On September 16, at the 2026 Xiaohongshu LINK Creator Partner Week, the platform systematically outlined its commercial growth pathway for creators for the first time and introduced Cura, an AI assistant designed to help them generate income more effectively. Data released at the event shows that the number of buyers earning revenue in the first half of 2026 grew by 118% year-on-year.
The conference also unveiled the LINK commercial value system for creators, the LINK 100 list of high-value commercial creators, and four buyer growth support initiatives. These efforts span pathways, tools, evaluation standards, and support policies, aiming to build a complete framework that transitions creators from content production to long-term business operations and enables broader monetization opportunities.
"Commercialization provides creators with the confidence to keep producing, while diversified operations drive follower growth and income gains," said Xuan Shuang, General Manager of Xiaohongshu's Creator Marketing and Commercial Services division. The platform, she noted, offers a supportive commercial environment along with tools such as brand deals, live-streaming sales, storefronts, and blue links, ensuring creators receive sustainable returns and continue sharing on the platform.
Drawing on platform practices, Xuan Shuang outlined the commercialization trajectory for creators on Xiaohongshu: starting with Pugongying brand deals, creators deliver seed-based content through custom sponsorships, Super Player campaigns, crowd testing, and store visits to build follower trust. Once content consistently sparks purchase intent, they can adopt the "seed-and-sell" model—combining marketing with e-commerce—to evolve from purely advertising-driven content creators into buyers capable of product selection and transaction management, thereby unlocking multi-channel operations.
Xiaohongshu has also rolled out various product tools to help bloggers refine content operations, product curation, and audience engagement. On brand-creator collaboration, the "seed-sell linkage" feature enables brands to place Pugongying deals and livestream orders in one click, simplifying creators' operational workload. For product selection, a "friendly merchant" system filters items based on user reviews and repeat purchase rates, easing the curation burden. On the audience front, the "fan group" feature provides creators with dedicated tools for community management.
A major highlight of the event was the debut of Cura, an AI assistant for Xiaohongshu's commercial creators, described by the platform as their "digital talent agent." Xu Qing, Head of Pugongying and Seed Products at Xiaohongshu, explained that moving from pure content output to business management demands significant effort, and Cura will handle routine tasks like information organization and data analysis, freeing creators to concentrate on content expression, user insight, and core business decisions. The product is currently planned for testing with seed users.
Xiaohongshu CMO Zhihang added: "Following our goals of nurturing great products and great merchants, this year we've set a new commercialization objective—bringing creators to center stage." The aim, he said, is to work alongside the community to increase creator visibility and make their monetization journeys smoother, more efficient, and more sustainable.