Click-through rate is the first number to check on any Xiaohongshu note, because every other metric sits downstream of it. A note has to be opened before it can be liked, saved or commented on. This guide explains what the dashboard calls impressions, reads and click-through rate, where to find each of them in 2026, how to compute the rate when the app does not show it directly, and how to read the result without a benchmark you cannot trust.
The three numbers, defined
Digitaling’s Xiaohongshu glossary (13 August 2024) defines them as the platform uses them.
- 曝光量 (impressions, or reach): the number of times a note was shown on the discovery feed or a search results page. This is the top of the funnel and the closest thing to “reach” the dashboard offers.
- 阅读量 (reads, the “little eyes” count): the number of times users opened the note. Repeat views by the same user are counted again.
- 点击率 (click-through rate): clicks divided by impressions. On Xiaohongshu that is reads ÷ impressions, which is why it is also called the open rate. Some English-language dashboards and agencies call the same number the view ratio.
If a note is shown to 1,000 people and 150 of them open it, the CTR is 15%.
Where to find them in 2026
Xiaohongshu revises its creator tools often, so the menu labels below are as reported by guides published between June 2025 and August 2026. The metric names stay stable even when the menus move.
1. In the app. Open 我 (Me), tap the menu in the top-left corner, and open 创作中心 (Creator Centre; some versions label it 创作者中心). Under 数据中心 (Data Centre), open 笔记分析 (Note Analysis) for per-note reads, likes, saves, comments and shares. Accounts upgraded to a professional account (专业号) also see impressions per note, and reach a professional-account centre through settings.
2. On the web. creator.xiaohongshu.com shows the same data with longer date ranges and per-note detail, which is the easier place to compare notes over a month.
3. For sponsored notes, on the brand side. Notes declared through 蒲公英 (Pugongying, the official creator marketplace at pgy.xiaohongshu.com) give the brand a report with impressions and reads for each declared note, which is often fuller than the creator’s own view.
4. If the rate is not shown directly. Menus and labels change between app versions, and the rate is not always presented as a number. When impressions and reads are visible, compute it yourself: reads ÷ impressions. Keep the two raw numbers in your own sheet, because a computed rate can be compared across notes and months regardless of how the app presents it.
What a “good” CTR is
The 2024 version of this guide said 11% was acceptable. That figure was unattributed and has been removed. There is no public 2026 benchmark for Xiaohongshu CTR, and any single number would mislead anyway, because the rate depends on where the impression came from: a note surfaced by a search query is opened by someone who was looking for it, while a note in the discovery feed competes with everything else on the screen. Three comparisons are worth more than any benchmark.
- Your own median. After twenty notes you have a baseline. A note at half the median has a cover or title problem; a note at twice the median has something worth repeating.
- By traffic source. Where the dashboard splits impressions between search and discovery (newer versions also show the recommendation share, 首页推荐占比), compare CTR within each source, not across them.
- By note type. Video, carousel and single-image notes will not share a rate. Compare like with like.
Reading the funnel
| What you see | What it usually means | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| High impressions, low reads | The cover or the title is failing: the platform showed the note and people scrolled past | Cover and title, nothing else |
| High reads, low likes and saves | The note was opened but did not deliver on its promise | The content, or the promise the title made |
| Low impressions overall | Distribution, not CTR: weak early engagement, or no search keywords in the title | Keywords in the title and tags; publish when followers are active |
| High CTR from search, low from discovery | The title matches queries but the cover does not stop a scroll | The cover |
Fixing the wrong stage is the most common waste. A note with a strong CTR and poor engagement does not need a new cover.
Improving CTR: what to test
Only the cover and the title influence CTR, because they are all a user sees before opening. Test one at a time.
- Cover: a clear subject, readable text on the image stating the payoff, and a contrast with what the category usually looks like. Avoid anything that reads as an advertisement.
- Title: state the value or the tension in plain words, include the search keyword a reader would type, and keep the number if there is one. The title section of the Xiaohongshu brand guide covers the patterns.
- Timing: does not change CTR directly, but posting when followers are online front-loads the reads that trigger further distribution. See Best times to post on Xiaohongshu in 2026.
Run each test across at least five notes before deciding. A single note’s CTR is noise.
For brands: CTR is also an AI-visibility number
A Xiaohongshu note that is opened, saved and discussed is a note that Chinese AI assistants such as DeepSeek, Kimi and Doubao can draw on when a user asks about a brand or category. That makes the CTR funnel part of a brand’s AI-visibility work, not only its social reporting. Tocanan’s GEO monitoring tracks whether the mentions appear, in Chinese and Western engines, and the Xiaohongshu guide explains why the platform matters for that. For sponsored notes, the same funnel feeds the campaign metrics in Xiaohongshu KOL metrics and KPIs for brands.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see my Xiaohongshu post’s click-through rate? In the app: 我 → top-left menu → 创作中心 → 数据中心 → 笔记分析, or on the web at creator.xiaohongshu.com. If the rate is not shown directly, divide reads by impressions yourself.
What is a good click-through rate on Xiaohongshu? There is no reliable public benchmark in 2026. Compare a note with your own account’s median, within the same traffic source and note type.
Does Tocanan report Xiaohongshu CTR for brands? Tocanan reads the impressions-to-reads funnel from client dashboards and declared-note reports as part of its Xiaohongshu and AI-visibility work. It publishes no generic benchmark, because the number depends on category and traffic source.
Sources
- Digitaling, 吐血整理！小红书超全名词解释合集, 13 August 2024. Definitions of 曝光量, 阅读量, 点击率 and 互动率: https://www.digitaling.com/articles/1248365.html
- 极致了数据, 小红书数据分析在哪里看：我整理的3个主要入口, 6 August 2026. The three entry points and the per-note metrics: https://www.jzl.com/news/xhs-data-24
- 九数云, 小红书怎么查看数据分析？完整教程, 13 June 2025. Professional-account data centre and impressions: https://www.jiushuyun.com/blog/ds/26884.html
- 极致了数据, 小红书笔记数据怎么看？运营人必须掌握的5大核心指标, 16 June 2026. Recommendation share and completion rate: https://www.jizhil.com/xhsdata/14091.html
- Digitaling, 小红书报备笔记，如何做数据分析？, 28 September 2023. Brand-side impressions and reads for declared notes: https://www.digitaling.com/articles/984682.html