# What does zhongcao (种草, seeding) mean in Chinese marketing?

> Zhongcao (种草, literally "planting grass") is Chinese internet and marketing slang for content that makes people want to buy something by sharing first-hand experience or recommending a product; zhongcao marketing is a brand promoting products through such posts by creators or users. It is industry usage with no official definition.

- URL: https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/zhongcao
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Also known as: Seeding, Product seeding, 种草, Zhongcao marketing
- 简体中文: https://www.mvpdata.net/glossary/zhongcao

The phrase began as internet slang: making someone want a product is pictured as planting a blade of grass in their mind. It spread on content platforms such as Xiaohongshu (RedNote), and the platforms use it themselves: Xiaohongshu describes Pugongying, its official marketplace for brand deals with creators, as the official platform for "content seeding and livestream collaborations" (内容种草与直播合作官方平台).[^1]

## When is a zhongcao post an ad?

A seeding post that promotes a brand's goods or services is an online advertisement and follows advertising rules. China's Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising apply to commercial advertising that directly or indirectly promotes goods or services through websites, apps and other online media (Article 2); online ads must be recognizable as ads, and where goods or services are promoted through knowledge-sharing, experience-sharing or reviews with a purchase link attached, the publisher must clearly label the content as an advertisement (Article 9).[^2]

In the US and Canada, a creator paid by a brand or given free products must likewise disclose that relationship; see [material connection](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/material-connection).

## How is zhongcao different from KOL marketing?

Zhongcao describes what the content does, making people want to buy, while KOL marketing describes who is speaking. Seeding posts may come from KOLs, but often come from KOCs, smaller accounts that feel closer to ordinary users, and from ordinary users themselves. The difference between KOLs and KOCs is explained under [KOL](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/kol).

## Further reading

- Marketing on Xiaohongshu, Douyin and other Chinese platforms for foreign brands: [China entry: PR & social ads](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/brands/china-entry)
- Brand partnerships with creators in China and North America: [Cross-border influencer marketing](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/brands/influencer-marketing)

## Related terms

- [What is a KOL (key opinion leader) in marketing?](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/kol): A KOL (key opinion leader) is a person whose expertise or reach in a field shapes the opinions and purchase decisions of others. A KOC (key opinion consumer) reaches fewer people but feels closer to ordinary users.
- [What are in-feed ads?](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/in-feed-ads): In-feed ads are advertisements placed inside the content feed of a social media, news or short-video app, designed to look like the posts around them and seen as people scroll. In Chinese they are called 信息流广告 (xìnxīliú guǎnggào).
- [What does chuhai (going global) mean for Chinese brands?](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/chuhai): Chuhai (出海, literally "going out to sea") is the Chinese business term for a Chinese company expanding into markets outside China; brand chuhai (品牌出海) means doing so under its own brand, building recognition abroad and selling directly to overseas customers. It differs from exporting products under other brands, and it is not the same as cross-border e-commerce.
- [What is an influencer (wanghong)?](https://www.mvpdata.net/en/glossary/influencer): An influencer is a person who has gained a large online audience through content, livestreams or online events and can sway its views or purchases. Influence measures reach; a personal brand measures lasting trust, and not every influencer has one.

[^1]: 小红书蒲公英 (Pugongying), Xingyin Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.. https://pgy.xiaohongshu.com/ (Checked 2026-09-30, Unofficial translation)
[^2]: 《互联网广告管理办法》 (Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising), State Administration for Market Regulation, 国家市场监督管理总局令第 72 号. Effective 2023-05-01. https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/2023/issue_10506/202306/content_6885261.html (Checked 2026-10-17, Unofficial translation)