Your TikTok Checklist

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⏰ Today’s Edition

• A preliminary TikTok checklist

• Importance of building your OWNED online audience

• Top updates of the week

• And more…

I waited for the dust to settle down a bit, but big news on the TikTok front from last week.

Today we will break down what's happening and what it means for you, especially if you're already playing around with TikTok in your platform strategy or just keeping an eye on trends.

We also discuss the importance of building an owned audience on social media.

The TL;DR on TikTok’s Potential Ban

President Biden signed the "Peace Through Strength Act," throwing a serious curveball at TikTok's future in the U.S.

The gist? ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has 270 days to divest itself of the app (aka sell TikTok), or we might have to say goodbye to our favorite video app. Yep, if they don't sell, TikTok could face a national ban.

Why such drastic measures?

U.S. lawmakers are pinning it on national security concerns.

Some folks in high places think TikTok is a bit too cozy with the Chinese government, which could pose risks to privacy and democracy.

The Facts

• The bill that Biden signed gives ByteDance 270 days to divest itself of the app (aka sell TikTok), with a potential 90-day grace period if the President believes an extension is in order to allow the sale to happen

• TikTok Notes isn’t a workaround. The bill restricts any app that is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by ByteDance. This means CapCut and Lemon8 could get swept up in this, too

• TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew posted a response (see the TikTok below) to the news: “It’s obviously a disappointing moment, but it does not need to be a defining one … Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere. We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts”

• While The Information reported that ByteDance was exploring a potential sale of TikTok without the algorithm, the company has said it would prefer to shut down the app rather than sell

@tiktok

Response to TikTok Ban Bill

Your TikTok Checklist

If I were advising clients on what this all means and what’s the best course of action, here’s what I would suggest:

✅ Diversify Your Platform Mix

Ban or no ban, if you’re in social media marketing, platform diversification is a strategic must.

Distribute your content across other platforms like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and maybe give Snapchat or Pinterest a go.

They are all prioritizing short-form video.

✅ Secure Usernames

Whether or not you plan to publish on other platforms, make sure you have obtained your username(s) on all the major platforms.

Won’t believe how many times this simple thing is missed.

✅ Review Contracts

Whether you’re a brand or a creator, make sure any partnership agreement includes a clause addressing what happens if TikTok ceases to be available in the U.S. This is what attorney Robert Freund* suggested.

If TikTok disappears, do campaign requirements shift to another platform or is the contract terminated?

✅ Monitor the Situation

While the panic is mostly for media and PR, marketers are still not panicking.

Nothing is going to happen overnight, but keep an eye out for official statements from the company or government legislators—not conspiracies and speculation.

*You know the drill, this does not constitute legal advice and is intended for information purposes only.

Own Your Audience

I was speaking about this to two friends just this past week.

We’re dealing with a potential ban of a major platform, but do you folks remember the great outage of all Meta apps (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp) that happened in February?

These things keep happening and they cost businesses billions of dollars every year.

Whether we like to admit it or not, our audience on social media is rented.

It's more important than ever to own our audience before it's gone, and that’s partly why I created this newsletter.

As we stand today, newsletters are the most powerful tool to build and attract an owned audience.

It works for individuals and brands.

For me, it was the beehiiv team who drove this message home. The platform is free to launch, easy to use, made by creators for creators, and has growth in mind. Plus, they ship new features every single week.

So:

Don't: Rely on just one platform
Do: Diversify, and prioritize an owned audience.