Chinese app RedNote tops charts, recruits American influencers

Jan 20

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Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Harry Fogle (Video Editor)

Over the weekend, there was confusion when TikTok briefly went offline, only to return shortly thereafter amid its still-uncertain future. Now, another Chinese app, Xiaohongshu—or RedNote in the U.S.—has capitalized on the opportunity, rising to the number one spot in both the Apple and Google Play app stores.

The Chinese company has launched an active influencer campaign in the U.S. to increase its presence in the market. Wired obtained a copy of the campaign brief. It included hiring a New York-based marketing agency to recruit American social media influencers.

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According to the campaign, RedNote paid U.S. influencers to promote the app as “fun and engaging” and encouraged them to highlight its “international appeal.” RedNote also instructed influencers to share their accounts and urge their followers to join them on the platform.

RedNote, based in Shanghai, has been around for more than a decade. Predominantly marketed in China, RedNote operates primarily in Mandarin.

Last week, Straight Arrow News reported on some U.S. users’ concerns about censorship on the app. It aligns with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) restrictions on free speech.

For lawmakers, the TikTok ban seems to be backfiring. Many Americans are flocking to other Chinese-owned apps despite concerns about security risks posed by their CCP ties.

Under the law that could ban TikTok, Congress can force a platform to divest if its parent company is based in a “foreign adversary-controlled country” and the app has more than a million monthly U.S. users.

RedNote would easily meet that criteria. Analytics firm SimilarWeb reported on X that RedNote’s daily active U.S. iPhone users surged to 1.8 million on Jan. 13.

It remains unclear whether TikTok’s alternative platforms will continue to be available for U.S. users, given the new law banning foreign apps in the country.

Tags: Apple Store, China, Chinese Communist Party, Google Play, Social Media, TikTok, U.S. Congress

LAST WEEK WE TOLD YOU ABOUT A RISING CHINESE APP IN THE U.S. –

LOOKING TO BE A “TIKTOK REPLACEMENT” FOR AMERICANS **IF TIKTOK DOES END UP GOING AWAY.

NOW WE’RE LEARNING TO WHAT LENGTHS “REDNOTE” – BASED IN CHINA – IS GOING TO – IN ORDER TO GAIN MORE TRACTION IN THE U.S.

OVER THE WEEKEND – IT WAS A BIT OF WHIPLASH – TIKTOK WENT DARK THEN TURNED BACK ON – AS ITS FUTURE STILL REMAINS UNCLEAR.

THE APP “REDNOTE” – HAS CAPITALIZED – MAKING ITS WAY TO THE NUMBER ONE SPOT IN THE APPLE AND GOOGLE PLAY APP STORES.

THE CHINESE COMPANY – SEEING AN OPPORTUNITY – HAS AN **ACTIVE INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN IN THE U.S. TO GAIN IN THE MARKET SPACE.

“WIRED” OBTAINED A COPY OF THE “CAMPAIGN BRIEF” –

WHICH INCLUDED USING A NEW-YORK BASED MARKETING AGENCY –

THAT **RECRUITS AMERICAN SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS.

ACCORDING TO THE CAMPAIGN –

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS IN THE U.S. GOT PAID TO PROMOTE THE APP AS QUOTE “FUN AND ENGAGING” AND WERE TOLD TO TALK ABOUT HOW IT HAS AN “INTERNATIONAL APPEAL.”

THEIR DIRECTIVE INCLUDED SHARING THEIR OWN “REDNOTE” ACCOUNTS AND TELLING THEIR FOLLOWERS TO JOIN THEM IN JUMPING SHIP TO THE OTHER PLATFORM.

REDNOTE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN A DECADE.

AND ITS PRIMARILY MARKETED IN CHINA – GIVEN ITS BASED IN SHANGHAI AND ITS IN MANDARIN.

WE TOLD YOU ABOUT HOW SOME U.S. USERS LAST WEEK WERE EXPRESSING CONCERNS OVER “CENSORSHIP ON THE APP” –

WHICH ARE IN LINE WITH THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY’S RESTRICTIONS ON FREE SPEECH.

FOR LAWMAKERS – THE POINT OF THE TIKTOK BAN – IS BACKFIRING –

WITH AMERICANS MIGRATING OVER TO **OTHER CHINESE-OWNED APPS IN DROVES –

DESPITE LAWMAKER CONCERNS OVER CHINESE-TIES POSING A SECURITY RISK TO AMERICAN USERS AND THE COUNTRY.

UNDER THE LAW THAT WOULD BAN TIKTOK –

IT GIVES BROAD AUTHORITY FOR CONGRESS TO FORCE A PLATFORM TO DIVEST IF ITS PARENTY COMPANY IS LOCATED IN “A FOREIGN ADVERSARY CONTROLLED COUNTRY” – **AND IF THE APP HAS MORE THAN A MILLION MONTHLY U.S. USERS.

RED NOTE – WOULD EASILY MEET THE CRITERIA. ANALYTICS FIRM SIMILARWEB POSTED ON X THAT REDNOTE’S DAILY ACTIVE U.S.-BASED USERS ON IPHONES SKYROCKETED TO 1.8 MILLION ON JANUARY 13.

SO ITS UNCLEAR – FOR NOW – WHETHER EVEN TIKTOK’S “ALTERNATIVE PLATFORMS” –

WILL STAY AVAILABLE FOR USERS IN THE U.S.

THANKS FOR WATCHING OUR NEWS UPDATE.

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