Chris’s story

Chris Parker has always loved languages, but his love affair with Mandarin started at Cambridge University when his studies took him to Beijing.

Chris became so fluent in Mandarin that he even appeared in a Chinese TV show. It gave him exposure in China but, in hindsight, Chris realises he didn’t leverage it enough at the time.

He worked a day job and began Fluent in Mandarin on YouTube – building up a steady audience and income. 

But, even with years of living in China to his credit, Chris didn’t enter the English to Chinese market until he got the chance to partner with an established teaching business in China in 2016.

It was a lucky break, allowing him to concentrate on creating a “Reducing the Effects of Chinglish” course while also watching and learning about content marketing from the well-oiled marketing team.  

The huge potential for teaching English in China

Chinese people see a huge advantage in learning to speak English fluently. It opens economic, work and overseas experience doors that most Chinese can only dream of. 

What’s more, many Chinese would prefer to learn from a native English speaker and so avoid the pitfalls of learning “Chinglish” from an inexperienced tutor. 

In fact, young Chinese people are so used to looking for content online that many successful English-teaching websites may find that their YouTube and Tiktok videos have been sneakily pirated and are already showing on Bilibili and Douyin. 

Chris says – 

“If you’re big, you’re probably already in China but you don’t know it. So, once it gets to a certain size you want to be capturing that market for yourself.”

Why you must have a local partner

No matter how experienced you are in Western business, nothing can prepare you for the differences in the Chinese marketplace. The wisest course of action is to partner with a local to help run the Chinese end of the business.

They will know the market, social media channels, customs, actions to take and pitfalls to avoid. 

“I would not be able to do it without my own team (in China) because they know things about the local market that I don’t, even though I speak Chinese there’s still a lot I don’t know.” 

Right now, Chris is open to helping English Language teachers to explore their possibilities in the Chinese market. 

Chris on Chinese National TV

Navigating Chinese social media

Chris explains that while people send emails for work in China, very few use a personal email address. Almost all online communication happens on Chinese social media sites, so it’s vital that your language business is active and knows how to use different channels.

The most-used social media platforms in China include:

• Bilibili – the 5-10 minute videos, the Chinese equivalent of YouTube
• Douyin – The Chinese TikTok with its short, entertaining videos
• WeChat – which works somewhat like What’s App but you can have a public presence as well as individuals who accept your business into their groups as a friend.
• Red – similar to Instagram.

If you’re teaching in the Chinese market, you need to have a presence on each platform. It’s a lot of work and Chris has two people on the ground in China whose main job is chatting and marketing to the customers on social media.

There is an avalanche of free content online in China, but people are beginning to realise that you get a higher value when you pay for educational material. Nowadays, they’re willing to purchase quality courses and particularly those with an active personal component. 

Use Livestreams to Sell In China

If you have an enormous platform and audience, you can provide a link and sell directly to your people. But, with a smaller audience, your best plan is to advertise and sell your products with a webinar — or live stream as they’re called in China.

And, of course, you don’t have to sell your own products. Just as in the western world, it’s possible to advertise and sell as an affiliate or get sponsorships in China too.

Choose your niche carefully

Niche markets in Europe and America are often very targeted, and the same is true in China, but there are still millions of people within each. 

Chris says it’s vital to define your target audience precisely because you need to answer their specific needs with your products. You’ll also need to market on the right platform and use the words and images that resonate with that demographic.

Chris, for example, has three niche markets — young, working professionals, students taking the IELTS exam and mothers with young children who enjoy seeing Chris’s three-year-old daughter learning a language and want the same for their child too. 

“English is the language that changes your life… it’s worth a lot. Chinese people spend a lot of money on education programmes especially for their kids.”

Essential advice for those who are risk-averse

If you have a risk-averse personality, Chris has one top tip: Don’t leave your day job too soon.

Yes, it’s hard work to fit your growing language business around a full-time job, but when you have a family to consider you need to have a steady income. 

It means that you have a safety net which takes the pressure off when you’re starting out. There’s no doubt that it takes time to build an online business, and there can be considerable fluctuations in money and audience.

Diversify your income

Another way to ensure that your eggs aren’t all in the language-learning basket is to use your talents to diversify your income. 

Chris takes on translation and editing work when he can, to guard against sudden drops in his online businesses.

He’s also repurposing his English teaching material into videos and lessons for people who don’t speak Chinese. Here, he also has a niche, concentrating on teaching accent reduction and pronunciation on YouTube.  

Chris’s tips for Langpreneurs

Discover what sort of person you are. 

Can you cope with going from a busy office to working on your own? Not everyone thrives on isolation and lack of accountability.

Be in it for the long haul.

It takes time to build an audience and even longer to produce quality products. Keep putting out content, keep growing in your niche and take the months you need to develop a high-quality language course.

Balance your time between creating products and effectively marketing them.

You need to put out excellent teaching content but at the same time don’t neglect the marketing side of your business. People find you through advertising and social media, and they’ll judge your business on the quality of your content marketing.

In China, you need someone who understands the language and culture.

Work with Chris and his team or find your own local partner to get your projects off the ground.

Contact Chris

Email: Chris@chris-parker.co.uk

Content in English:

Fluent in Mandarin – Website
Fluent in Mandarin – YouTube

Speak English with Chris – Website
Speak English with Chris – YouTube

Chinese Accounts: 

抖音 (Douyin) accounts: 英国小克里，小克里课堂，小克里讲绘本，小克里讲雅思

WeChat Public Accounts：英国小克里，小克里课堂

小红书 (RED) : 英国小克里