Influencer Marketing Agencies in China: Choose by Platform and by Rules

Instagram and Facebook are not available in mainland China, so a Western brand cannot simply move its influencer playbook there. The campaign runs on Douyin, Xiaohongshu (also called RED or Little Red Book), WeChat and Weibo, each with its own creators and habits. That makes the platform, and how an agency handles the rules, the real basis for choosing one.

This guide starts with the platforms and the compliance picture, then lists nine agencies. The agency details come from Influencer Marketing Hub’s Shanghai guide, which carries an advertising disclosure, so treat its order as a starting point. Network sizes and campaign results are the agencies’ own claims. None of the agencies paid to be listed.

The Short Answer

• Choose the platform first. Douyin suits video, livestream selling and high reach. Xiaohongshu suits beauty, fashion, travel and community-led recommendations. WeChat and Weibo cover owned-audience and news-style content.
• Budget: only four of the nine agencies state a starting price, and those start at $1,000 or $5,000 a campaign. The rest do not publish one.
• Compliance is part of the service. Sponsored content must be clearly labelled, and some topics need credentialed creators. Ask how the agency checks this.
• You do not need a China agency for Instagram, TikTok or YouTube campaigns aimed at the rest of the world.

Which Platform Are You Buying?

What the agencies in this guide say each platform is for

Cerberus Marketing adds a distinction worth knowing. A KOL (key opinion leader) is a creator with a large following who gives reach and credibility. A KOC (key opinion consumer) has a smaller following but more relatability, and drives trust and conversion. Most campaigns mix both. It also notes that TikTok serves a global audience while Douyin runs inside China’s own mature market, so a TikTok campaign does not reach Douyin users.

The Rules You Need to Know

This is a general overview, not legal advice. We found no official regulator text, so the points below come from the hub’s guide and from news coverage, and you should confirm them with Chinese counsel or your agency before launch.

Compliance points reported for influencer campaigns in China

9 Influencer Marketing Agencies for China

The nine at a glance

All nine are described by the Influencer Marketing Hub Shanghai guide, so treat the selection as one source’s view. Ainfluencer is not on the list, because it works on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube and does not cover Douyin, Xiaohongshu, WeChat or Weibo.

1. Shanghai Jungle

European-run agency for Western brands. Founded 2013. A Shanghai-based European agency that helps Western brands build a presence on Douyin, WeChat, Xiaohongshu and Weibo, from account registration to content and campaign execution. Its reported campaign for the city of Warsaw used five influencers and generated more than 20 million organic impressions in two weeks, as stated by the agency.

• Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses entering China.
• Pricing: Campaigns from $1,000+, per the hub

2. Hi-com

KOL marketing with a large network. Founded 2016. A specialist KOL agency that says it has a network of more than 20,000 influencers across Douyin, RED and Weibo. Its reported campaign for the Spanish Travel Association used one travel creator with 61,000 Weibo followers over five days, reaching more than 4 million people and 1.1 million engagements, as stated by the agency. It also handles contracts, copyright and platform requirements.

• Best for: Brands in luxury, travel and fashion, of any size.
• Pricing: Undisclosed

3. Gentlemen Marketing Agency

KOL and KOC campaigns. Founded 2012. Says it has access to more than 3,000 KOLs. It reports a 1:130 return in one month for the UK fashion brand Larizia on Xiaohongshu around Singles’ Day, built on key opinion consumers, and 1,049 posts for the licensing company Smiley on Weibo with more than 1.5 million views. These are the agency’s own figures.

• Best for: Brands of all sizes that want KOC-led campaigns on Xiaohongshu and Weibo.
• Pricing: Undisclosed

4. Digital Crew

Douyin, WeChat and Xiaohongshu campaigns. Founded 2014. Works with KOLs on Douyin, WeChat and Xiaohongshu and emphasises Xiaohongshu’s micro-influencer ecosystem. It reports more than 40 million impressions in five weeks for Study Perth and, for Cebu Pacific Air, an eightfold rise in incremental revenue year on year and 83% better media budget efficiency, as stated by the agency.

• Best for: Enterprises in education, travel, e-commerce and lifestyle.
• Pricing: Campaigns from $5,000+, per the hub

5. Outlandish

Founders who were influencers. Founded 2018. Its founders worked as influencers, and the agency says it has stakes in influencer accounts that help it negotiate terms. It ran a Douyin campaign for FedEx and a tourism campaign for Chongqing that reached more than 600,000 views in China and 300,000 on YouTube, as stated by the agency. It has also launched live retail e-commerce in China.

• Best for: Brands of all sizes that want livestream and viral campaigns.
• Pricing: Campaigns from $5,000+, per the hub

6. Reflex Group

Premium influencer relations. Founded 1988. A premium agency that emphasises long-term relationships and curated creators over big follower numbers. Its reported work for Yves Saint Laurent’s Rouge Pur Couture launch used a custom influencer PR package, and its network runs from celebrities to micro-influencers.

• Best for: Large luxury and beauty brands.
• Pricing: Undisclosed

7. RougeLink

Douyin livestreams and large campaigns. Founded 2020. Says it has a network of more than 500 influencers across Douyin, Xiaohongshu and WeChat. For the Hong Kong Tourism Board it reports 28 influencers, 35 videos, 36.7 million exposures and 342,000 engagements. A Douyin livestream with an essential oils creator is reported to have sold 3 million RMB (about 380,000 euros) in five days. These are the agency’s claims.

• Best for: Large brands that want livestream selling and augmented-reality creative.
• Pricing: Undisclosed

8. InFlu China

Broad network across four platforms. Founded date not stated. Says it has more than 5,000 influencers across Xiaohongshu, Douyin, WeChat and Weibo, from mega creators to micro and nano level, with analytics and KPIs per collaboration. It works in food and beverage, fashion, beauty and tourism.

• Best for: Small and medium-sized brands that want tiered creator selection.
• Pricing: Undisclosed

9. Cerberus Marketing

KOL and KOC marketing with video production. Founded 2019. Says it has a network of more than half a million influencers on Xiaohongshu, Douyin, WeChat and Weibo, and offers video production, reputation building and monthly performance reports. Its team includes veterans from 4A agencies and consulting.

• Best for: Brands of all sizes that want both KOL reach and KOC credibility.
• Pricing: Campaigns from $1,000+, per the hub

How to Choose

• Ask which platform produced the case study. A strong Douyin result says little about Xiaohongshu.
• Ask for results in your category. Beauty, travel and luxury cases differ from consumer electronics.
• Ask how compliance is handled. Who labels sponsored content, who checks credentials for regulated topics, and who is liable.
• Ask who owns the creator relationship. Some agencies hold stakes in creator accounts, which can help terms but can also create conflicts.
• Be wary of guaranteed follower growth or simple ROI promises. The hub lists these as red flags.

If You Are Going the Other Way

A Chinese brand selling abroad needs the platforms this guide leaves out. Ainfluencer works with creators on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube through a fully managed service and a self-serve marketplace, and our guides to Singapore, India and TikTok influencer marketing agencies cover agencies in other markets. For costs, read influencer marketing agency pricing, and for category specialists see luxury and beauty influencer marketing agencies. The overall shortlist is in the best influencer marketing agencies.

Frequently Asked Questions