #10 Chinese Beauty KOL Fans: Sina Weibo fans 7.22 million
Amiu (Weibo account Teng Yujia Amiiu) is a famous model for Taobao girl ShowGirl. Over the past decade, she has made a living modeling for auto shows and gaming events, and has won a number of talent awards that have made her famous in the influencer market.
Today, she is one of the most recognized beauty KOLs in China, working with many cosmetics and skincare companies, including Meitu Beauty.
Luo Wangyu #11 Chinese cosmetics internet celebrity fans: 7.9 million Douyin fans
Another Chinese beauty king KOL, Luo Wangyu, has done multi-channel product promotion for his loyal fan base. He carefully scripts his videos for maximum realism.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="99" > the top KOLs in China's catering industry</h1>
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Mi Zijun #1 KOL fans in China's catering industry: Sina Weibo fans 19.1 million
Chongqing people Mi Zijun, famous bloggers, Sina Weibo certified China's top KOLs, food lovers! She became famous for eating broadcasts: eating more and eating faster. Mi Zijun was famous for eating 10 buckets of turkey noodles in 16 minutes and 20 seconds, and in a white rice eating competition in Hangzhou, she swept away more than 4 kilograms of white rice, which surprised the audience.
With more than 19 million followers on Weibo, she opened an online snack shop on Taobao called "Big Stomach King Mizijun Snack Shop", which means "Big Stomach King - Mizijun's Snack Shop". Her eat-and-air show has attracted a large number of followers and fans online, and restaurants and food brands are eager to use Mizijun to attract a wide audience in KOL marketing campaigns.
Today, Mizijun has established partnerships with many well-known food and beverage brands and their promotions, such as Pizza Hut's takeaway service. After her food-and-broadcast program, China's top Internet celebrity food lovers will rush to the restaurant she endorses to punch in, usually allowing the restaurant to get a 10% increase in traffic. She has also been invited to appear on many popular Chinese TELEVISION shows to show her amazing eating ability to live audiences.
What makes her special is that although she is petite, she eats a lot of food that is unbelievable. Her eat-and-air shows are so popular that they attract more and more curious people to her video sites, and more food brands or restaurants are interested in inviting her to be the marketing ambassador for their own brands.
Sweet Girl #2 KOL fans in China's catering industry: 18.3 million Sina Weibo fans
Sweet Girl from Guangzhou posts a homemade dessert video on a video website. Her style is fresh, clear and cheerful; her sunny face helps kol marketing campaigns to achieve unexpected results.
Dry Rice Girl Ah Long #3 KOL fans in China's catering industry: Sina Weibo fans 17.6 million
The dry rice girl Ah Long posted cooking tutorials and videos on the video website, sharing the step map. Product implantation can be very helpful for direct KOL sales.
Amy #4 KOL fans in China's catering industry: 13.3 million Sina Weibo fans
Amelie is a video blogger who introduces homemade snacks, desserts and tips on the cooking process. She is full of imagination about her snacks, and innovative recipes have helped her become one of the top KOLs in China.
Witch House Winter #5 Top KOL fans in the catering industry: Sina Weibo fans 13.3 million
Another blogger, the painting style of the witch's house winter is playful and cute. The desserts and dishes she shares attract many people who pay attention to the quality of life and taste.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="114" > the top KOLs in China's sports industry</h1>
JJ#1 Chinese sports KOL fans: 9.7 million Douyin fans
JJ (Weibo account JJYOGA Yoga) is one of the founders of circular yoga theory and the founder of the JJYOGA brand. For yoga, he is undoubtedly one of the top KOLs in China. He has been teaching yoga for 15 years and has shared videos on TikTok to allow audiences to practice at home with clear goals.
Zoey #2 Sports KOL fans: Bilibili fans 7.8 million
Zoey (Weibo account Saturday Wild Zoey) shared her aerobic exercise videos on various channels, many of which targeted specific body parts. In addition to fitness, she also posted about her daily routine. This makes her an excellent partner for KOL sales campaigns to attract target consumers across the sporty lifestyle fashion fault line.
Hei#3 Kol fans in Chinese sports: 7.57 million Sina Weibo fans
Former Falcon Commando Women's SWAT Team Special Operator Hei (Black Cat's Black) is now a fitness nutritionist and runs his own brand, WE Media. Her posts are mostly about marathons and have worked with many well-known brands on KOL marketing campaigns.
Pamela Reif #4 Chinese sports KOL fans: Bilibili fans 4.85 million
Pamela is a German fitness blogger. She teaches high-calorie-intensive aerobic exercise to audiences through a variety of channels. The videos she makes focus on her slender body – straight to the point, with almost no unnecessary chats. In just one year, her popularity in China soared, becoming one of the top sports KOLs.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="124">Nice</h1>
#5 China Sports Influencer Fans: Sina Weibo has 3.9 million fans
Nice (Weibo account Yu Naixi Nice) did not teach people how to exercise, but shared photos of daily life and promoted related products. But it was liked by many viewers! She has become a leader in KOL direct sales, and her huge fan base has also made her one of the top KOLs in China.
Are you interested in looking for Chinese micro-influencers or would you like to find out? Check out our China Micro Influencer Marketing Guide!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="128" > the top KOLs in China's parenting industry</h1>
Little Bag Ma Ma #1 Chinese Parenting KOL Fans: Weibo followers 1.2 million
Xiao Bao Ma Ma attaches great importance to the quality of maternal and infant products, and will fly to the world every year to participate in the maternal and infant exhibition, just to share more cost-effective trend products with mothers.
She is known for her excellent parenting knowledge and professional evaluation of mother and baby products. It is praised by nearly 10 million fans as "the most able to buy mother in China".
Linda #2 Chinese parenting industry internet celebrity fans: Weibo fans more than 1 million
She is a super mom and a super female athlete. He is the initiator of White Swim Meet, the ambassador of Guangzhou Metro Marathon, the parent-child sports expert, the breakfast blogger, and the travel expert!
Linda (Healthy Life on Weibo account Linda Sauce) is one of the most engaged fans, making KOLs with millions of followers envious. She has partnered with popular Chinese apps such as Vipshop and Nike to promote sports, health, parenting and healthy food.
Need help with your first KOL campaign? Please feel free to contact us!
About HI-COM:
HI-COM is a Chinese digital localization organization that helps companies easily enter the Chinese market. From brand name and content localization to Chinese influencer marketing, our team will find the best solution for your business.