What is WeChat Ads?

WeChat Ads (微信广告) is advertising across Tencent WeChat: Moments (friends feed), Official Accounts (articles and banners), Mini Programs, Channels (short video), Search. China’s largest social/commerce channel — alternative to unavailable Meta and Google in mainland China.

Models: CPM, CPC, oCPM/oCPC on conversions (follow, mini program open, purchase). Requires a verified WeChat Official Account, often agency and ICP for CN landings. Audience: mobile users with WeChat Pay integration.

Formats

Moments ads. Native cards in social feed — image/video, visible engagement.
Official Account. Banners and mid-article native in publisher content.
Mini Program ads. Traffic into in-app lite apps — e-commerce, games, lead forms.

Tracking

WeChat conversion API, UTM where applicable. External tracker is limited — conversions often stay in Tencent stack. Cross-border affiliate is rare; local advertisers dominate.

Vs. Douyin

WeChat — social + utility + payments; Douyin — short video discovery. China omnichannel uses both plus Baidu.