What is Zhihu? The knowledge-sharing platform of China

Zhihu [知乎], founded in 2011 and translating to "Do you know?" in Chinese, is a knowledge-sharing platform. similar to Western platform Quora, but with distinctly Chinese characteristics. This Chinese social media platform has become China's leading community for expert insights and in-depth discussions. 

The app initially operated on an invitation-only model that attracted academics, professionals, and industry experts, which earned it a reputation for being a credible and well-informed platform. Since then, the app has opened its doors to users from broader audiences and backgrounds. However, it still maintains strict quality control by screening out low-quality and overly promotional content. 

The platform's commitment to reliable, high-quality expertise has attracted a highly educated user base of Chinese netizens seeking thoughtful answers from experts. For brands, this presents an opportunity to build trust and connect with an informed audience through meaningful engagement that can influence purchasing decisions. This blog explores Zhihu's key statistics, features, and practical marketing strategies for Chinese social media.

Key statistics 

Understanding Zhihu's user demographics and behaviour helps businesses refine their marketing strategy. Key data demonstrates the platform's continued relevance in Chinese digital marketing:

Key features

Zhihu offers several distinctive features for Chinese social media marketing. Understanding these features is essential for effective use of the platform.

Question and answer (Q&A) posts 

Zhihu operates on a sophisticated Q&A format where users can ask detailed questions and receive answers from subject matter experts. These responses can include text, images, and videos, with engagement measured through upvotes and comments. For marketers, this presents an opportunity to establish industry expertise by providing valuable, expert-level answers to industry-related questions.  

Search engine optimisation (SEO) benefits

Zhihu's offers SEO benefits due to its high domain authority on Chinese search engines like Baidu (Chinese Google). When your brand creates quality content on Zhihu, it typically ranks highly on search engine results pages (SERPs), driving substantial organic traffic to your content. This feature makes Zhihu a great tool for increasing brand visibility and helping potential customers discover your business through organic search. 

Zhihu direct answer

The platform's AI-powered tool automatically provides links to relevant posts when users search for information, creating additional discovery opportunities for your brand. As users explore these auto-generated responses, they're more likely to encounter your content, enhancing your brand's visibility across the platform.  

Zhihu university 

This premium feature offers paid educational services including online courses, audiobooks, and specialised training camps. Brands can leverage this platform to position themselves as educational authorities in their respective industries while generating revenue from their expertise and knowledge. knowledge sharing.

Zhihu live 

The interactive live-streaming feature enables real-time Q&A sessions and short courses, perfect for brands wanting to engage directly with their audience and demonstrate expertise through live demonstrations or educational content. 

Zhihu roundtable 

Operating similarly to webinars, this feature allows hosts and five to eight panelists to engage in structured discussions while audiences participate by asking questions. This format is ideal for industry panels, product launches, or thought leadership discussions. 

 Zhihu column 

For brands that excel at long-form content creation, Zhihu Column provides a platform for publishing in-depth articles, research pieces, and comprehensive industry analyses that can establish long-term authority and industry experience.   

Key opinion consumer (KOC) network 

Zhihu's community of experts can organically recommend your brand when answering relevant questions, generating valuable earned media and authentic word-of-mouth marketing. 

How Weibo is used for Marketing?

Although Zhihu supports the entire marketing funnel, it's strength lies in the consideration stage where consumers actively seek detailed information to inform their purchasing decisions. The platform's format, which encourages comprehensive, expert-level responses to complex questions, makes it an ideal touchpoint for industries involving longer decision-making processes, such as international education, B2B services, luxury goods, and technology products.

What sets Zhihu apart in the Chinese social media landscape is its focus on long-lasting, long-form content where the best responses consistently rise to the top through community upvoting, ensuring that high-quality brand content maintains visibility over time. This creates a compound effect where well-crafted answers continue to generate leads and build brand authority months or even years after publication, making it a cost-effective option to build long-term credibility and industry experience in the Chinese market.

Zhihu offers access to educated, curious consumers but requires significant investment and demands a patient, education-first approach with consistent, high-quality content rather than promotional messaging. This strategy may not suit all marketing objectives or timelines, as direct commercial outcomes aren't guaranteed. For brands considering Zhihu as part of their China strategy, it's important to understand that this platform works best as a supplementary educational channel rather than a primary marketing tool, and the time investment required to build authority and the platform's resistance to overtly commercial content mean that brands should carefully evaluate whether their resources might be better allocated to other Chinese social media platforms with more direct commercial applications. Understanding different platforms like Zhihu helps brands make informed decisions about where to focus their China market efforts for maximum impact and return on investment.