New RedNote Users From the U.S. Are Having a Hard Time Going Live on the App
RedNote is a potential TikTok alternative.
Updated Jan. 15 2025, 9:12 a.m. ET
If you're like one of millions of TikTok users who have considered turning to RedNote as an alternative short form video app, you might be wondering how to go live on RedNote. While it might not be the only alternative to TikTok, RedNote is quite similar in style, and TikTok users are reporting back to others that the Chinese creators on the app have been nothing but welcoming.
When it comes to posting videos and going live on RedNote, however, things are a bit different. Even the most successful content creators on TikTok might have a hard time getting a lot of followers and views right away on videos that may have worked for them on TikTok. And going live requires a bit more from RedNote users than a hefty following.
How do you go live on RedNote?
Following the onslaught of TikTok users who jumped from the potentially soon-to-be banned app to RedNote came a ton of TikTok videos of those same users with questions about how to use the Chinese app. For starters, its primary language is Mandarin, which is a feat in itself. But once English-speaking users figured out how to change the language settings, they were able to start making content.
But, it turns out, going live on RedNote is a lot more complicated than posting a funny video that a new user hopes will go viral. According to multiple users on RedNote who are still on TikTok, RedNote users have to share their identification with a valid passport in order to be approved to go live. But even if American users do that, they still won't be able to go live on RedNote. At least not yet, anyway.
As of now, only Chinese users with a valid Chinese ID can go live on RedNote. American users can join a live stream session, but they cannot host their own. With the number of American and English-speaking TikTok users flocking to RedNote, this policy might change. But for now, none of the new users from the United States have reported having luck going live on RedNote.
One user shared on TikTok that when they tried to go live on RedNote, they were prompted to share their passport photo and details, which they were hesitant about. But if they also have to have a valid Chinese ID, then they would be out of luck going live regardless.
Can you make money on RedNote?
RedNote isn't just like TikTok, but it's close to it. And some successful creators on TikTok have already started to wonder how they can bring that same success to their accounts on RedNote. Like TikTok, users on RedNote who manage to sell products can earn commissions from those sales. So the more followers they have, the more likely they are to make money on RedNote.
The hard part, of course, is building a presence on the China-based app from the ground up. And if U.S.-based RedNote users are unable to go live, it can deter additional chances at making money on the app. At least, for the time being.