How to Acquire Customers Through Douyin? | Code Brain Episode 6

Code Brain

Issue 06

Code Brain is a core component of Source Code Capital's post-investment service system and an offline gathering series for the Ma Hui community. Held monthly, each session brings together Ma Hui CEOs and external experts for private, in-person brainstorming on the topics and sectors that matter most to founders at that moment — creating networked learning that strengthens both community ties and individual growth.

For Issue 6, Code Brain went inside ByteDance to explore: What are the emerging trends in how startups acquire traffic? Where will future traffic entry points be? Below are selected highlights from the session.

Contents

1. Behind the Douyin Phenomenon

2. Driving Traffic Through Scenes, Content, and Users

3. How to Advertise on Douyin

4. Brand Exposure, Engagement, and Conversion on Douyin

Speakers

Wu Xia — General Manager, Toutiao Commercial Internet Services Division

Yuan Minlin — Planning Director, Toutiao North China Marketing Center

1 Behind the Douyin Phenomenon

As of mid-June 2018, ByteDance's domestic product portfolio had surpassed 400 million DAU, with Douyin growing the fastest — Douyin's DAU hit 150 million. If you were riding just one viral hit in 2018, Douyin was it. (Note: DAU = Daily Active User)

So who exactly is using Douyin?

▽ Douyin User Profile:

Currently, users under 35 make up 90% of Douyin's user base, and those with bachelor's degrees or higher account for 60%.

▽ Stickiness:

Douyin's stickiness far exceeds other platforms. Daily per-capita usage and time-of-day data show high engagement during prime hours.

▽ Who's Creating Content?

It started with trendsetters.

These trendsetters have since evolved beyond typical internet celebrities — each now commands millions or tens of millions of followers.

Douyin has also invited many A-list celebrities to join, mostly traffic magnets like Dilraba Dilmurat, Zhou Dongyu, and Guan Xiaotong. When the awkward-dance feature launched, for instance, the first video was a collaboration with Guan Xiaotong.

Beyond influencers and stars, Douyin has demonstrated its ability to "manufacture viral hits organically." Take COCO milk tea: a user posted their custom order, and COCO eventually launched an official "Douyin viral" flavor.

Then there's the creative Haidilao dining trend, where people turned the restaurant chain into a content studio — and Haidilao reaped substantial offline foot traffic as a result.

2 Driving Traffic Through Scenes, Content, and Users

What content resonates most with Douyin users?

▽ Four Categories:

Plot twists, cute girls, impossibly smart pets, and funny celebrity moments.

Another useful framework: the most popular content follows the 3B principle (beauty, beast, baby) — attractive people, animals, and babies.

▽ "Douyin Theater Enthusiasts":

This refers to users who eagerly perform to trending music or voiceovers, embracing their inner drama king or queen.

Then there are the skill replicators — whatever they see on Douyin, they have to learn. Music, dance, hand gestures: they'll imitate it all.

As a platform built for viral content, Douyin has its own hit-making mechanics. To preserve product experience, we're cautious about ad integration and always consider user experience.

3 How to Advertise on Douyin

As Douyin's product capabilities have strengthened, it introduced Brand Pages.

If posting on Douyin used to be a mostly personal act, Brand Pages now allow content-savvy creators and advertisers to build follower loyalty on their own dedicated presence.

In this space, brands can upload their own ads and collaborate with creators on branded content. If we deem the content high-quality, we can pin it to prominent positions.

This creates a landing hub — when running hashtag campaigns on Douyin, you now have a proper destination to direct traffic to. Regular creator collaborations can all funnel back to the Brand Page.

Once you have a Brand Page, timing becomes critical.

▽ The Right Time:

Douyin is a deeply native platform. You must align with Douyin users' own rhythms — right content at the right time. Users stay active from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Lunch hours mark one peak; evening hours another. I'd recommend brands concentrate posting around midday, evening commute, and living-room hours.

Based on early Brand Page case studies, sustaining heat on Douyin requires hustle — you must post constantly to stay visible. Don't obsess over whether brand messaging is perfectly植入, perfectly on-brand, or polished enough. Frequency trumps all.

We recommend at least five posts per week to keep a Brand Page alive.

▽ The Right Content:

Beyond timing, content quality matters.

Top-performing Brand Pages share several traits:

• Stunning cover images
• Eye-catching copy — the "Douyin vibe"
• Background music is a must
• Emphasize originality

Some brands love dropping TVCs, but we don't recommend this. While TVCs are beautifully produced, their narrative style isn't particularly "Douyin." We've observed that TVCs on Brand Pages tend to get low shares and likes.

Douyin's distribution algorithm means that sometimes casually shot content gets better recommendations and organic reach than polished productions.

One more crucial point: "Follow-backs" are non-negotiable. Reply to every comment possible — this is essential for growing your Brand Page following.

4 Brand Exposure, Engagement, and Conversion on Douyin

From a brand perspective, let's break down the tools available for exposure, engagement, and conversion.

• First, for brand exposure: leverage Douyin's feed ads. We host an annual Douyin Carnival — last year's sold out instantly. It's a rare chance to meet the platform's top creators and invited celebrities in person. Naturally, it's prime real estate for advertisers to植入 themselves, build presence, and connect with the Douyin community.

• Second, for engagement: challenges are currently the best format. As mentioned, features like awkward-dance mode and AR effects. These flashier formats are being selectively opened to brands with strong relevance fit.

• Finally, for conversion: Brand Pages, red envelope partnerships, and native feed ads are the most effective tools to drive actual results.

Live Q&A (Excerpts)

Q: Early-stage startups may have minimal or zero budget. What low-cost methods can help them gain more traffic?

A: Content. It requires the least investment but potentially delivers the biggest returns.

This includes Toutiao accounts, micro-posts, and Wukong Q&A — all channels where you can weave in product information. Brands can candidly answer tough product questions. If you're capital-constrained, start with content. Articles, Q&A, short videos — any format works.

Content lets you build direct user relationships. Pair it with paid ads, and you can reach more users and broadcast your brand more widely, creating stronger connections.

When creating content, study the distinct personality of each platform. Toutiao, Xigua Video, and Wukong Q&A all target different demographics with different content philosophies. Don't cross-post the same piece across platforms. Tailor content to each platform's audience for better engagement.

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