Platform Identity Through Slogan: Rednote’s Transformation
How a Slogan Redefined an App’s Position?
Rednote is undergoing a clear shift in its content structure: its slogan has changed from “your life guide”(你的生活指南) in 2022 to “your life interest community”(你的生活兴趣社区). This transformation not only changes the types of content on the platform, but also redefines why users stay, why they look for each other, and why they are willing to invest time and emotion. Compared with platforms that emphasize utility, Rednote now centers its content system on “interest,” and interest-driven connections tend to build longer-term relationships than purely functional information.
Rednote is declaring: I am a community, not just a tool.
From a content perspective, the core of Rednote’s UGC is not simple “experience sharing,” but the connection between people and the long-term relationship between users and content. Users are not just consuming information—they are searching for a cluster of needs, identities, and emotions reflected in the content. This structure requires the platform to balance long-tail value and mainstream content: giving niche interests a chance to be seen, while also keeping space for more universal forms of expression. This also aligns with Seth Godin’s idea: In today’s digital age, we cannot please everyone. Instead, we should create something worth talking about and focus on a small group of people, then let this group help spread our ideas.
This shift turns user interaction from functional Q&A into ongoing connections built around lifestyle and aesthetics. For example, content that used to dominate the platform, such as “New York rental guide”, was mainly tool-based, focusing on actionable information. Today, interest-based posts, and even simple emotional sharing, are more likely to be recommended. These posts may not be “useful,” but they generate recognition and resonance, making users more willing to stay, comment, and follow a creator’s life over time.
This evolving content ecosystem has also attracted many TikTok refugees to Rednote. Under TikTok’s fast-paced recommendation system, creation relies heavily on trends, performative style, and extremely short attention windows, making it difficult for users to build stable, continuous expression. In contrast, Rednote’s photo-text posts, slower-paced videos, and community discussions offer a different rhythm. Here, expression can feel more like everyday life, content can be more authentic, and interaction becomes more continuous.
So what should creators do to adjust their content strategy in this new environment?
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