WeChat Channel Guide 2025: How International Brands Master WeChat Channel Marketing for High ROI

What is WeChat Channel?

Launched by Tencent in 2020, WeChat Channel is an integral part of the WeChat ecosystem, a short video and live-streaming platform built for content sharing, brand promotion, e-commerce and community engagement. Users can follow creators and businesses to stay connected and receive their latest updates, making WeChat Channel a powerful tool for short video marketing and live-streaming e-commerce.

As of July 2025, WeChat Channel reached 800 million monthly active users, solidifying its position as one of the leading short video platform in China.

According to Xigua Data, original content views increased by 350%, average watch time grew by 156%, and live-streaming sales rose by more than 8 times year-over-year.

In 2022, Growth Box reported a GMV of RMB 130 billion generated from live-streaming sales, involving 70 million consumers and over 1 million brands. Notably, 60% of users on WeChat Channel shop for products rather than entertainment. Over 60% have increased their purchase frequency, and 54% have raised their spending budgets compared with the previous year, largely driven by the frequency of relevant video recommendations, competitive pricing, and perceived value.

Top product categories on WeChat Channel include:

1. Apparel (29.44%)

2. Food & Beverage (28.64%)

3. Cosmetics (14.05%)

4. Daily goods (7.66%)

5. Footwear & Bags (6.13%)

User demographics: Over 80% of live-streaming consumers are female, and more than 60% live in first- to third-tier cities with strong purchasing power. Users aged 36–40 shop most frequently, while those 41–45 spend the most per transaction. The 31–35 group shows the fastest growth in both purchase frequency and budget.

Key Features of WeChat Channel

As an audience, WeChat Channel can be accessed from the “Discover” page. Once inside, users can browse three video feeds:

1. Following: videos from channels you follow

2. Friends: videos liked by your WeChat friends

3. Recommends: trending and recommended videos

At the top of the interface, users can also access Search and Personal Profile functions.

• Search allows users to find specific videos or related WeChat Official Account content.

• Personal Profile includes:

  • View Settings (likes/collected videos, followed channels, notifications)

  • My Channel (uploaded videos, performance data, messages, and Creator Center analytics)

  • Privacy Settings to hide liked videos, block users, or toggle personalized recommendations.

Users who make purchases via WeChat Channel can track their orders (e.g., unpaid, pending delivery, refunds) under Orders.

At the bottom of the profile page, two key buttons: “Post Video” and “Go Live”, enable creators to upload content or start live streams directly.

Interaction options on each video include Like, Forward, Collect, and Comment, with visible engagement counts. Note that likes are private, while collections are public and visible to friends.

Platform	WeChat Channel	Douyin	Kuaishou
Launched	2020	2016	2012
Monthly Active Users	820M	750M	590M
Avg. Daily Usage (min)	35	118	119
Users Demographics	Age 20-40, Tier 1-2 cities	Post-70s to 90s, new tier 1 & lower-tier cities	Post-70s to 90s, Tier-2 & lower-tier cities
Gender Split	39.73% Female 60.27% Male	48% Female 52% Male	41% Female 59% Male
Top Industries	Lifestyle, Music, News, Education, Books	/	Food Beverage, Local life, Wedding
Marketing Opportunities	Leverage WeChat ecosystem for growth	Viral short videos for brand awareness	Localized e-commerce & viral content
Main KPIs	Likes, Forward, Collect, Comments	Comments & Likes	Comments & Likes

Setting Up a WeChat Channel Account

WeChat Channel can function as a standalone social media platform or as part of an integrated WeChat ecosystem strategy alongside WeChat Official Account and WeChat Mini Program. Many international brands have begun leveraging WeChat Channel to strengthen their visibility in the Chinese market.

Steps to Register a WeChat Channel Account:

1. Log in to your WeChat account.

2. Go to “WeChat Channel” → tap the profile icon.

3. Click “Post Video” to set up your profile (portrait, username, gender, region).

For enterprise accounts, verification is recommended for higher credibility and visibility:

1. Go to “My Channel.”

2. Enter “Creator Center” → apply for verification.

3. Select Enterprise/ Organization Verification.

4. Either connect to an existing WeChat Official Account or submit corporate verification details (available on web version).

Each account can apply for verification twice per year.

Benefits of Verification:

• Credibility: Verified status enhances trust and authenticity.

• Lead Collection: Collect contact info from viewers (available to select industries such as automotive, real estate, education, and recruitment).

• Higher Visibility: Verified accounts rank above non-verified ones in search results.

• Higher authority: WeChat Channel now dominate search results, appearing first among all platform types within the WeChat ecosystem, reflecting their high authority in WeChat SEO.

WeChat Channel Marketing Strategy

Although WeChat Channel operates independently, it thrives when integrated with the WeChat ecosystem, including WeChat Official Account, WeChat Mini Program, and WeCom (Enterprise WeChat).

Key strategies:

• Focus on short-form video creation and frequent live streams to build authority. (Note: Recorded videos cannot be used for live-streaming, violating this rule may lead to account suspension.)

• Localized content for Chinese audiences instead of simply translating English version videos.

• Cross-promote between WeChat Channel and WeChat Official Accounts to diversify content and increase engagement.

Content Creation Tips

1. Optimize the video cover image: The cover is the first impression of a brand or company, ensure it’s visually striking and clickable.

2. Integrate with your WeChat Official Account: Cross-link articles and videos to drive traffic between WeChat Official Account and WeChat Channel platforms.

3. Use strategic hashtags: Improve discoverability among target audiences.

4. Keep it short: Although videos can be up to 2 hours long, engagement is highest for clips under 1 minute.

5. Engage with followers: Reply in a natural, conversational tone. Example: Porsche China gained massive engagement after casually responding to a follower in a tone like talking to a friend, their reply outperformed the original post in reach and interaction.

Post Frequency

Ideally, post at least one video per day. Like most platforms, WeChat’s algorithm favors accounts that publish fresh, consistent content.

Performance Tracking

In the backend Data Center, you can track:

• Video plays, likes, shares, comments, and new followers

• Audience demographics (city, device, gender, age, etc.)

WeChat Channel Advertising

Ad Types:

• Feed Card Ads

• Short Video Ads

• Live-streaming Ads

Advertising Process:

1. Create a WeChat Channel Account

2. Undergo Tencent’s qualification review (Note: Certain industries, e.g., finance or investment, is restricted)

3. Choose ad type

4. Select contract-based or bidding-based campaign model

5. Top up your ad account via an authorized Tencent distributor

6. Create ad content

7. Launch and monitor performance

Click here to learn more about WeChat Advertising

Benefits of Establishing a WeChat Channel

• Reach new audiences who prefer short videos over traditional text or image content on WeChat Official Account.

• Boost visibility for new WeChat Official Accounts struggling to gain followers, WeChat Channel can act as a discovery bridge.

• Enhance engagement for overseas accounts that lack comment function, WeChat Channel offers more interactive features to attract and retain followers.

• WeChat Channel now dominate search results, appearing first among all platform types within the WeChat ecosystem, reflecting their high authority in WeChat SEO.

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