(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
Douyin (TikTok China) has over 750 million daily active users and has become the most powerful short-video platform for overseas brands entering China. A single viral video can generate millions in sales overnight. In this article, we share seven battle-tested Douyin marketing strategies that our agency has successfully executed for overseas brands over the past 10+ years to achieve rapid awareness and conversion growth.
1. KOL + Livestream Combination
1.1 Tiered KOL Selection Match mid-tier (100K–500K fans) and top-tier KOLs according to product price points and target audience. Mid-tier KOLs deliver higher ROI for daily sales, while top-tier KOLs build long-term brand image.
1.2 Preheated Livestream Script Design a 3-hour livestream script with “benefit bombing” in the first 10 minutes, interactive games in the middle, and limited-time flash sales in the last 30 minutes. This structure can increase conversion rates by 3–5 times compared to unstructured streams.
2. Hashtag Challenge with Cash Rewards
2.1 Challenge Mechanism Design Create simple, repeatable actions (e.g., dance moves or product unboxing) and set cash/red packet rewards for the top 100 participants. This motivates massive user-generated content within 48 hours.
2.2 Douyin Paid Traffic Amplification Use Douyin’s “Challenge Ads” + “Information Flow Ads” to push the hashtag to 50–100 million impressions in the first three days, forming a viral loop.
3. Douyin Mini-Program Closed-Loop Conversion
3.1 One-Click Jump to Mini-Program Guide traffic directly from video/livestream to the brand’s Douyin Mini-Program instead of external links. This keeps users inside the ecosystem and increases conversion rate by 40%.
3.2 Limited-Time Coupons in Comments Pin coupons with countdown timers in the top comment section to create urgency and boost immediate purchases.
4. Trend-Jacking & Real-Time Marketing
4.1 24-Hour Trend Monitoring Team Set up a team to monitor Douyin hot search and trending music daily. Once a relevant trend appears, release content within 6 hours to ride the wave.
4.2 Meme-Style Brand Content Convert brand messages into popular memes or skits that users love to duplicate, achieving organic spread.
Case Study: Australian Health Supplement Brand Swisse
In Q4 2023, Swisse worked with us to launch a “21-Day Beauty Challenge” on Douyin. We collaborated with 60 beauty KOLs and created the hashtag #Swisse21天变美计划. Users uploaded before-and-after videos to win cash prizes. Within 14 days, the challenge garnered 1.8 billion views, 4.2 million user participations, and drove RMB 87 million in Douyin shop sales — a 680% ROI.
Conclusion
Douyin success relies on speed, native content, strong KOL partnerships, and closed-loop conversion design. Overseas brands that master these seven strategies can achieve explosive growth in months rather than years.
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, TikTok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries’ exports in China account for 97% of the total exports in Asia. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation!
