Over the past few years, WeChat has rolled out a series of gradual but significant changes to its content ecosystem. From content formats and exposure to the way users access service accounts, these updates are reshaping how brands maintain visibility and reach audience on the platform.
The Rise of Image Feed (圖文消息/貼圖)
Image Feed is becoming harder to ignore. Unlike traditional long-form WeChat article, image feed is lighter and more visual driven, allowing brands and creators to publish in a format that feels more engaging at first sight. For brands already creating visual assets for Rednote, much of this content can also be repurposed for WeChat image feed. That said, careful adaptation of tone and copywriting is still essential to better resonate with WeChat’s audience.
What makes image feed important is also where it is starting to appear within WeChat. A dedicated section appears near the top of the default search result page, while users can switch to a separate tab that displays only image feed content. A similar setup is also available on Official Account profile page, where the tab for image feed is positioned more prominently than the article tab.
The Changing Impact of Service Account
For years, brands have relied on WeChat service account pushes to stay visible in users’ chat lists. However, these individual chats have gradually been grouped into one “Service Account Folder”, similar to the existing subscription account model. Followers now need to actively open the folder to check for new content, which may make new pushes less immediately visible than before.
The prominence of image feed can also be seen within the service account folder, where it is given a dedicated section in a highly visible position. Unlike articles, users can continue scrolling from one image feed post to another, creating a viewing experience that feels closer to Rednote’s feed-based interface. As service account reach becomes more limited, image feed may become increasingly important for brands looking to maintain visibility on WeChat.
WeChat visibility is not disappearing, but becoming more dependent on how brands navigate the platform. INITSOC remains closely attuned to these platform changes and continues to help brands adapt to WeChat’s evolving content ecosystem. If your team is exploring new approaches to WeChat content strategy, feel free to reach out — we’d be happy to discuss how we moving forward.
