Core Viewpoint - Zhihu is transitioning from a high-quality knowledge-sharing platform to a more commercialized model, focusing on profitability while facing challenges in user engagement and content quality [2][9][14]. User Engagement - Zhihu's average monthly active users (MAU) peaked at 101.2 million in Q3 2021 but has since declined to 81.1 million in Q3 2024, indicating a significant drop in user engagement [5][4]. - The decline in MAU is attributed to a combination of optimizing advertising spend and enhancing user experience, leading to a reduction in low-engagement users while increasing high-engagement users [5][4]. Business Diversification - Since 2016, Zhihu has explored various revenue streams, including advertising, paid memberships, and knowledge services, with non-advertising revenue accounting for 61% of total revenue in 2021 [9][10]. - Paid membership revenue became the primary income source in Q2 2022, reaching 271 million yuan, a 75.1% year-on-year increase [10]. - Zhihu's foray into vocational education has shown significant growth, with revenue from this segment increasing by 457.14% year-on-year in Q3 2022 [10]. Short Video and E-commerce Ventures - Zhihu has attempted to enter the short video and e-commerce markets but has faced challenges in establishing a strong presence in these areas [11]. - Despite various attempts at diversification, paid memberships remain the most significant revenue source, contributing 57.27% of total revenue in Q1 2025 [11]. Short Drama Market Potential - The short drama market in China reached 50.5 billion yuan in 2024, surpassing the film box office for the first time, presenting a new opportunity for Zhihu's "Salted Story" initiative [14][15]. - Zhihu's "Salted Story" has produced over 100 quality IPs for the short drama industry, with successful adaptations like "The Pen" setting records on platforms like Tencent Video [3][15]. Challenges and Future Outlook - Analysts express skepticism about Zhihu's ability to capitalize on the short drama market, suggesting that platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou may dominate due to their advanced recommendation algorithms [16]. - The company is encouraged to focus on knowledge monetization and original content creation as a sustainable path forward, despite the challenges faced in the current market landscape [17].

Core Viewpoint - Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, is experiencing a decline in revenue while improving its net profit margin, indicating a shift in its financial dynamics [1][2]. Financial Performance - As of March 31, 2025, Zhihu's total revenue is 730 million RMB, representing a year-on-year decrease of 24.06% [1]. - The net profit attributable to the parent company is -10.094 million RMB, showing a significant year-on-year increase of 93.88% [1]. Company Overview - Zhihu has evolved from a Q&A platform to one of China's largest integrated online content communities since its launch in 2010 [1][2]. - The company is dual-listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ZH) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX: 2390) [1]. Business Model and Strategy - The company focuses on a content-centric business model, continuously optimizing it to meet the diverse needs of users, content creators, and business partners [2]. - Zhihu aims to create a balanced ecosystem between content creators and users, fostering a positive cycle of content creation and consumption [3]. Community Engagement - Active interaction between users and content creators enhances the user experience and strengthens community governance, contributing to a professional and friendly community culture [3]. - The company has developed diverse monetization channels, including marketing services, paid memberships, and vocational training, which are continuously enriched [3].

Core Insights - The eighth "Internet Literature+" conference was held in Beijing, focusing on the opportunities and trends in short story creation and its derivative development [1] - Short stories are gaining traction in the market, with a significant increase in the number of works and authors contributing to this genre [1] Industry Overview - The market for short stories has seen a year-on-year increase, with the "2024 China Internet Literature Blue Book" reporting an addition of 2 million new works in the past year [1] - Salted Story has over 14.2 million monthly subscribers, more than 1 million contributing authors, and over 200,000 signed works, generating over 1 billion yuan in revenue for creators [1] Content Adaptation and Collaboration - Salted Story has become a source for content adaptation in industries such as film, publishing, and animation, with hundreds of IPs sold for film rights and over 5,000 IPs turned into audio dramas [3] - The company has collaborated with Tianyi Film to produce hit short dramas and plans to continue developing adaptations of its works [3] - A new copyright trading center, "Yanzhen Pavilion," has been launched to facilitate quick access to adaptations, with thousands of works already stored [3]

Core Viewpoint - Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, is experiencing a decline in revenue while showing significant improvement in net profit, indicating a shift in its financial dynamics [1][2]. Financial Performance - As of March 31, 2025, Zhihu's total revenue is 730 million RMB, representing a year-on-year decrease of 24.06% [1]. - The company's net profit attributable to shareholders is -10.094 million RMB, which shows a year-on-year increase of 93.88% [1]. Company Overview - Zhihu has evolved since its launch in 2010 into one of China's top integrated online content communities and the largest online Q&A platform [2]. - The company is dual-listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ZH) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX: 2390) [2]. Business Model and Strategy - Zhihu focuses on expanding its content and services to meet the diverse needs of users, content creators, and business partners [2]. - The company has established a content-centric business model that continues to evolve and optimize [2]. - Zhihu aims to create a balanced ecosystem between content creation by creators and content consumption by users, fostering a positive feedback loop [3]. Community Engagement - The company emphasizes user interaction with content creators, sharing knowledge and experiences, which contributes to a diverse content ecosystem [3]. - Zhihu's strong community culture and brand enhance its content ecosystem, attracting and retaining more users and content creators [3]. Monetization Channels - The company has developed diversified monetization channels, including marketing services, paid memberships, and vocational training, which are continuously enriched [3].

Core Insights - The article discusses a side business related to promoting new users for the platform Zhihu, highlighting the unexpected success and earnings from this venture [1]. Group 1: Project Overview - The promotion project involves acting as a promoter for Zhihu, where individuals earn a commission of 4.5 yuan for each new user who registers through their shared link [3]. - There is also a feature for "old user recall," allowing promoters to earn 2.5 yuan for each former user who returns to the platform [3]. Group 2: Operational Steps - The first step in the process is to obtain permissions through a platform called "RenTuiBang," where users can easily find and apply for the Zhihu promotion project [4]. - The official guidelines provided by the platform are clear and detailed, making it accessible even for those without prior experience [6]. Group 3: Promotion Methods - One method of promotion involves engaging in trending discussions on platforms like Weibo, where promoters can leave intriguing comments to attract users to Zhihu [8]. - Another method is video promotion on Douyin (TikTok), where promoters can learn from successful videos and create their own content, which can lead to significant returns over time [11][14]. - It is noted that using multiple accounts may be necessary to mitigate the risk of account suspension when employing certain promotional tactics [10]. Group 4: Recommendations - The choice of promotion method should depend on individual circumstances, including time availability and account status, with the article serving as a reference for potential strategies [15].

Core Viewpoint - Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, is experiencing a decline in revenue while showing significant improvement in net profit margins as it prepares to release its mid-year financial report for FY2025 [2][3]. Financial Performance - As of March 31, 2025, Zhihu reported total revenue of 730 million RMB, a year-over-year decrease of 24.06% [1]. - The company recorded a net profit attributable to shareholders of -10.094 million RMB, which represents a year-over-year increase of 93.88% [1]. Company Overview - Founded in 2010, Zhihu has evolved into one of China's largest integrated online content communities, primarily known for its question-and-answer format [2]. - The company is dual-listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ZH) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX: 2390) [2]. Business Model and Strategy - Zhihu focuses on expanding its content and services to meet the diverse needs of users, content creators, and business partners, establishing a content-centric business model [2][3]. - The company aims to create a balanced ecosystem between content creation by creators and content consumption by users, fostering a positive feedback loop [3]. Community Engagement - Active interaction between users and content creators enhances the user experience and strengthens community governance, contributing to a professional and friendly community culture [3]. - The strong brand and community culture help attract and retain more users and content creators, reinforcing the content ecosystem [3]. Monetization Channels - Zhihu has developed diversified monetization channels, including marketing services, paid memberships, and vocational training, which are continuously enriched as the company grows [3].

Core Insights - The first Magic Developer Conference was held in Beijing, highlighting the emergence of a golden era for developers amidst the AI wave [1][2] - The founder and CEO of Zhihu, Zhou Yuan, emphasized the significant role of developers in driving technological innovation in China [2] Group 1: Developer Community - Zhihu has a vibrant developer community that has been active for 15 years, with early users including notable figures like Li Kaifu and Ma Huateng [2] - Currently, there are over 50 million active users on Zhihu who engage with technology, internet, and AI-related content each month [2] - Among the active developers, over 56% hold master's or doctoral degrees, and nearly 40% are aged between 18 and 24 [2] Group 2: Open Source and Innovation - Zhou Yuan stated that developers are the "re-writers" of the world, with open source being a crucial method for them to effect change [2] - The Magic community has become the largest AI open-source community in China, with leading industry models being open-sourced there first [2] - Zhihu is collaborating with Magic to prepare a "Developer White Paper" to document the developer community and its technological contributions [2]

Core Viewpoint - Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, is focusing on expanding its content and services to meet the diverse needs of users, content creators, and business partners, despite a decline in revenue and a significant increase in net profit [1][2]. Financial Performance - As of March 31, 2025, Zhihu reported total revenue of 730 million RMB, a year-on-year decrease of 24.06% [1]. - The company achieved a net profit attributable to shareholders of -10.094 million RMB, which represents a year-on-year increase of 93.88% [1]. Company Overview - Zhihu has evolved from a Q&A platform into one of China's largest integrated online content communities since its launch in 2010 [1]. - The company is dual-listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ZH) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX: 2390) [1]. Content Ecosystem - Zhihu aims to create a balanced ecosystem between content creators and users, fostering a virtuous cycle centered around content [2]. - The company emphasizes user interaction and community governance, which enhances user experience and strengthens community culture [2]. - Zhihu has developed diverse monetization channels, including marketing services, paid memberships, and vocational training, contributing to its leadership position in the industry [2].

Core Insights - The competition among major internet companies to provide AI-driven college admission consulting services, dubbed "AI Zhang Xuefeng," has intensified as the 2025 college entrance examination results are released [2][8] - Alibaba's Quark has significantly increased its computing power by 100 times to handle the surge in demand for its college admission report generation service, which has produced over 3 million reports [1][2] - Tencent's AI application, Yuanbao, has answered over 30 million questions related to college admissions, providing personalized advice based on user data [1][4] Company Developments - Alibaba launched the first domestic AI model specifically for college admission scenarios on June 12, featuring core functions such as deep search, admission reports, and intelligent selection [2] - Tencent upgraded its Yuanbao application to include a "college admission consulting" service, offering unlimited free consultations to users [4] - Baidu integrated multiple AI models into its app to provide diverse recommendations for college admissions, leveraging its extensive search data [6] Market Dynamics - The introduction of AI-driven services has created a competitive landscape where traditional admission consultants, like Zhang Xuefeng, face challenges from free AI alternatives provided by tech giants [8][9] - Users have expressed a preference for human consultants over AI, citing the lack of human assistance in AI services [9] - The accuracy of data sources is emphasized by companies, with Quark and Tencent claiming to have robust databases to ensure the reliability of their recommendations [9][10] Technological Advancements - The emergence of advanced AI capabilities, such as DeepSeek, enhances the ability of AI to analyze and understand user needs, moving beyond simple search engine functions [7] - Quark's AI model has been trained using thousands of expert reports and decision-making processes, allowing it to simulate the reasoning of human experts [10] - The collaboration between AI tools and human experts is highlighted, with AI serving as a supplementary resource for traditional consultants [11]

Core Viewpoint - Zhihu, a leading online content community in China, is focusing on expanding its content and services to meet the diverse needs of users, content creators, and business partners, despite a decline in revenue and a significant increase in net loss [1][2]. Financial Performance - As of March 31, 2025, Zhihu reported total revenue of 730 million RMB, a year-on-year decrease of 24.06% - The net loss attributable to shareholders was 10.094 million RMB, which represents a year-on-year increase of 93.88% [1]. Company Overview - Zhihu has evolved from a Q&A platform to one of China's largest integrated online content communities since its launch in 2010 - The company is dual-listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ZH) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX: 2390) [1]. Content Ecosystem - The company aims to create a balanced ecosystem between content creators and users, fostering a virtuous cycle centered around content - Active interaction between users and content creators enhances the community culture, which is characterized by professionalism and friendliness [2]. User Experience and Monetization - Zhihu's deep insights into content and user behavior play a crucial role in improving user experience and maintaining robust community governance - The company has developed diversified monetization channels, including marketing services, paid memberships, and vocational training, which are continuously enriched [2].