In the field of complex network research, complex network information transmission models based on infectious disease models are often used to study the mechanism of information transmission. This is helpful for the prediction of information transmission trends and the formulation of control strategies. However, the classification of node types in traditional information transmission models is too simple and cannot reflect the characteristics of each node. To solve the above problems, this study proposes a layered SITR complex network information transmission model. The model is layered according to the influence of nodes, and rational propagator nodes are added to optimize it. The propagation threshold of the model is deduced theoretically and the stability of the model is proved. To reduce the dissemination scale of the network’s public opinion information, an optimal control strategy is proposed based on the Pontryagin maximum principle to optimize the information dissemination process. Finally, combined with real events from social network platform, the simulation results show that the layered SITR model can describe the process of network information dissemination more accurately, and the optimal control strategy can effectively reduce the dissemination scale of the network’s public opinion information.