How WeChat is Changing the Way Media Works in China

How WeChat is Transforming Media in China

WeChat (微信) has revolutionized media consumption in China by merging social networking, content creation, and news distribution into a single platform. With over 1.3 billion monthly active users, WeChat is not just a messaging app—it’s a media ecosystem. Here’s how it’s changing the game:

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1. WeChat Channels (视频号): The TikTokization of Media

What is WeChat Channels?
WeChat Channels is a short-video platform integrated directly into WeChat, allowing users and brands to create, share, and discover video content. Unlike standalone apps like Douyin (TikTok), Channels leverages WeChat’s social graph, enabling videos to go viral within private chats, group chats, and Moments (朋友圈).

Why It’s Disruptive:

• Seamless Sharing: Videos shared via Channels appear in WeChat’s “Discover” tab and can be forwarded to friends or groups, blurring the lines between private and public content.
• Algorithm + Social Recommendations: Content is promoted through both AI-driven algorithms (like TikTok) and social connections (like Facebook). This hybrid model ensures videos reach both existing networks and new audiences.
• Monetization: Creators can earn via tipping, e-commerce integrations, and brand partnerships. For example, a farmer in rural China gained 1 million followers by selling fruit through live-streamed videos.

Case Study:
A beauty influencer’s makeup tutorial on WeChat Channels went viral after being shared in 500+ group chats. The video drove 10,000+ orders for her Taobao store in one day, showcasing the platform’s power to convert views into sales.

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2. Why Chinese Read News on WeChat via “Official Accounts” (公众号)

Official Accounts are subscription-based channels where media outlets, brands, and individuals publish articles, news, and multimedia content. Over 80% of WeChat users follow Official Accounts for news. Here’s why:

Key Reasons:

1. Centralized Convenience:
   • Chinese users spend 90+ minutes daily on WeChat. Reading news within the app saves time compared to switching to standalone news apps.
2. Trust in Niche Expertise:
   • Specialized accounts (垂直号) cater to specific interests (e.g., finance, health, tech). For example, 36Kr (a tech media account) has 5 million followers who trust its startup analyses.
3. Social Validation:
   • Articles shared by friends or family in Moments or group chats carry implicit endorsements. A news piece about COVID-19 prevention shared by a doctor friend, for instance, gains instant credibility.
4. Interactive Features:
   • Users comment, tip authors, and participate in polls, creating a two-way dialogue. For example, People’s Daily (党媒) uses quizzes in articles to boost engagement.
5. Censorship and Control:
   • WeChat’s strict content moderation ensures compliance with Chinese regulations. Users perceive news on Official Accounts as “safer” compared to unverified sources.

Case Study:

Caixin Global (财新网), a leading financial news outlet, built a paid subscription model on WeChat. By offering exclusive, in-depth reports on China’s economy, it attracted 200,000+ paying readers, proving that users will pay for quality content within WeChat.

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3. Trends Reshaping Media on WeChat

1. From Text to Video:
   • WeChat Channels is pushing users and publishers to prioritize video. Media giants like CCTV now post news clips on Channels to reach younger audiences.
2. Hyper-Localized Content:
   • Local news accounts (e.g., Shanghai Daily) use geo-targeting to deliver city-specific updates, traffic alerts, and event promotions.
3. KOLs as News Sources:
   • Opinion leaders like Li Ziqi (a rural lifestyle vlogger) blur the line between entertainment and news, offering “soft news” about culture and daily life.
4. Corporate Media:
   • Brands like NIO (electric carmaker) use Official Accounts to publish ESG reports and product launches, acting as their own media outlets.
5. Live-Streamed News:
   • During major events (e.g., the 2022 Beijing Olympics), media outlets live-streamed events on Channels, with real-time commentary and polls.

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Why This Matters

WeChat has turned every user into a potential media distributor. Its closed-loop ecosystem (content creation → social sharing → e-commerce → payment) allows news and entertainment to circulate faster and more profitably than ever. For brands and media, mastering WeChat’s tools—Channels, Official Accounts, and Mini Programs—is no longer optional; it’s essential to surviving China’s digital-first media landscape.

By 2025, expect WeChat to further integrate AI-driven personalization, AR news experiences, and cross-platform content syndication, solidifying its role as China’s de facto media hub.

WeChat, King of the Mobile-first Middle Kingdom

WeChat is a mobile chatting application that initially had the same set of features that WhatsApp and Snapchat (very popular in the west). But WeChat is as well China’s most popular social network. Unlike Facebook in the west, it has no website version on desktop. This illustrates how focused on phones and mobile devices Chinese netizens are.

That is also arguably the reason why it has taken the place of the now-declining Weibo on the top spot of the Chinese social media world. Weibo is a twitter-like website that, while still important, is becoming less and less popular as its active users waver a little more every year. It wasn’t designed for mobile but desktop and didn’t evolve as fast as its competitor.

Read as well: The Ultimate Guide to Wechat Marketing

But WeChat offers more than a simple social media and chatting experience to its over 600 million users. It also provides a magazine-like experience for publications (blogging) with subscribers, online payments capabilities, translation, m-commerce, and so on. With such a wide range of features, it is no wonder it became the most used application behind the great wall.

How is WeChat changing the rules of the Game?

The internet ecosystem allows experimentation, that is a complete contract with more traditional media which are very regulated and where the censor’s weight too heavily for anything creative to really happen. Novelty is not expected from that quarter.

WeChat offers people a white canvas where they can express themselves. It is not only organizations talking, but your peers. This leads to a higher level of trust toward the platform. Users can share what they love among themselves. Cyber Celebrities and companies can directly dialog with their audience.

Social Media : the best way to reach Chinese consumers

Social media are communication tools, which means there are good and bad ways to use them. Also, they are not the same, WeChat and Weibo require a very different methods when it comes to doing community management and publishing content.

Be Social , not corporate

Companies, especially at the beginning of the social network Marketing, are tended to be very awkward in their communication with the “buy my stuff” kind of content. It is not mean that you cannot do promotion, but you need to be smart about it.

Content is the key!

Content creators, whether it is a simple blog or a television channel earn revenue in the same way: advertising. And WeChat is no exception to the rule. Clicks ads are available from 50 000 subscribers on your account.

Despite particular scrutiny from the censors, the social networks and the Internet as a whole is pushing change forward. And today we see more and more the emergence of a world where people themselves are the media.

Wechat the kind of digital landscape in China ? 

In conclusion, WeChat and the social networks before it, brought a new way for people, magazines and companies not only to communicate but also exchange with one another. It also opens the way to creatives, who can develop their own branding and create their own jobs. Check Leaf Greener’s website and WeChat account to see that kind of example.