RedNote case study

Page one
on RedNote

Creator-led search results for one of our clients — a Malaysian phone retailer. Every screenshot is live in the app today.

Results

What it delivered

1_st pageNational query

1_st pageCity query

Top brandFirst named shop in the opening screen of 4 · city query

NamedBy RedNote’s own AI, unpaid

RM0.89^*Cost per engagement

44Saves per 100 likes

^* Cost per engagement varies widely by industry. A broad, price-led retail category engages far more cheaply than a narrow, considered purchase — expect a higher figure in a specialist category, offset by a far higher value per customer.

Search ranking

Third of four — on a national query

RedNote shows four notes per screen. Page one is four results.

1Second-hand buyback listing2

2Apple’s own trade-in programme143

3Our client’s creator note190

4Samsung CompAsia trade-in136

Most-liked note on the page — above Apple’s and Samsung’s own content. Earned, not paid.

Search results with the client note third at 190 likes — “trade in phone”

Search ranking

And again on every region we track

Two of four results on a city search. A state-level query returns them again — and on the city query they are the first named shop to appear.

The shopfront sign is legible in the result thumbnail, so the brand registers before anyone clicks.

Two client notes among four results — “KL trade in phone” — two of four results

Client note in top results at 70 likes — “Selangor buy phone” — in the top results

AI visibility

RedNote’s own AI recommends them

“…has several branches across the Klang Valley, specialising in trade-ins. Bring your old phone for a valuation, pay the difference to upgrade, or swap down and take the difference in cash. Very flexible.” RedNote’s AI assistant, asked where to trade in a second-hand phone. Unprompted, unpaid, labelled “AI-generated”.

A position no advertising budget buys directly.

RedNote AI naming the client among three shops — Named among three shops

Intent

The comments are buying questions

Where is it? Do you have the address?
How much for an iPhone 15, 512GB?
Do you accept Redmi?
Are they genuine units?
I have an old phone too · I want to go and see · Bookmarking this

Creators answered on the brand’s behalf, unpaid — “they have new and second-hand”, “you’ll need to ask in-store”.

Intent

In their own words

Comment thread on price and authenticity — Price & authenticity

Comment asking where the shop is — Asking for the address

Positive discovery comments — Discovery reactions

Note found via in-app search — Found by searching, later

Longevity

Notes keep climbing after publication

Paid ads stop the day you stop paying. A ranked note keeps earning.

Creator	Week 1	Latest	Growth
翠翠带你吃喝玩乐	110	190	+73%
橙伍零	58	70	+21%
啦啦是我我是啦啦	79	95	+20%
小抹茶	143	151	+6%

Each note is tracked one week after going live. Latest figures read live from the app.

Reach beyond your own posts

Seeded into threads where buyers already are

A comment on a stranger’s post — someone selling a used iPad. Seven likes, fifteen comments, every reader already trading a device.

@[client] — the harga (price) they give is really good
Hi, they do buyback here — worth asking

The @mention is a live link to the brand. Follower count is irrelevant; intent is the targeting.

Comment thread on a third-party sale post — A stranger’s sale thread

The content

It reads like a person, not an ad

$Creator note with brand checklist$

151 likes · 89 saves. Caption worries about being Tipu (Malay: cheated) — real code-switching, not agency copy.

Creator note showing a storefront — **95 likes · 19 saves.** “Meant to have a look… ended up swapping mine.” No offer, no discount, no CTA.

Real creators. Her feed runs cafés, Watsons, omakase. The client’s note sits among them at 107 likes.

Best performing

Four notes worth opening

Best overallJpei253 likes · 157 saves More saves than likes爱探店的袋鼠57 likes · 60 saves Most conversationKathleen 趣玩食探185 likes · 37 comments Not a fluke翠翠带你吃喝玩乐110 likes · 81 saves

Links open in the RedNote app.

Why this applies

Same shape of business

The client above	TAG Dental
Physical stores — people have to walk in	A clinic — patients have to attend
Selling direct to consumers	Selling direct to patients
Ranked across several states — KL, Selangor, national	Rank across Johor and Singapore
High-intent searches: “trade in phone”	High-intent searches: “JB dentist”, “JB implant”

Same play, one border wider. Cross-border search is the same behaviour as cross-state — someone comparing options before they travel.

1

Weeks 1–3 · Launch

Account opened, search demand mapped, competitors scanned, content pillars and first calendar set.

2

Month 1–2 · Publish

Notes and KOC engagements running monthly. Daily comment sweeps. Two tracked search terms.

3

Month 3 · Rank

First keyword positions, saves trending, enquiries reported. Review and widen.

Search presence is a three-to-six month build, not a thirty-day one.

In short

Page one is four results.
We put clients in them.

Earned rankings, not paid placement — and they keep working long after the campaign.