Has Xiaohongshu's traffic dropped drastically recently? Revealing the official algorithm mechanism that was quietly adjusted!

In the field of digital marketing, Xiaohongshu is an important content platform, and its traffic changes are crucial to merchants. Recently, many merchants have found that the traffic of Xiaohongshu has dropped drastically, which may be related to the adjustment of the platform algorithm. This article reveals the algorithm mechanism that Xiaohongshu officials quietly adjusted, and provides merchants with coping strategies and operational skills to help them more effectively obtain traffic and improve conversion rates on Xiaohongshu.

This issue's content comes from our communication with a member, who is the marketing manager of Xiaohongshu of a leading cosmetics company. We have sorted out some of the issues that the member discussed with our company. We hope to provide reference ideas for friends who have the same problem.

1. Trends in the Comment Section of Xiaohongshu

1. Has the traffic from publishing content on Xiaohongshu declined recently? Xiaohongshu has made new adjustments to its traffic distribution in 2024!

The platform has adjusted the weight given to comments. When we conduct keyword searches in some categories of Xiaohongshu, we can see comments appearing at the bottom of the search page (as shown below).

(Image source: Xiaohongshu)

You may think it is a note at first glance, but when you click on it, it is actually a comment, pure text content, which shows that high-quality comments now have the ability to bring traffic on their own. Basically, a user will see a comment every 3 to 5 screens, and these comments are distributed by the system. Merchants in categories with relevant comments can optimize the comment area.

2. Why is it becoming increasingly difficult to intercept traffic in the comment section?

(1) The platform will monitor abnormal values ​​in the comment area. When your account makes a comment, the system will trace back the 20 comments above the account. If the account frequently brushes data in various places, it will be labeled by the system.

Then we will check whether there is any problem with the content of the account, what brands are covered in the content, and whether there is any problem with the brand. The platform will analyze layer by layer from point to surface, find the brand at the source of the problem and deal with it.

(2) If brands now use some fake accounts to increase data, it is actually a relatively high-risk thing. Because we must solve the authenticity problem of fake accounts . By simulating various real-life scenarios, the materials of their comments are credible and they are the comments of real people. This will prevent them from being discovered quickly by the platform, and the number of comments must be controlled.

If brands use fake accounts to post comments in large quantities, the life cycle of the useless accounts will become shorter and shorter. As the platform's algorithm tracking becomes stronger and stronger, as soon as the interception of traffic starts to improve, it will be treated as a violation.

3. 5 tips to deal with negative public opinion on Xiaohongshu! Effectively improve the conversion rate of merchants!

(1) Determine whether the user is a real user and whether the problem is real. If the user is contacted for processing (set a standard, such as deleting the user at a cost of XX within 24 hours), if the user can be deleted within the standard, then delete the user; if the user is outside the standard, can you make concessions and not proceed to the next step.

(2) Contact a third-party agency to suppress or delete the content, or report it to the platform (if you are maliciously defamed by a competitor or user, send a lawyer’s letter and report it to the platform).

(Image source: Xiaohongshu)

(3) Positive optimization: pre-buried some core keywords such as brands and products on a daily basis; or sorted out several sets of words for the content of public opinion, and let relevant accounts or fans who trust you respond.

(Image source: Xiaohongshu)

(4) It is inevitable that a brand will be smeared in the market. At this time, we must operate in a formal manner and reduce all potential risks (such as complying with platform regulations in the proportion of notes reported). If we appeal to the platform with a positive image, the chances of success will be higher. If the brand itself has many violations, it is not realistic to expect the platform to help deal with public opinion.

(5) When a brand is involved in a large-scale public opinion incident across the entire network, and the above methods can no longer resolve it, then the brand’s official account can choose to step in, issue a positive announcement and respond, and actively cooperate to resolve the negative issues.

(Image source: Xiaohongshu)

In addition, we need to monitor the notes under different keywords in real time and pay attention to the popularity they generate. Because when the public opinion posts have become popular, maintenance will be ineffective.

Generally speaking, notes have a natural traffic cycle of 3 to 7 days. Monitor the data changes (likes, favorites) of each note after it is published. If there are changes, it proves that the note has generated a certain amount of popularity and there are continuous users coming to view it. The brand needs to optimize the comment area (to guide product conversion and prevent public opinion). If there is no change in the note after monitoring for 3 hours, abandon it.

PS: For the above-mentioned monitoring, you can connect with a third-party organization to conduct systematic monitoring; or develop your own content tracking system within the company to provide real-time data feedback.

2. Brand content operation

1. The content flow of Xiaohongshu is uncontrollable. Here is one trick to learn how to write notes that will have stable and continuous exposure!

For new accounts, the amount of natural traffic they receive depends on the quality of the content and the size of the traffic pool of the category itself. Moreover, with the update of Xiaohongshu platform rules and changes in user behavior, brands are required to adapt to diversified and refined operations and find their own traffic code.

Here is a tip for writing content to ensure traffic certainty:

Open the Xiaohongshu app, enter the theme keywords of the content you want to write, and compare the traffic under multiple keywords. If there are still small popular articles after scrolling through 3 or 4 screens, it means that the topics under these keywords have traffic.

This keyword is the content topic for your next hot selling article, and your peers have already done the market verification for you!

2. In terms of efficiency and controllability in acquiring traffic, is it better for a company to produce its own content in-house or collaborate with influencers?

Considering the cost, it is more advantageous for brands to shoot by themselves. Not only is the production efficiency high, but they can also produce in batches and continuously provide them to the content team for combination and distribution. For example, the following account has three typical types of content (character effects; product direct shots; product test feedback). The materials are all produced by the company itself. A lot of materials can be generated by changing the background, matching items, and structure.

(Image source: Xiaohongshu)

3. Which content format on Xiaohongshu generates more traffic? Should we focus on graphic notes or video notes?

The form of content published depends on brand needs and user habits of obtaining information . For example, for knowledge-paying users, they basically have clear questions and needs, and can get intuitive solutions through searching on Xiaohongshu, so graphic content is obviously more efficient; and for some products such as makeup removers and curling irons, video content can more intuitively present the product's usage effect, and the before & after comparison can attract users to buy.

In addition, we also need to consider the team's ability to copy content. Videos are slow to copy and may not keep up with brand needs, but graphics are highly efficient, so brands can randomly combine videos and graphics.

At the same time, outsourcing teams are more efficient in producing pictures, but the cost and time of producing videos are higher, and it is not easy to adjust and meet brand needs. In contrast, picture production is faster, easier to combine and present, and will not affect the judgment of originality.

4. Layout these 5 keywords to improve sales conversion efficiency! Xiaohongshu search/business sales notes production process!

(1) Keyword placement with the highest exposure rate

Use the Dandelion backend to check which keywords are covered in the notes, and use system feedback such as click-through rate to determine which keywords can increase traffic.

Then the keywords with the highest exposure rate will be implanted into the title and text. The platform will more accurately identify whether these contents meet the search requirements. If a note can accurately match the user's search, the proportion of traffic obtained by the note will become higher and higher.

On Xiaohongshu, users tend to search for specific solutions rather than brand names. Therefore, accurately using core keywords in content to meet users’ search needs is the key to improving the search results of content.

(2) Priority of embedding keywords into notes

Title first, body second, topic third, comments fourth

3. Brand audience breaks through the circle

1. If you want to get a huge burst of traffic in a short period of time, is it worth participating in Xiaohongshu’s official IP event?

Xiaohongshu's official IP event is suitable for brands that have accumulated a certain degree of recognition and reputation on Xiaohongshu, and have recently launched new products or trial products that match the IP event scenario. Participating in the event can help the brand break through and gain a larger audience.

If you are compiling a brand resource package just for participating in the Xiaohongshu IP event, there is no need to make it big just for the sake of doing it, because you may not get any additional traffic.

2. How to utilize celebrity materials to maximize their benefits!

If the brand obtains the material authorization of Yi Nengjing, because Yi Nengjing has a high popularity in Xiaohongshu, the click-through rate of her material is very high. We can apply the material to the first picture of the trailer notes of Xiaohongshu (enterprise account) and the koc amateur check-in experience in two aspects to increase the click-through rate of the note material and obtain more traffic.

In addition, we also need to consider the stars themselves. Since Yi Nengjing is an older woman, she has the ability to endorse in the direction of anti-aging care, but her ability to endorse in makeup may not be so strong.

3. The secret to selling products at a high price and increasing conversion rates! Optimization direction of content strategy and influencer strategy

Brands in the 0-1 stage can only promote to users in the novice stage, because these users do not understand the ingredients and often buy low-priced skin care products without spending a lot of money. This is the case with Huajiansong, a makeup remover brand that just launched this spring and summer. It mainly targets the affordable customer group. The product has a high makeup removal ability, but the cost is 50 yuan for 500 ml.

If it wants to break through the crowd circle in the next stage and attack the high-end user group (people who understand ingredients and care about skin care effects) from the low-price segment , it needs to make adjustments in content direction and cooperation with experts, find ingredient parties with higher voice and professional knowledge to cooperate with, and provide higher quality products and content to attract the target population.

Kefumei recently launched the Focus Cream, and immediately after it went online, it hired 100 influencers, all of whom were ingredient endorsers. Regardless of whether they had 10,000 or 300,000 fans, they all talked about the product ingredients every day, and quickly grew their following.

Source: WeChat public account: "Nan Kaikou (ID: nnvoice)"