How Indian Snapchat Influencers Find Brand Deals in China

In 2023, a survey of Indian influencer marketing agencies revealed that more than 51% of Indian brands collaborate only with Indian influencers. Only 37% of brands collaborate with international influencers. But that’s changing.

In just a few months, Chinese brands have progressed from them being niche clients to becoming one of the biggest clientele for influencer marketing agencies ranging from BeLive to Plop and Bolo.

According to Sudhanshu, founder of BeLive, “We have already serviced millions of rupees worth of brand deals for Indian influencers in China, and that will only grow.”

The surge in demand for Indian influencers from China is driven by allegations of pro-Pakistani sentiments by many Chinese nationals on Snapchat and Instagram, and the Chinese government’s crackdown on its citizens for sharing such viewpoints.

📺 Why are Chinese brands interested in India?

In 2021, Sprout Social and Accenture surveyed more than 10,000 consumers worldwide and found that more than 70% of global consumers want additional content in their native language.

According to the same report, more than 30% of Chinese nationals spend their time on social media every day.

This means that an increasing number of Chinese nationals are looking towards India for social media content and products.

📱 Snapchat’s rise in China

Once considered a novelty in China, Snapchat is gaining a faithful following among the younger generation who view it as a way to connect with their peers abroad.

The percentage of Chinese internet users who have ever used Snapchat rose from 2.6% in 2018 to nearly 7% in 2021.

The figure is expected to reach 10% in 2025, resulting in the absolute number of 10 million users.

📱 Why Snapchat?

According to a 2023 survey of more than 60 million users released by Chinese startup MRP, Snapchat users between 18 and 24 years old are the “most valuable” social media users.

They are the most coveted demographic targeted by brands.

Snapchat users in the 18 to 24 years old age group spend six hours and 59 minutes on social media applications every day, the most of any cohort.

Snapchat’s user base in China is expected to grow to more than 10 million active users by 2025.

📱 How are Chinese brands finding Indian influencers?

With the rise of Indian influencers in China, marketing agencies in China are finding Indian influencers through social media exploration.

In August 2023, Suruchi, a notable Indian Snapchat influencer, received a message from the WeChat id of a Chinese marketing agency named PingAn.

Suruchi was asked by the marketing agency to introduce more Indian influencers to them.

❗ How are Indian influencers getting paid by Chinese brands?

Marketing agencies in China have collaborated with Indian digital wallets.

According to Suruchi, “If the campaign fee is INR 10,000, I will receive INR 7,000 in my Indian bank account, and INR 3,000 in my Indian wallet.”

💸 How much are Indian influencers getting paid for deals with Chinese brands?

Snapchat influencers in China have received anywhere between INR 5,000 to INR 50,000 for a single post, and INR 10,000 to INR 100,000 for a single video.

The founders of the marketing agencies suggest that payments are made in digital currencies, implying that many of them get a large chunk of their payment in cryptocurrencies.

📞 How do Indian influencers communicate with Chinese brands?

Marketing agencies in China have also collaborated with translation applications.

“There is a significant language barrier, as most Chinese can only speak or write Chinese. But thanks to partner applications, we had no trouble communicating,” said Suruchi.

📱 Do Indian influencers trust Chinese brands?

In August 2023, a famous Indian actor was scammed by a popular Chinese charity.

People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, reported that members of the organization were from an international Internet scam group based in South Africa.

They falsely promoted themselves as volunteers from a Chinese charity in order to defraud people in India.

Despite this example of scams, Chinese brands are still willing to risk it for Indian influencers.

❗ Do Indian influencers have to pay anything to get deals with Chinese brands?

While Indian influencers working with Chinese brands face very few barriers, there are some basic requirements.

Indian influencers must have over 50,000 followers and clear profiles on multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

Indian influencers must also have the ability to create engaging videos.

💬 What do Indian influencers think of Chinese brands?

Despite the opportunity to earn money provided by Chinese brands, several Indian influencers have voiced their disapproval.

Indian Snapchat influencer Akanksha stated, “I was shocked when a Chinese firm wanted to sponsor me for an ad campaign. Although it is a great opportunity, I am not interested in moving forward.”

💸 How do Chinese brands find Indian influencers?

It was mentioned earlier that Indian influencers are getting paid in cryptocurrencies.

According to Kaiwen, a Chinese marketing executive, “Cryptocurrencies are borderless in nature. They solve the payment problems faced by Chinese brands when collaborating with Indian influencers.”

💬 What do Chinese brands think of Indian influencers?

According to Kaiwen, “The only requirement for Indian influencers is to stay away from geopolitics in their campaigns. We cannot afford to sponsor sentiments against China, as many already believe that India is leaning towards the West.”