Over the past five years, TikTok has become synonymous (in the West, anyway) with the short-video medium. At its peak in 2024, it was home to 1.9 billion content creators and users globally.
Unfortunately, however, TikTok does not work within China. Instead, Chinese citizens use TikTok’s sister app, Douyin.
Today, I will explain why there is a separate app within China as well as the different types of Douyin accounts and how to set them up.
Summary
- Douyin has 750M+ monthly users and is China’s leading short video app.
- It’s separate from TikTok and requires a different setup process.
- Foreign businesses need help from a China-based partner to register official accounts.
- Verified accounts unlock features like website links, product tags, and search visibility.
Why Are There Two Apps?
Douyin and TikTok are fundamentally the same apps, except the latter is the international version. Why did the company choose to have it this way?
One answer may be China’s “Internet sovereignty” policy, which aims to protect its Internet from certain websites outside the country. Here is the exact wording:
“The principle of sovereignty applies in cyberspace. States should exercise jurisdiction over the ICT infrastructure, resources, data as well as ICT-related activities within their territories, and have the rights to protect their information systems and important data against damage resulting from threats, interference, attack and sabotage. States have the right to make ICT-related public policies, laws and regulations to protect legitimate interests of their citizens, enterprises and social organizations. States should refrain from using ICTs to interfere in internal affairs of other States and undermine their political, economic and social stability, or to conduct activities that undermine other States’ national security and public interests. States should participate in the management and distribution of international Internet resources on equal footings, and build a global Internet governance system of multilateralism, democracy and transparency.”
Because of this law, individuals and companies outside China are prohibited from opening an account on Douyin…at least without the assistance of someone within the country.
If this is something you are interested in, please read on to see the different available account options.
The Two Types of Douyin Accounts
Users can choose between two types of accounts on Douyin:
- Personal
- Business
Let’s look at each.
How to Set Up a Douyin Personal Account
Personal accounts are open to anyone, so long as they have a Chinese phone number. These require little hassle to open, though if you want to verify yourself, you’ll need to
- have at least one video published,
- at least 10,000 followers, and
- a telephone associated with your account.
However, fewer marketing and business options are available to those who choose this type of account. For those truly serious about marketing on Douyin, opening a business account is a better option.
Keep in mind that the benefit of a personal account is that it can be created without needing to provide documentation. If creating more brand awareness is what you want, this option might be for you.
How To Set Up a Douyin Business Account
Like with many other social media apps and websites, companies or individuals can set up business accounts to be granted more benefits, but that requires more effort to verify.
First, you’ll need to go to this link, where you’ll be greeted with the following screen.
To begin verification, tap the 立即认证 or “Verify Now” button.
The QR code below will appear.
Scan this to get a verification form.
On this form, you will be asked questions like “What is your name?” (用户名称) and “What type of account do you have?” (主体类型).
The form will also ask for a cover letter expressing your intentions to verify your business on Douyin. Nanjing Marketing Group is happy to help with this. We also assist our clients with name selection and account setup on multiple platforms. (We suggest providing an English and Chinese letter, which we can help translate.)
You will then need to wait five business days for your application to be processed, and once approved, it will cost 600 CNY every year.
With a verified business account, you get the following five benefits.
#1. A badge verifying you’re real: This is very important in China. While the situation has improved immensely over the past decade, there is always a chance that someone will try to impersonate you, especially if you’re a famous brand.
A blue checkmark under an account name denotes verification. This will also allow your profile to appear at the top whenever someone searches for your company’s name.
#2. Classy Background: Business accounts can customize their profile’s background to make their brand stand out more.
#3. Pinned Videos: Business accounts can pin three videos at the top of their interfaces.
#4. Link to Your Website: Official accounts can leave a link to send Douyin users to your official website.
This feature may seem a given, but Douyin prevents ordinary accounts from leaving contact info, and those who break this rule will be banned from the app for at least three days.
Unfortunately, foreign companies cannot link to a website without applying for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) license, which can only be obtained for China-based websites. Therefore, if you want to link your Douyin account with a website, you’ll need to set up a Chinese website based in China.
#5. Cart Icon: To make it easier to sell products, official account owners can place a cart icon in their videos to direct users to where they can make a purchase.
Douyin Shops
Douyin also offers business accounts the ability to set up a shop on the app, but, unfortunately, this is not something we can help with. Nevertheless, it is something you may want to consider in the future.
Contact Nanjing Marketing Group
In the future, we cannot say for certain whether the regulations around Douyin will change and international companies will be given more ability to use the app for marketing purposes.
Still, even now, there are ways for companies to set themselves up on the app. Account creation and registration will just require businesses to adhere to China’s “Internet sovereignty” law. For any company that wants to get set up on Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese twin sister, Nanjing Marketing Group is here to help you through the process.
For more info on Douyin, check out our articles on our website.