The Complete WeChat Account Setup Guide

There is no app in the western digital hemisphere quite as polyvalent or as omnipresent as Tencent’s WeChat (or 微信, Wei Xin in Chinese) is in China. The social network/chat hybrid has skyrocketed to over 1.1 billion registered users and more impressively 549 million Monthly Active Users in just over 4 of years, making it the planet’s second most popular messaging app.

Surrounded by some mind-boggling statistics (like an 80% mobile penetration rate, an estimated 10 million jobs created or even 60% of its users opening the app at least 10x/day) and everybody from Starbucks to the Chinese Communist Party using it, it has become an undeniable landmark in the digital scene worldwide. And there is no slowing down in sight.

The true potential of what has been dubbed by Forbes as “one of the world’s most powerful apps” lies in the crucial fact that beyond messaging and it having a user base equivalent to 1/12 of the world population, it is a mobile integration platform. In other words, it allows the savvy marketer to use WeChat’s APIs to develop a customized page integrating features such as payments, semantic processing, loyalty programs, promotions and coupons, market segmentation, analytics and so much more. 3rd party plugins have made their appearance, taking the possibilities for platform providers and businesses to a whole new, WordPress–esque level, allowing Official Accounts to work with multiple providers simultaneously. WeChat is beyond a simple messaging app: it’s an ecosystem within itself that includes e-commerce, POS integration, customer service and social.

Excited yet? You should be. WeChat offers an unprecedented way to engage users in a complex and personal way. But before doing so, it is vital that you understand a variety of set-up factors and credentials which will determine who you will be able to reach out to and in which way. The following guide will cover the current options, their implications, and requirements.

Before getting into the account types, it is important to understand that WeChat currently exists in two versions: the Chinese Wei Xin and the international WeChat. This is of the highest importance in making sure you reach your desired user base and here’s why: International accounts can only be accessed by WeChat users, whereas Chinese accounts can be accessed by both WeChat and Wei Xin users. In other words if you are trying to engage with users in mainland China, which is quite likely, you’ll be needing a Chinese Wei Xin account.

Setting up a Chinese Wei Xin account outside of China has stirred up quite some confusion among users in regards to the documents needed, the most suitable account type and even the procedure itself. The internet is fraught with guides and how-tos which add to the confusion rather than assist with clarification.

This article will focus on Chinese Official Accounts, namely the ones you would be using to create a presence as a business, celebrity or organization wanting to engage Chinese customers inside China.

There are 3 different official types of accounts: subscription, service and enterprise, out of which only the first two are relevant channels in an external marketing strategy. Enterprise accounts are Tencent’s take on internal company communications and project management and therefore omitted for the purposes of this article.

Next, there are two different kinds of public accounts which can be opened: personal and business, also called individual or organization. Both require a Chinese ID: the individual will require a mobile phone number and the organization a business license. A personal account will be up and running in about 3 days whereas a business account will require up to 7 working days.

The main difference between the official types of accounts is that you’ll be restricted to subscription accounts if signing up with a personal account, unless you’re a celebrity or have the required Chinese business documentation.

Last but not least, accounts can be verified, which will not only legitimize the account but also unlock additional features and increase its visibility. Moving on.

Subscription Account:

This is the type of account you would choose if your main goal and service with your account is content. A basic custom menu is also available. It would be the most appropriate type for any form of media company. This works for individuals and companies alike.

The account’s focus is on the frequency with which you can reach your subscribers. The price to pay for daily engagement is the content positioning in a user’s feed and the technical limitations to which your page will be submitted, mainly the lack of micro-sites  and limited customization. Here are some of the technical characteristics of subscription accounts:

– 1 push message/day (non-push articles can be sent with no limit) grouped with other subscription  accounts in a folder. Users will receive a notification when entering the app.
– Lack of push notifications, geo-localization, voice recognition, multiple QR codes, user data collection, payments and e-commerce.
– Must use the basic API as-is, no custom menus or menu interface available unless your account is verified. If verified, basic modifications of the menu are possible: three level-one menus in which each can include up to five level-two menus.
– Businesses must get their accounts verified after one year.
– Verifying your service account will allow you to access and use some advanced  features such as survey cards, voucher cards (creation and management of coupons, boarding passes, gift certificates, loyalty cards), WiFi hotspot manager (“Businesses  can track who connects to their wifi and promote their official account and offers”)  and PPC Advertising.

Service Account

This is the type of account you would choose if you are planning on delivering a service, and developing communication and close contact with your followers in a more brand-conscious manner. It allows for the potential of the WeChat platform to be used to its fullest: games, interactive services, e-commerce, and more. Content can be served and will be highly visible, but it’s frequency highly reduced .  It is definitely the most efficient account to collect and use data but it can only be run by an organization.

–  4 messages per month/1 per week with a higher visibility than subscription accounts: the messages appear alongside personal contacts and are accompanied by a push notification.
–  The basic menu modifications are available to verified and unverified accounts alike.
–  Verifying your service account allows for the most complete account type available as this gives access to the Advanced API. The following features will become available: push notifications, voice recognition, WeChat and 3rd party e-commerce, survey cards, WiFi hotspot manager,  PPC Advertising, online and offline QR code payments , multi-agent software (“customer service software for multiple agents, notifications and prepared replies”), Hardware interface (wearable tech interactivity)

Available To All Accounts 

On top of the features mentioned above, here are the features available to all three account types.

– Broadcast messaging: General or targeted by custom groups, gender, location, etc
– Direct messaging: Users must engage with the account first. The latter then has a 24 hour time frame in which to respond to the user.
– Follower management: Possibility to view profiles, manage them in groups and add aliases.
– Content: Images, audio, video, multimedia cards.
– Analytics: statistical data and reports on followers, engagement, messages, etc.
– Access to basic developer tools: Forwarding (forward messages and report events, e.g. new followers, to your own server in XML format), Auto Reply (set keyword trigger to automatically send responses or welcome messages), Speech Recognition (process follower voice messages to enable speech to text and voice commands).

Verified service or enterprise accounts have access to the advanced developer tools, which further demonstrate WeChat’s full potential and power from a marketing perspective. These include:

– User management: import/export your user database, read basic profile information and edit user’s nicknames and groups.
– User location: API to call user’s location at start of every chat or every five seconds: requires users to opt in.
– Custom menu:  more flexibility to create custom features and behaviors with menus.
– Direct messaging: asynchronous API for text, image, audio, video, music and multimedia messaging.
– Broadcast messaging: advanced targeting options to demographics, groups, or by list of OpenIDs.
– File Transfers: upload/download multimedia content to WeChat servers. All media deleted after three days.
– OAUTH 2.0: Allow users to log-in to your app or mobile site using their WeChat credentials.
– QR code generator: Create QR codes for account follows and opens that report custom parameters at scanning. Useful to measure success of O2O campaigns and QR Code placements.
– URL Shortener: allows developers to keep QR codes with lots of data simple and fast scanning.
– Use the product, inventory, shipping and order management API in synchronization with other retail platforms.
– Transaction messaging: event based messages for booking order or payment status confirmations and status updates.
–  Card vouchers: advanced interface for managing digital coupons, tickets, gift certificates and loyalty cards.
– Semantic Processing: API to parse natural language messages into programmatic language.
– Web Tools: Various tools to optimize how webpages will be displayed within the WeChat app.

Registration and set up of a public account has to be done on a PC and is free of cost, although completing the process as a foreigner, for example via an agency, can be quite costly

To register your Chinese Wei Xin official account, you need a Chinese “account manager” holding a photo of their Chinese ID, scan of said ID, Chinese mobile phone number, Chinese residence ID, and bank account verifying the same name. This will suffice to register a personal account, whereas a business account additionally requires the following documents. These can be obtained from a registered Chinese entity, be it a wholly owned foreign enterprise (WOFE), a Sino-foreign joint venture, a trusted partner or a deputy agency, to assist you in the process.

For Chinese accounts, self-registration is supported. You can head over here to get started. We also recommend you get the documents in .jpg, .bmp or .gif under 2MB before getting into the process as the page might time out.

– A mainland Chinese business registration. Not Macau, Taiwan or Hong Kong as was previously possible.
– Filled in authorization document                                                                                                       
– A scanned copy of your business license as well as its registration number, location, date of establishment, operating period, business type, registered capital, organization code.

Furthermore, Wei Xin will request the ID owner’s bank account number on which they will transfer 1RMB along with a code which will serve as a further identity verification.

International WeChat Account

For an International WeChat account, it used to be required to send an email containing the needed documentation to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., keeping your fingers crossed you would get some form of reply. There is also an alternative page with another email address (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) you can give a shot if need be.

Luckily enough, a registration page has now been created for this purpose. Be sure to have the following documents and information available to you:

– The local country’s business profile and files.
– Email account and password for account credentials.
– Official account name, description, country and city.
– A clear proposal of how your organization will be using WeChat, to which extent you will be needing the advanced API and which exact type of account you are applying for.

Once you have your account up and running, you will receive an email from WeChat with your ID and password, after which you will have access to the admin platform.

The status of your application can be checked here with your email and application number.

You will also need to choose whether you qualify in the category of government, media or company. Finally, choose your account name carefully as it can’t be changed. Your introduction can be updated monthly.

Verifying is the next step in maximizing the potential and credibility once you have established your official account. It is also mandatory after the first year of use. You will have to pay the annual 300RMB fee (a bit less than US$50), whether via the bank account you used to register your account or via WeChat Payment. Note: if you paid via WeChat Payment, the 3rd party verification service will make a deposit to your account with a code which will be used as a further identity verification, as mentioned for the registration.

On the user end, this allows to not only recognize your brand as an authentic business but also some form of SEO as verified pages rank higher in search results and gain in credibility. On the company side, it ensures that your business is secured in the WeChat / Wei Xin database and protected by its copyrights by linking the user name together with the business. Furthermore, if claims are made in regards to a certain unverified account ID, it might get instantly suspended. Last but not least, verifying your accounts removes some of the API limitations as detailed earlier.

The type of account you are running can in general not be changed along the way with the exception of a public business subscription account to a public business service account once it has been verified.

It is also recommended that you use your company’s official name or similarly an official and registered brand name to secure the golden “Verified Account” badge on your profile.

To verify your international account, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. including your account information and a brief description of your business which will then eventually feature on your profile.

To get your WeiXin account verified, you will need to provide your account manager’s ID, your Chinese Business License and organization letter as well as your verification application letter sent to WeChat via the “Services” section of the dashboard. Have the documents handy as you will need to enter almost everything from them into the form.

Your application will then be processed in 10-15 business days before you can see your new verified status confirmed on the admin platform.

– One single ID can register up to 5 official accounts (personal subscription accounts).
– A Chinese company can register up to 50 public accounts (as of April 2015).
– Sogou runs a search engine for WeChat.
– Official accounts with over 500 followers and using WeChat payments have the opportunity to access the ad affiliate network, allowing to share revenues on ad impressions on a CPC basis. Verification not needed.
– WeChat recently announced that it has starting testing banner adds as well as app installs on its “moments” page. With 80% of its users reading their news feed, revenue is expected to reach 10 billion rmb (1.6b USD). Although the ads generated mixed feelings, they have also generated quite a status conversation on social media. As the international brands present on the platform are quite limited so far (Coca-Cola, BMW and Vivo), the ad served to users gave them a supposed insight into the functioning of Tencents’ Big Data analysis in terms of segmentation. If you found a BMW ad on your moments feed you were in the “hi-so” category, Vivo in the middle class and Coke, lower.
– It’s still important to watch what you say, as on all Chinese social media outlets, communications about politics or official institutions are not a great idea.
– Vending Machines & Hotel Rooms. Who knows what’s next ?

What sets WeChat appart from other social media and messaging platforms resides in the fact that it is intrinsically customizable, whether it be menu, content or replies. This means that it can and should continually be tested, tailored and optimized to your users and intentions and based on data.

Brief reminder, regardless if you’re going for a subscription or service account: we recommend you to get a Chinese (to reach Chinese users) verified (for credibility and functions) business (for the upgrade and API potential) account.

If you have any questions or if you would like to know more about what WeChat can do for you, please feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to help you out if something is not clear.