What To Do Before TikTok is Banned
TikTok has been under fire in the U.S. since Donald Trump’s first presidential term, with an ultimatum passing in April 2024 giving parent company ByteDance one year to sell the app or it would no longer be allowed to operate in the U.S.
TikTok vowed to fight the legislation, calling it unconstitutional. However, a U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the law in its Friday, December 6, 2024 ruling. The app is set to be banned in the United States beginning January 19, 2025. But even this decision could change.
ByteDance intends to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court and will likely seek a stay, which would pause the ban until the Supreme Court reviews the case and makes a final decision.
President-elect Trump could step in as well. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump shifted his stance on TikTok, creating his own account to reach younger voters and vowing to never ban the app.
The president-elect stated he now disapproved of the ban as it would support Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
When he resumes office, Trump could ask Congress to repeal the law.
If the ban is implemented, however, CNN reports to expect the following:
“Under the law, app stores could face major fines if they continue to host TikTok following the deadline, if it’s not sold. For users who already have the app downloaded, that likely means they could continue to use it for a while but would not be able to receive updates, which would eventually make it buggy and potentially useless.” —Excerpt from “What’s next for TikTok now that the app might get banned?” on CNN
Why a ban?
The U.S. government is wary of privacy concerns with social media apps constantly mining user data.
Because TikTok is a Chinese-owned company and affiliated with China’s communist party, the U.S. is even more worried.
(Instagram being U.S.-owned allows it to fly under the radar of these privacy concerns — even though they likely collect the same data.)
Is your audience predominantly on TikTok?
The potential ban is further confirmation that successful marketing plans should utilize multiple platforms, especially those outside of social media.
You don’t own your followers on social media, which is why many TikTok creators are panicking over the ban: There would be no way to get in touch with the community they built.
Watch the Reel!
Not On Instagram?
What should you do if your following is predominantly on TikTok?
If your audience is predominantly on TikTok or it’s your main platform, begin shifting to other short-form content platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, both of which offer a video option similar to TikTok’s — Reels and YouTube Shorts, respectively.
YouTube works like a search engine whereas Instagram is an actual social platform like TikTok, making it the more comparable of the two.
Post your previous TikTok videos to these platforms now so you can begin working with the algorithm while you shift your audience over. Make sure to remove the TikTok watermark from your video before posting to avoid a potential ding from Instagram and YouTube’s algorithms.
To encourage TikTok followers to find you on YouTube or Instagram, share links to your profiles in TikTok Stories, TikTok videos, and Lives. Follow the accounts on Instagram that you follow on TikTok to rebuild your community and encourage follow-backs.
Finally, learn the features of each platform and how to take advantage of its algorithm. I recommend following Michelle Gifford for Instagram tips.
What you should *really* do if your following is predominantly on TikTok:
Start an email list.
As noted above, you rent your social media followers but you own your email list. If your email newsletter platform shuts down, you can shift your subscriber list elsewhere.
Why email marketing is still more effective than social media. →
Email is also designed for conversions whereas social media is designed for scrolling, meaning you’re more likely to make a sale via an email than a social media post.
Because in an email you can share links to your e-commerce product listings, sales pages, or online booking platforms — and you can share multiple links in a single email.
Use email to build a deeper connection with your audience and share content they can’t access on social.
And if you’re a content creator, you can link to your posts via email as well. With Instagram’s challenging algorithm, your subscribers may be more likely to find your posts via email than newsfeed.
The TikTok ban is proof that we should never rely on one stream of income or a single marketing platform, especially if we have no control over it.
💫 No marketing strategy should put all its eggs in one basket. In Self-Employed School, we cover all the options and determine which channels are best for your business.
Because I'm all about marketing that's effective AND easy.
If you enjoyed this post, you can buy me a coffee or connect with me here. Thank you! =)
Hey there! I’m Meg:
LOVER OF CATS, ROLLER SKATING, AND VW BUGS
I also love business and share all kinds of tips and resources to help you grow yours.
Ready to get business savvy? Subscribe to my email newsletter. ;)
More Business Resources
