Instagram dominates HK influencer marketing, but XHS surges

Instagram remains the dominant force in Hong Kong's influencer marketing landscape, but Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu is rapidly gaining ground, according to the latest survey from AnyMind. 

Anymind's latest report The State of Influence in Asia 2026, looks at how influencer marketing across APAC shaped up in 2025. The report analyses nearly 7,000 influencer campaigns over a three-year period from 2023 to 2025, drawing insights from 1.1 million+ influencers across 10 markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

In 2025, Instagram was the most used platform for influencer marketing in Hong Kong, capturing a 45.3% share. However, Xiaohongshu saw remarkable growth, reaching 29.2%—the highest usage rate across all APAC regions surveyed. This shift reflects the platform's evolution from a browsing destination into a key research and conversion tool, where intent translates directly into sales.

The strong preference for Instagram highlights the market's demand for aesthetic, high-quality visual content. Xiaohongshu's significant rise, meanwhile, positions it as the leading secondary platform for high-trust product discovery and peer-to-peer reviews.

In terms of industries that leverage influencer marketing the most in 2025, the market is led by lifestyle and home (22.1%), fashion and beauty (13.8%), and food and drink (11%), while personal finance (11.9%) and business (4.2%) increasingly use creators for trust-driven, detailed content.

Despite the use of Xiaohongshu for influencer campaigns at close to 30%, the top three brand industries that spend on influencer marketing still invest heavily on Instagram, for instance, at 91.41% in the food and drink industry.

Meanwhile, fashion and beauty rely primarily on Instagram and YouTube; food and drink industry shows a strong preference for Instagram, whereas personal finance uses Instagram for broad reach and awareness, while turning to YouTube for in-depth educational content that requires trust and detail.

Across all social media platforms in Hong Kong, nano-influencers consistently achieve the highest median engagement rates, with Instagram leading the market at 2.67%. Engagement tends to decline as follower counts increase, particularly on YouTube, where the median rate drops from 1.85% for nano-influencers to just 0.23% for macro-influencers.

Instagram is the clear winner for engagement in Hong Kong, confirming its role as the primary platform for high-value aesthetic and aspirational content. Brands should allocate the core of their performance budget to Instagram, especially when using the nano-tier, where engagement is highest. YouTube's consistently high engagement rates, particularly for nano-influencers, validate its role as the key secondary channel for long-form, high-trust content, and in-depth reviews.

Mark your calendars for 24 June! #Content360 Hong Kong returns with a dynamic, one-day event dedicated to pivotal trends—from the silver economies to breakthrough IP collaborations, sports, and beyond. Let's dive into the art of curating content with creativity, critical thinking and confidence!

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