Welcome to Prosek’s Digital Download: where industry-leading insights in financial services and digital marketing collide.
TikTok faced a tough choice: sell to a U.S. buyer or face a nationwide ban.
With the Supreme Court upholding its ban of the app and other apps of parent company ByteDance due to concerns over national security and data privacy, TikTok went dark on January 19th. Its swift return hours later highlights the ongoing uncertainty that content creators, businesses and other app users still face. The big question that remains is: will TikTok survive beyond President Trump’s 75-day executive order to halt the ban?
This special edition of Prosek’s Digital Download explores the evolving TikTok ban, its implications for the digital ecosystem and strategies for adapting to a potential post-TikTok world, including alternative platforms and content repurposing advice. Read on to get the scoop!
What happened?
- Temporary block for U.S. users: American users were briefly unable to access TikTok in anticipation of the January 19th ban, with the platform going dark. The notice displayed along with the shutdown was optimistic, hinting at a possible return.
- Removal from U.S. App Store: TikTok was also removed from the U.S. App Store and still remains unavailable for new users to download.?
- TikTok is back: Displaying a “Welcome back” message, TikTok made a rapid return to the American market after this brief shutdown just hours later. Although TikTok returned, it was still technically violating federal law, as the Supreme Court upheld the ban.
- Trump signs executive order: In his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order granting the app a 75-day extension. During this period, he suggested the possibility that either the U.S. government or an American company could take a 50% ownership stake in TikTok.
How should brands adapt?
Regardless of the app’s uncertain future, the potential U.S. ban would have far-reaching effects on businesses, creators and other individuals who rely on it. To stay prepared, we recommend implementing the following measures:?
Download all your TikTok videos and data
- Save all TikTok videos you’ve uploaded to any corporate or brand account.
- TikTok rival, Triller, has created a website called savemytiktoks.com to easily download all content plus the ability to seamlessly migrate and publish videos to a Triller account.
- The myfaveTT Chrome Extension can download every TikTok you’ve ever made, without a watermark.
- Collect all performance data to ensure you can go back and analyze key analytics for videos if there is ever a need to.
Keep a close eye on your TikTok advertising
- If you are spending marketing dollars on TikTok, it’s best to keep a close eye on all advertising to ensure things are running smoothly. Advertising campaigns have resumed, but given the uncertainties and possible technical disruptions still ahead, it may be good to even consider pulling back or pausing ads for the time being.
- Ensure any influencer marketing plans are reevaluated as well, especially anything further out that is beyond the 75-day window.
Repurpose existing TikTok content on other platforms
- If you are not already cross-promoting content on other platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, now is a good time to start testing top-performing TikTok content on these other channels. This will allow you to determine whether the audiences on these other channels have similar engagement habits, enjoy the same content themes and interact with your video content in similar or different ways.
- ??PSA: Do not post videos that have the TikTok watermark embedded in the video. Instagram has already warned it may impact reach.
Keep BAU on other social platforms, including on TikTok
- A potential TikTok shutdown should not alter your social strategy much at this point in time. Keep doing what you’re doing on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X and any other social platforms where you have an engaged brand presence.?
- If you're posting on TikTok and have an engaged audience, keep posting until the platform shuts down entirely; however, keep a close eye on analytics. If you see views and engagement plummet, it may not be worth taking time and effort to produce and post content.
- There’s no reason to stop posting content until you literally can’t post, especially if you are producing video content for other platforms!
Monitor emerging social platforms, but don’t rush onto them
- In recent weeks, there has been a rush by users and creators to alternative platforms to TikTok to fulfill their need for this short-form video experience. These emerging apps, such as Lemon8 and RedNote – more on these below – have risen to the tops of the Apple App Store, but also come with potential security threats, usage challenges and many other unknowns.
- Bluesky and X both launched new, dedicated video feeds within the last few days, attempting to seize the opportunity of TikTok’s uncertainty. These in-app tabs will help users of both platforms more easily discover and watch vertical videos in their apps.?
- The best way forward for brands is to monitor these platforms closely, but not rush to build out strategies and immediately integrate them into their owned and paid content efforts.
What’s next for the social media landscape?
Should the proposed ban on TikTok be successfully enacted, the social media landscape will undoubtedly experience a profound transformation. Below are several potential repercussions and shifts that warrant close attention:
Reallocation of marketing budgets
Marketers will be compelled to redistribute their budgets across alternative platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. This will likely spur heightened competition and foster innovation among these platforms, all vying for the audience previously captured by TikTok.
- Instagram has been methodically positioning itself to rival TikTok since the debut of its short-form video feature, Reels, in August 2020. The strategic intent behind Reels is to harness Instagram's established user base while offering a comparable experience to TikTok. Within the past 2 weeks, Instagram has also moved away from its traditional squared, 1x1 photo formats in exchange for 9x16 verticals, further mimicking the TikTok aesthetic model.
- In a similar vein, YouTube introduced its own short-form video offering, Shorts, in September 2020. This feature mirrors both TikTok and Reels, yet it is more prominently integrated into the YouTube ecosystem and is bolstered by distinctive revenue-sharing mechanisms for creators, a feature that sets it apart from other platforms.
- Snapchat, anticipating the potential fallout from a TikTok ban, has been fortifying its position by emphasizing its robust data privacy policies and highlighting the Spotlight feature, which offers an alternative space for creators to share short videos with a broader audience beyond their immediate social circle.
Rise of alternative platforms
As users and creators seek new venues for content sharing, smaller, emerging platforms may experience a surge in popularity, positioning themselves as potential alternatives to TikTok.
- Lemon8 is another ByteDance-owned app that has become popular but its future, just like TikTok, remains uncertain. The platform is quite similar to TikTok but also has more of a Pinterest and Instagram flair to it with photo sharing and TikTok-style short videos.?
- RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, is a Chinese-owned short-form video app that has a similar algorithm to TikTok, filled with video and live-streaming features and 300+ million users globally. It has surged in popularity amongst U.S. users, rising to the #1 spot on the Apple App Store as a self-described “TikTok Refuge.”
- Triller is another social media and video-sharing app that allows its 250 million users worldwide to create and share short-form videos. It’s used mainly by creators wanting to amplify their music, dance and other entertainment talents. Triller recently IPO’ed on the NASDAQ on October 16, 2024 through a merger with AGBA Group.
- Clapper is a short-form video app that launched in 2020 and has seen expanded growth since the ban was signed. It is much smaller, averaging about 300,000 daily active users, and while it doesn’t see itself as a direct competitor, it’s starting to make its case with creators. The app's differentiation is that it appeals to older audiences, requiring users to be 17+, and has no ads.
Intensified focus on privacy and security
The prospect of a TikTok ban has cast a spotlight on data privacy and national security, prompting other social media platforms to bolster their privacy policies and security frameworks in an effort to avoid similar scrutiny. Snapchat, for instance, has launched campaigns emphasizing its privacy features to attract TikTok's privacy-conscious user base, as well as its “Find Your Favorites on Snapchat” campaign to attract micro-influencers and other creators.
Adaptation by content creators
Many content creators who rely on TikTok faced a pressing need to pivot quickly – either by transitioning to other platforms or by exploring alternative monetization strategies. This need to pivot created a ripple effect within the creator ecosystem, with some experiencing diminished engagement, others successfully migrating their audiences and a new wave of creators emerging. With TikTok back up and running, many of these content creators are now abundantly aware of how engaged their audiences are and have now learned whether TikTok is the sole platform where they can reach them.?
In sum, the potential TikTok ban represented a pivotal moment for the industry, with implications that will reverberate long into the future, influencing both the operational frameworks of social media platforms and the ways in which marketers leverage these channels.
What can we learn from this?
History has a way of repeating itself – just like with Vine, social media platforms come and go. That’s why brands need to consider these key strategies when building their approach:
- Diversify your content strategy: Avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. Relying on a single platform can leave your brand vulnerable to sudden changes. By maintaining a presence on multiple platforms, you can reach diverse audiences in formats that suit their preferences.
- Adopt the ‘Nine Lives’ approach: Maximize the value of your content by adapting it for use across multiple platforms. This approach ensures consistent engagement and that your message is available and relevant no matter what happens.
Interested in learning more about how to future-proof your social media strategy? Contact
Daniel Allocca
at [email protected] or
Alex Bochner
at [email protected].
Timeline of Events?
- September 2017: TikTok is launched to the international market.
- August 2018: TikTok is merged with Musical.ly.
- August 2020: President Donald Trump signs an order which states that TikTok transactions will be banned within 45 days if ByteDance does not sell the application.
- June 2021: President Joe Biden signs an executive order which revokes the ban initially issued by President Donald Trump.
- September 2021: TikTok announces it has more than a billion monthly active users.
- February 2023: The White House gives federal agencies 30 days to delete the application from all government-issued mobile devices as a precaution against potential data being shared with China’s government.
- March 2024: A bill to ban TikTok or force its sale to a U.S. company picked up traction in Congress.
- April 24, 2024: President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or to shut down.
- June 2024: Oracle warns that a TikTok ban would hurt business.
- December 2024: A federal appeals court maintains the prohibition of TikTok in the United States, and ByteDance seeks to delay the decision as it petitions the Supreme Court to review the case.
- December 2024: The Supreme Court announces it will hear ByteDance's arguments on why TikTok should not be banned or forced to sell in the United States.
- January 10, 2025: The Supreme Court heard arguments regarding banning the app from nearly 170 million domestic users.
- January 10, 2025: President-elect Donald Trump asks the Supreme Court to postpone enforcing a TikTok ban until he assumes office on January 20, but the court does not take immediate action on the request.
- January 10, 2025: The Supreme Court listens to oral arguments about the reasons for banning or requiring the sale of TikTok in the U.S.
- January 10, 2025: TikTok's legal team asserts to the Supreme Court that banning the app raises free speech concerns, while the Solicitor General contends it is a national security issue. The Justices declare the case submitted and adjourn the session.
- January 13, 2025: China discussed the sale of the app to Elon Musk as one option.
- January 14, 2025: YouTube sensation MrBeast makes an offer to buy the app.
- January 15, 2025: Senator Ed Markey introduces a bill to delay the TikTok ban deadline.
- January 15, 2025: Biden administration looks for ways to keep TikTok available in the U.S.
- January 16, 2025: President-elect Donald Trump is considering an executive order once he’s in office to stall a law that would force the sale or closure of TikTok.
- January 17, 2025: The Supreme Court upheld the decision to allow the ban to proceed, rejecting a free speech challenge filed by the company.
- January 17, 2025: The Biden administration announced they will not enforce the TikTok ban when it goes into effect on the last day of Biden’s presidency, instead letting the incoming Trump administration handle enforcement.
- January 18, 2025: TikTok users began to see messages from TikTok warning of services being unavailable as midnight EST approached.
- January 19, 2025: ByteDance shut down TikTok for all American users for a few hours, later restoring access roughly 12 hours after the ban went into effect. The message that users saw thanks President-elect Trump for his willingness to help remedy the situation.
- January 20, 2025: After the inauguration, President Trump signed an executive order delaying the ban by 75 days to allow ByteDance to continue looking for a deal to sell to an American company.
