Like any social platform, if you want to know how to use it for marketing, you’ll need to get a sense for the “vibe”. Only then can you create the type of content that readers really want to see. Only then can you actually educate your readers, or even persuade them to consider your products.
I’ve translated the top two answers for the question “What’s the format of a typical Zhihu answer?” The question actually has 333 answers so far, but I feel like the top two alone give some pretty good insight.
The first answer, from Alpha Sobolev is brief and to-the-point:
“I just want to say that, regardless of how many times you uk phone number database update your answer, regardless of how many upvotes you receive, regardless of what type of praise you receive in the comments section, and regardless of who you want to argue with…
Please put your original answer up top!
Please respect the people that are reading your answer for the first time!
Please consider how confusing it is for people to have to go through a ton of background information and analysis!
Please consider what it’s like for those who start reading your post just to see you arguing with others!
Consider those who are blindly lost scrolling through full screens of text just to try to find where the original answer is!”
It seems that many readers are frustrated when they can’t find the actual answer to a question straight away. So when answering questions on Zhihu, it’s advised that you put the answer up-front. After providing the answer, you still have unlimited room to provide additional information.
The next answer is from Scorched Rice. They share nine different common answer types. I think it gives a good feel for that variety of content on Zhihu. Plus, it helps illuminate the different mindsets that answer-seekers take on. The parts in quotes are translations, while the rest is my explanation.
Table of Contents
Top Nine Formats for Zhihu Answers
1) THE SUCCESS STORY
2) THE PROFESSIONAL ANSWER
3) THE CONTENDER ANSWER
4) THE NEGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY ANSWER
5) VOTE FIRST, ANSWER LATER
6) FUNNY
7) PERSONAL PHOTOS
8) ROMANCE STORY
9) “THANKS FOR THE UPVOTES”
Our Advice on Writing Zhihu Answers
Top Nine Formats for Zhihu Answers
1) THE SUCCESS STORY
Rags-to-riches stories work well on Zhihu. They often go something like this:
“Let me tell you a story.
Since childhood Billy did _____, mother/father/siblings did ______,