What the TikTok Ban Means for Brands & Creators (And What to Do About It)

*UPDATE*

After an outage lasting less than 24 hours, TikTok is live again! 

TikTok went down Saturday night to comply with the ban that took effect Sunday, January 19. President-elect Donald Trump posted Sunday morning, calling on tech companies to restore TikTok:

“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.

Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.”

Trump also hinted in his Truth Social post at a possible long-term solution to ownership and national security stating:

“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to stay up.”

As of Saturday evening, TikTok was unavailable to users in the United States.

TikTok expected the ban outage to be temporary. President-elect Donald Trump indicated that he “most likely” would give TikTok 90 more days to work out a deal to allow the platform to avoid a prolonged ban.

The Supreme Court heard arguments on January 10 about whether TikTok can remain available in the U.S. On January 17, the Court unanimously ruled that TikTok's First Amendment challenge to the upcoming ban was unsuccessful—and as of Saturday evening, TikTok voluntarily disabled availability of the app to users in the U.S.

Here's what you need to know about the TikTok ban, and how to futureproof your social strategy.

Why Did the TikTok Ban Happen?

The ban stems from long-standing national security concerns about ByteDance's control of TikTok. U.S. officials worry about these main issues:

• Data privacy: The government argues ByteDance could be compelled to share American user data with Chinese authorities.

• Content manipulation: There are concerns that China could influence American public opinion by controlling what content TikTok's algorithm promotes.

• Platform control: Officials argue that having a foreign adversary control one of America's largest social platforms poses fundamental security risks.

During the Supreme Court hearing, the federal government emphasized these "grave national security threats," while TikTok's lawyers countered that the ban would violate free speech rights and shut down a vital platform for expression.

What Happened When TikTok Went Down?

TikTok access was unavailable to users in the U.S.

• App access: A message stating the following appeared on the app:
  
  "Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"
  
  

• Web access: The web version of TikTok was also unavailable with the same message above and stated that "in the meantime, you can still log in to download your data."

• App Marketplace listings: As expected, the TikTok app was unavailable in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

• Content availability: TikTok provided a link for users to log in and download their data.

Key Takeaways From the TikTok Ban for Brands

As expected, the TikTok outage was short-lived. It's likely that President-elect Trump will sign an executive order to delay and ultimately resolve the ban. So if you've invested in TikTok marketing, don't panic. That said, here are some practical tips in the event access is delayed.

1. Diversify Your Content Strategy

The TikTok ban highlighted a critical lesson: depending too heavily on any single social platform is risky. Smart brands are already:

• Repurposing their best TikTok content for Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Snapchat Spotlight, and other video-based platforms

• Building strong social presences across multiple channels

• Focusing on owned media like email lists and websites

• Developing platform-agnostic content strategies

• Doubling down on brand

2. Creator Partnerships May Shift

The ban may be lifted, but creators felt the sting and as a result, will diversify across other platforms, bringing their audiences with them. Brands should:

• Review their influencer partnerships and identify which creators have a strong multi-platform presence

• Support creators during the transition by being flexible with campaign requirements

• Consider how to redistribute marketing budgets across different platforms

• Start testing campaigns on alternative platforms now

3. Short-Form Video and Data Are Here to Stay

While TikTok started the modern short-form video trend, both the format and the need for data-driven decisions aren't going anywhere. Smart brands are:

• Using analytics to track where their audiences are most active (and how that trend is changing over time) 

• Measuring creator performance and ROI across all platforms

• Developing strategies based on cross-platform engagement data

• Testing content on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat Spotlight

• Making decisions based on actual performance metrics, not guesswork 

Key Takeaways From the TikTok Ban for Creators

If the ban persisted, the impact on content creators who've built their livelihoods on TikTok would be significant. 

Creators with larger followings were especially concerned about how the ban would affect their income from the platform. According to a 2024 Later study, 80% of both macro (500k+ followers) and mid-tier (50-500k followers) influencers expected their income to drop, with macro influencers especially foreseeing a significant decrease.

Here's what creators need to know:

1. Platform Diversification is Key

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Focus on:

• Building presence across multiple platforms

• Converting TikTok followers to other channels, especially Instagram Reels

• Finding new, platform-independent ways to reach your audience, like email lists or websites 

At Later, we discovered that TikTok influencers see the best success in carrying their followers over to Instagram over any other platform.

Take YouTube, for example—about half of the mid-tier (50-500k followers) and macro (500k+ followers) creators we surveyed have fewer than 10,000 followers on YouTube.

TikTok and Instagram popularity doesn't necessarily mean success on YouTube (although it doesn’t mean it’s not worth experimenting). 

2. Content Adaptation Strategy

Your content strategy should be flexible enough to work across platforms:

• Save and organize your TikTok content

• Adapt your most successful formats for other platforms

• Test different content styles on various platforms

3. Revenue Stream Protection

Think beyond platform-specific monetization:

• Explore multiple affiliate programs

• Develop direct brand relationships

• Consider creating your own products or services

• Build email lists and other owned audience channels

For a deeper dive into creator strategies and support during this transition, check out the expert tips and educational resources available at Mavely University.

How to Prepare for Social Media Outages or Bans to Minimize Impact

If the TikTok ban taught us anything, it's that preparation is key. Here's what you can do now to minimize impact if something like this happens again:

Download Your Content

Don't risk losing valuable content. Download your content and:

• Upload them to your Later media library for easy cross-posting

• Repurpose top-performing content for other platforms

• Archive them for future reference

Communicate with Your Audience

Take the opportunity to communicate with your followers in advance so they know where else they can find you:

• Update your social bios with your Later Link in Bio with links to other social profiles

• Create content directing followers to other platforms

• Build your email list while you can still reach your audience

Strengthen Your Multi-Platform Strategy

The TikTok ban was a good reminder to strengthen your presence across multiple channels:

• Experiment with content on different platforms

• Build genuine connections with your audience wherever they are

• Focus on owned channels you control

• Test new formats and features on other platforms

Looking Ahead

TikTok is available again for users in the United States, but we’ve learned a lot through this experience. Later continues to work closely with brand partners and social platforms to help creators and brands succeed.

Remember: Your audience relationships matter more than any single platform. Focus on creating value and maintaining those connections, wherever they happen.

Stay tuned to Later's blog for updates on the TikTok situation and strategies for navigating the changing social media landscape.

Ready to strengthen your multi-platform strategy? Schedule content across all major social platforms with Later's social media management tools. And for creators looking for additional support and resources during this transition, visit Mavely University.