How to Register a Toutiao Business Account ?

• Toutiao is a news aggregation app launch in 2012 owned by Bytedance (tiktok-douyin).  It has an average of 120 million daily users. Users spend an average of 73 minutes a day on the app even surpassing wechat.  With a gender ratio of 3/2, the app is in majority used by young males. 85% of them being aged between 18 and 30. Toutiao users are leaving for the most in 1st and 2nd tiers cities. It is interesting to note that 41.3% of the user’s database holds at least a bachelor’s degrees and 37.8% of them are freelancer or work in a private company.
• The app has a very sophisticated targeting AI that offers personalized content to each user but also makes it a great platform for ads. The ads appear in the users feed, great place for your ads to be read. Content creators share Toutiao’s ad revenue, and the platform also rewards them for hitting certain targets. More than 200 000 articles and video are published every day on the app and also recently launched mini-programs. The sources of the post and video are diverse from officials media, blogs but also more 800.000 private publishers.
• Also, good to know that Toutiao is not a closed network like wechat. In this regard, users don’t have to be connected first to view content from an Official Account. Which is a great new for you if you are thinking of putting uploading your content there.

Create a Toutiao Official Account Steps by Steps

Before getting into the creation details, should you create a toutiao account? Well, If you are an e-commerce company it may not be one of your priority, but if your core business is content, it is a good idea. Why? Unless wechat or weibo, the app is focus on content and there are no functions in app that can get your readers attention and the content is ultra targeted allowing you to reach an audience that care for your content. Now, with the massive amount of publishers and click bait you will still have to work on publishing great content to set yourself apart

Let’s check step by steps how to create a publisher  account by yourself:

Everything starts on Toutiao Website. On the left top click on 头条产品 (Toutiao Product). Select 头条号 from the drop- down menu and click on it.

Then click on  注册 (Register)

You will be asked to enter and confirm your Chinese phone number. To register with an email address click on  邮件注册

Once this step is done, you will have to fill in information about you

What is your  account type: Personal Media, States institutes enterprise, educational groups, NGO etc

Your Account name. It needs to be related to your business and count 2 to 10 words.

After feeling all the required information about your business, write a short intro. It needs to be 10 to 30 characters. Emoji and special punctuation are not allowed as well as contact  info or your website link.

Upload a profile picture and keep in mind that QR code are not allowed (optimize size is less than 5M and 200x200px)

After completing your profile you have the option to upload more documents about your business. Mandatory documents are a Business license scan in image format (file max size is 2m)

The app requires you to download, fill in and scan a word documents. Click on” download” the file to fill in: company name, website, account name, ID for person in charge of managing account, date, signature and seal. You then need to upload the scan document.

On the same page, fill in the last information asked: URL (optional) and location and email information to receive notification. click on agree 请同意. You will receive another verification ID in order to complete the registration.

Once you are done on the desktop platform, finish your the ID verification via the mobile app. In order to DL the app, look for 今日头条 . The app should be released by Beijing Bytedance Technology Cp., Ltd.

To log in, enter the phone number you previously used to register on desktop and wait for the verification code or log in with phone and password.

Next Step, once in the app click on 我的 (mine). You will have to upload a picture of your ID card and go through the face recognition. You’ll be shown 4 digits that you’ll have to read in chinese  mandarin in a 3 to 6 second video.

You will then be notified if your application is successful or not. Count about 5 minutes. Once your account is fully validated you can start publishing.

Now that you are set up, start publishing quality, valuable content. In the same way that you would need someone to manage comments on wechat, weibo, xiaohongshu etc… you will need someone to take care of it on toutiao. Do a good job with your posts, and they will be  shared on others social media platforms and possibly get viral. Whatever is brand about, you will need visibility to have netizen interested in it. Toutiao might not be the first app you would think about it, but can be a good plus to your marketing effort in China.

Digital marketing is always moving and this is particularly true in China. It is not always easy to  follow with the changes but if you are looking into new options for your digital marketing strategy in China then you are set for success. If Toutiao sounds like a good fit for you but you are not comfortable with it, contact-us, and we will discuss your project.

For more information about this innovative platform, Don’t hesitate to contact us! We have the right solutions for your Business