How Indian Instagram Influencers Find Brand Deals in China

Despite ongoing political tensions and the recent Tik Tok ban, Chinese products have taken over Indian markets. Hence, Indian influencers have made way to penetrate the Chinese market.

Since 2020, India has not only experienced a tremendous growth in Chinese goods but has also become the largest market for Chinese products. In fact, a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation suggests that Chinese brands have overtaken the Indian marketplace with a whopping 66% share.

Today, China has become the biggest manufacturer of low-cost goods across the globe and Indian consumers appear to love them. Besides the fact that Indian companies are not able to produce these goods at the same rate, Chinese manufacturers sell directly to Indian customers making competition harder.

The market of over 1 billion consumers has opened up the floodgates for Chinese brands to target India. This is where Indian influencers come in to build bridges between both markets.

So how can Indian Instagram influencers find brand deals with Chinese companies? How can these influencers penetrate the lucrative Chinese market and what unique challenges do they encounter?

In this article, we provide answers to these questions and give you a sneak peek at how Indian Instagram influencers are thriving in the Chinese market.

📊 Why Are Indian Instagram Influencers Targeting the Chinese Market?

Let’s look at some numbers to understand the booming market.

According to a report published by the China Brand Monitor Network, Indian locals were the second largest in purchasing Chinese products with more than 30 million copies shipped to India alone. Chinese products are also widely used in Indian markets with a circulation of over $24 billion dollars.

The report cites that Electronics, fashion, and home appliances lead the market. Today, Chinese goods can be found anywhere from fashion houses to spice markets in India.

The situation has also made Chinese companies more aware of the need for localized marketing efforts. In recent years, there has been a surge in influencers and even celebrities from India being introduced into Chinese marketing campaigns.

Back in 2019, the Chinese eyewear brand Kiwifotos collaborated with Indian film actor and model Disha Patani to promote their products. It was reported that due to her massive popularity in India, the company decided to use her to help extend their reach into the Indian market.

The trend gained traction in 2021 when the Chinese laptop manufacturer Chuwi hired Indian influencer Aayush Yadav to endorse their products. Today, Aayush has over 2 million followers on Instagram and has established his influencer agency, IACE.

In a recent interview with The National, IACE founder Aayush Yadav stated that influencer marketing has become very popular in China lately. He explained that Chuwi was the first company to contact him in 2021. Since then, he has collaborated with several Chinese brands including a Chinese YouTube rival and various games. He is now aiming for a partnership with a Chinese phone company.

The profit margins in India are very high he claims. In China, influencers can expect to receive around 20% commission when they help sell a product. In India, the average is 50% and can go as high as 80%. This shows that promoting and selling foreign products can be much more profitable than selling local products.

💻 How Do Indian Instagram Influencers Find Brand Deals in China?

Despite the favorable conditions, Indian Instagram influencers face a lot of challenges in penetrating the Chinese market.

For instance, getting payment from Chinese brands can be very difficult due to the lack of international transaction services available in China. Most companies prefer using Tencent’s WeChat for business transactions.

Also, since China has its own version of the internet, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are banned. This raises the question of how Indian Instagram influencers can actually reach out to potential Chinese brands.

However, Indian Instagram influencers can establish brand deals with Chinese brands through Chinese websites or agencies. Although these websites are largely in Chinese, most of them can easily be translated into English.

Some of these platforms are similar to the platforms used in India for influencer marketing. They allow influencers to sign up, build portfolios of their work and wait for brands to contact them.

Some examples of these platforms include:

• Maimai: This is a social media platform similar to LinkedIn. Maimai is designed for business networking. On the platform, influencers can build a professional profile listing their experiences and accomplishments, enabling brands to discover them easily. There are also groups on Maimai where influencers can connect with businesses and build partnerships.
• KOL (Key Opinion Leader) platforms: Just like in India, a number of similar platforms exist in China. Examples of KOL platforms in China include Yollo, KOL Leader and KOL China. These platforms allow influencers to connect with brands that want to work with them, so they don’t have to pitch their ideas directly.
• WeChat: WeChat has become an all-inclusive platform similar to Facebook. Besides being a messaging app, WeChat can be used for transactions, social media and business. Indian influencers can create official accounts to share posts, videos and promote products. They can also join mini-programs to advertise brands and get paid commissions.
• Douyin: On the international stage, Douyin is the Chinese version of Tik Tok, which is also banned in China. Douyin has a greater user base than Tik Tok and Indian influencers can use the app to promote products and earn money. A major difference between the two platforms is that Douyin supports direct shopping, allowing brands to sell products directly to consumers. This means that influencers can now promote products and get paid commissions all from one platform, making it very attractive.

Despite the above options, most influencers in India still feel that getting in touch with Chinese brands can only be done through Chinese agencies. This is due to the added trustworthiness and fact that many Chinese brands still prefer to employ agencies to find influencers for them.

🤑 Payment Options for Indian Instagram Influencers

Like mentioned earlier, payments can be a huge challenge for Indian influencers working with Chinese brands. Most of these companies prefer using Tencent’s WeChat as their go-to payment option.

However, WeChat is highly limited to international businesses, making it very hard for Indian influencers to access their funds. In some cases, these funds can remain locked for over a year before they can be transferred internationally.

One Indian influencer, who did not want to be named, stated that he was contacted by a Chinese mobile phone brand to promote their products. He was reportedly excited about the deal, however, he stated that after signing the contract, he discovered that he would have to bear the costs of shipping. On top of that, he also stated that using WeChat as a payment option would mean that he would only be able to access his payments long after the campaign was over.

Since then, he has opted out of penetrating the Chinese market altogether. He said,

“Unless these companies figure out a better way to pay their influencers, they will continue to miss out on a lot of potential talent.”

In a recent discussion on Quora, an Indian influencer who successfully penetrated the Chinese market shared his experience.

The influencer stated that he used a Chinese agency who helped him land a deal to promote a Chinese game. Not only did he enjoy a comfortable 60% commission on all sales, but he also said that the agency took care of all the payments and transactions.

The influencer stated that he was paid through Alipay instead of WeChat. This is a mobile wallet app very similar to Paytm. Although Alipay is also limited in terms of international payments, the influencer stated that he was able to find a way around it.

He explained that he used his Alipay account to purchase gift cards that can be redeemed for cash. He used his Alipay account to buy the gift cards at a discount, and then sold them to his friends and family at a higher price. In this way, he was able to move his funds into cash without waiting for long periods of time.

The influencer suggested that other influencers should look out for Chinese agencies that prefer using Alipay instead of WeChat. However, he also stated that getting in touch with these agencies can only be done through Chinese social media.

📢 Benefits of Targeting the Chinese Market

So far we have discussed a few challenges that Indian Instagram influencers can face when trying to penetrate the Chinese market.

However, the rewards can outweigh the risks.

Aside from the fact that Chinese brands are well known to pay influencers heftily, penetrating the Chinese market can offer a huge competitive advantage for Indian influencers.

Today, China boasts the highest number of social media users in the world. According to a report by Statista, China has over 1 billion social media users, which translates to a penetration rate of 70% of the total population.

This means that the Chinese market is a goldmine for any influencer. If Indian influencers can be successful in penetrating the Chinese market, it would not only help improve their personal brands but also open more opportunities and doors for many others still in the Indian market.

Becoming a known influencer in the Chinese market also offers Indian influencers the chance to become international KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders). Since the influencer marketing industry only employs around 20% of KOLs, this offers Indian influencers a chance to join an exclusive club that can be immensely beneficial for their careers.

In 2025, influencer marketing is expected to become a $15 billion dollar industry. As more businesses seek to capitalize on the trend, more influencers will flood the market. Becoming an international KOL by establishing brand deals with Chinese brands can help Indian influencers stand out from the crowd and maintain their relevance in the industry.

❗ Challenges Faced by Indian Instagram Influencers in the Chinese Market

Although Indian Instagram influencers can enjoy many benefits in targeting the Chinese market, they are bound to face unique challenges.

As stated before, while Chinese brands are known to pay influencers heftily, they can also be known to place unrealistic expectations on them as well.

From demanding outlandish follower counts to strict deliverables and even impossible timelines, Indian influencers have had to navigate through a minefield of challenges.

Also, the language barrier can pose a huge problem for any Indian influencer wanting to penetrate the Chinese market. Not only can communication be an issue but marketing creatives such as captions and videos may also require translation. This may lead to mismatched expectations and a bad experience on both sides.

Furthermore, Chinese brands can often be known to place a high level of scrutiny on their influencers. Although this is a common practice across all brands, Chinese brands can be known to have higher standards than most. This may lead to a poor working relationship, making it hard for an Indian influencer to work with Chinese brands.

In a recent reply on Quora, a Chinese influencer expressed his displeasure with some Indian influencers who have taken to their market.

He stated that Chinese brands have employed a handful of Indian influencers in the past. However, due to the lack of professionalism and commitment from the influencers, most Chinese brands have since hesitated from working with any more.

He explained that instead of putting time and effort into building their audience, some Indian influencers opted for the shortcut route. He alleged that some of these influencers purchased fake followers to meet brand expectations and perceived market value.

He further stated that the scrutiny of follower counts can be very high when working with KOLs as brands prefer high engagement leads. As a result, Chinese brands were able to discover the deception and end their partnerships with the Indian influencers.

This led to a bad taste in many Chinese brand owners, making them hesitant to work with Indian influencers again.

Conclusion

Although social media is a global phenomenon, the way of its use can vary from country to country.

For example, while many Indians still use Instagram for influencer marketing, Chinese brands have adopted many local apps similar to that of their own.

This creates a unique opportunity for Indian Instagram influencers to penetrate the Chinese market and establish brand deals with Chinese companies through websites, agencies and popular social media platforms.

However, despite the lucrative prospects, Indian Instagram influencers may still encounter unique challenges that can hinder their marketing efforts.

Yet, if they can overcome these challenges, establishing a known reputation in the Chinese market can offer them plenty of benefits including greater commission percentages on sales, securing more brand deals and ultimately grow their influence internationally.

At the same time, it can also open the floodgates for other Indian influencers who may have been hesitant about penetrating the Chinese market.

In a snapshot report of 2025, it was predicted that China would remain a leading source of imports for India. Local businesses will continue to compete with Chinese brands in India’s $ 24 billion market.

This can set the ground for further collaboration between Indian influencers and Chinese brands, as they seek to capitalize on the lucrative Indian market through Chinese products.

In conclusion, India can expect to see a growing number of Indian Instagram influencers seeking to penetrate the Chinese market.