Navigating the TikTok Ban: What Creatives & Small Business Owners Need to Know.
The TikTok ban is looming, set to take effect on January 19th, and META has announced that fact-checking is out the window. All of this has left many creatives and small business owners like you wondering, What’s next?
Side note: If you’ve been listening to the arguments from the TikTok Creator’s lawyers, they brought up the hypocrisy of banning TikTok when other foreign apps like Shien and Temu are also mining our data. I thought this was an excellent point. And I also think that the outcome of this case could affect the way other companies do business in the US…never did I think I would be defending Shien & Temu!
Whether you’re a crafter, entrepreneur, or social media manager like me, these changes might significantly impact your workflow and audience.
Here’s a detailed guide to help you navigate the uncertainty and plan your next steps without wasting your limited resources.
1. It’s Important To Understand the Scope
The ban doesn’t just affect TikTok; it could extend to all ByteDance-owned apps, including CapCut, a popular video editing tool, and Lemon8, a Pinterest alternative. If you rely on these platforms, it’s time to think about other options.
Canva still needs some work in the long-form video editing department. But it could be a strong option for anyone intimidated by an Adobe product and anyone looking to make reels/shorts.
Movavi however, is a strong contender for regular long-form CapCut users. I actually used Movavi before switching to CapCut. However, I mostly used it for long-form video edits. I will say save your content regularly if you choose Movavi. It has trouble with fonts that are imported and can glitch. I believe it is still behind CapCut when it comes to templates and meme curation. But if you want a clean platform for long-form video editing check it out.
2. Download & Update Your TikTok Before January 19th
If the ban goes into effect, TikTok likely won’t disappear from your phone. But it will disappear from the app store and you will no longer receive automatic updates. We don’t yet know if you will be able to access the platform on a desktop using a VPN.
However, updating the app before January 19th ensures you’ll have the most functional version of TikTok for as long as possible. It’s possible that the ban will be reversed if TikTok holds to not selling or if they reach a rumored deal with Musk and Twitter to sell a percentage of the platform.
In either event, you will have access to the version you have on your phone until the next platform update is released. Because the ban is only taking place in America, users in other countries will still be active on the platform. This gives Americans who are still posting an opportunity to create engaging content that might perform well in this gap.
It could be months, weeks, or days until the next platform update comes up but it gives you time to shine in a less competitive market.
3. Explore App Alternatives
Here’s a quick rundown of potential platforms to diversify your content strategy and what they offer:
BlueSky: This is a Twitter-like space where the Yarnie community is thriving. After the release of META’s new fact-checking rules, many Yarnies who were active on Threads moved to Bluesky. Bluesky is easy to use and has a built-in community. I see this as a strong Threads/Twitter/X/Facebook alternative but it’s not great for video content.
If you’re someone who loved the old days of Twitter & Facebook then you’ll thrive on Bluesky. I snagged the user names: BobbleClubHouse & Elderly-Millennial (because elderly millennial was taken. I don’t intend to use this account actively at the moment.) That is what happens when you wait to join a platform.
Fanbase: The big draw with Fanbase is that it allows users to monetize their content. If you are a creator with a loyal audience, this could be a strong Patreon alternative. The big hurdle with this platform is going to be getting your audience onto the platform. You need to assess if your audience going to adapt to this platform.
If you have a Patreon already in place, consider posting your first-tier Patreon content in both places. See which one grows over time and then lean into the more successful platform. But remember, Fanbase is new. And I’m always nervous that new platforms will end up getting purchased by these larger ones, leaving you in exactly the same place.
Neptune: A TikTok-style app. The rumor is that Neptune is our next TikTok. However, I can’t confirm that because…it’s still in Beta testing. The exciting thing about this platform is that SO many users have joined their Discord server. This means that when it is ready there is a huge opportunity for quick growth.
This past week they announced that users can act now to secure their usernames! So if you are attached to a specific user name request it NOW! Usernames attached to famous people or businesses can be requested or secured by anyone. However, the app has said that if the real famous person decides to request the username later Neptune will give it to them over you. So if you choose the username Keanu Reeves you will get it. But if (King) Keanu decides he wants to join Neptune in a year or 10 years they will take your username away and give it to him.
YouTube Shorts: Ok, deep breath. We all know YouTube shorts leave much to be desired. But I think that the lack of great content on the Shorts platform actually leaves a huge opportunity for creators to come in and thrive!
Plus, YouTube is a reliable platform with opportunities to earn. Your Shorts views count towards your monetization goals and you already have a library of content you can use to get started. Start by uploading your TikToks and Reels. You can schedule them out and boom, you’ll have daily content uploading without having to do anything past the initial upload day.
RedNote: Hands down your one-to-one TikTok replacement. It’s almost identical to TikTok, has a welcoming community, plus the audience is already in a buying mindset.
So what’s the catch? It’s primarily in Chinese. Xiaohongshu or the RedNote app was China’s answer to TikTok and is one of China’s biggest social media platforms with over 300 million users. This week it made it to number 3 in the app store!
I made an account to explore the platform and what I found was an extremely intuitive and surprisingly fun-to-use app. Can I understand any of the buttons I’m pressing? Nope, but so far I’m loving it.
Editor’s Note: One thing that was kind of iffy was that in the writing of this article, I was copying and pasting links on my desktop. When I opened the RedNote app a notification popped up “allow paste from Samantha’s Desktop Pro.” That’s the first time that I’ve had an app notify me that they are tracking my actions across devices.
Anywhoudini, I’ve always wanted to learn Chinese. So here we go!
Lemon8: This is last on my list for two reasons. One is more relevant than the other. First, it’s important to note that Lemon8 is a ByteDance-owned app. This means that you should proceed with caution until more is known about the ban’s scope. If the US government is banning ByteDance I don’t see how they can allow Lemon8 but not TikTok. TikTok has been pushing Americans to join Lemon8 for months now, which to me means that they believe it to be exempt from the ban. But I’m skeptical to suggest you join the app with so much still in the air.
Second, Lemon8 made me feel old, lol. Lemon8 is a Pinterest-style app. It’s mainly photos and videos, but everything is HIGHLY stylized. They have templates but I can see the work that creators are putting into making every post and it exhausts me just thinking about it! As a small business owner who is constantly creating content for myself and others the idea of spending hours on a graphic that is so specific to one app seems scary.
In theory, I think you could use a Lemon8 post as a community post on YouTube, a Pinterest post, and maybe a graphic for your newsletter. But I also think you can hit all of those platforms with much less effort. My opinion on this might change after the 19th and where the ban ends up. I’d say, secure the username, and poke around but don’t go crazy creating content until we know more.
4. Back Up Your Content
The most time-consuming thing you should be doing this week is to save your TikTok videos so that you preserve your hard work. Use the app’s “Save Video” option or use a third-party downloader to get watermark-free copies of your video with the audio.
When I shared this on Instagram someone mentioned that TikTok is giving users URLs to all of their videos so we don’t need to download and store the video files. And that’s awesome…in theory. But with all platforms, Meta, Youtube, and TikTok it’s important to understand that those platforms are hosting your content. They are taking on the burden of storing your videos and content as the trade-off to get you to use the app (and drive advertising efforts.)
If TikTok is truly banned in the US, what is the incentive for them to store your dog videos? The only guarantee that you will have access to your content post-ban is to download your content. Now, I understand that’s a lot to store. I’m currently using Google Photos to back up everything. But the other thing I’m doing is putting EVERYTHING relevant onto second and third platforms like YouTube Shorts.
Don’t let all of that good content go to waste!
5. Focus on What You Own
This ban is a stark reminder: You don’t own social media platforms, but you do own your website and email list. Now is the time to:
- Revive your blog, Patreon, or website to host your content.
- Grow your newsletter to maintain direct access to your audience.
- Diversify your platforms. You can’t rely on any one platform to sustain your business.
Key Takeaways For Creatives & Small Business Owners
Change is never easy, but it’s also an opportunity to diversify and strengthen your presence.
- Don’t be afraid to explore new platforms.
- Back up your content!
- Invest in the channels you control.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, I totally get it that was a HUGE brain dump. Luckily, I’m here to help. Through my company Yes & Social LLC, I work with creatives and small businesses to build sustainable content strategies. Let’s connect!
Before you go, I’d love to hear from you! What are you thinking about all of this? Sound off in the comments below.
Happy creating,
Samantha
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