How can creators in the U.S. survive the TikTok ban?

The fate of TikTok, the fourth most popular social media app, hangs in the balance in the United States as a law is being passed that would terminate the platform's operations within the country. Because the platform is owned by a Chinese-based company, ByteDance, the law is expected to prohibit the platform's operation starting on Sunday, January 19. 

Currently TikTok has more than 170 million active users in U.S. TikTok took the entire social media industry by storm with its highly engaging and personalized algorithm for its users. It provided a platform for people to express themselves and connect with like-minded peers. 

The ban has created a ripple of emotions among both influencers and users. While some users already feel a void and have expressed distress about the possibility of missing their social media friends, serious TikTok creators who use it as their major income stream are left stranded, and are now scrambling to find ways to seek an alternative platform for their revenue streams.  

TikTok influencers are put in the tough spot of losing their followers and revenue stream overnight. While this sounds like a doomsday scenario, it's a wake-up call for creators to diversify their presence and focus on building their brand across different platforms.

Let's take a look at how TikTok content creators can get through this gloomy situation.

How can you bulk download all of your TikTok videos to local storage? 

There's the usual way, where you open a video and manually download each video by clicking on the download option. This way, you can download all of your videos without the watermark and in high resolution. 

There's also another way, where you can bulk download all of your videos at once. Go to the Accounts & settings and click Download. 

All of your videos will be downloaded to your local storage. You should also keep in mind that videos downloaded in this method will be watermarked with the TikTok logo and in low resolution. 

There are also several third-party applications to help you download TikTok videos, but there's also a high risk associated with those apps because most of them require your account credentials. Do your due diligence before using any third-party applications.

How can you repurpose your TikTok content? 

You've put in your heart and soul into creating content on TikTok and people resonated with it. Why waste all of that valuable content? Reformat and reuse your videos on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Edit your videos and craft them into compelling video posts.

How can you download your TikTok creator analytics? 

Your TikTok account performance analytics data is crucial for you to understand your audience demography and the type of content that works well with your audience. Use the TikTok's creator dashboard to download metrics like demographics, views, followers, and top performing videos. These metrics will give you insights on what type of content you should focus on in your future endeavors.

How can you direct your TikTok followers to other platforms? 

The best approach is to drive your community towards a membership site or other social media platforms. In this severe time-crunch situation, you can start creating a mailing list or a membership site and urge your followers to subscribe to it to learn your future actions. You can also set up your base on another social media platform and drive your users there. Be proactive and tell your audience where to find you after the ban goes into effect. Update your TikTok bio with links to other social media channels.

What are the alternative social media platforms for TikTok creators? 

There are a couple of options: YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. There's been a rise in the amount of short video contents on both the platforms, which aligns perfectly with the TikTok user community.

How can you communicate with your followers about the ban? 

In this limited timeframe, regularly go live and communicate with your followers. Initiate conversations, answer questions, and run surveys to understand them better and stay connected in this transition period. Honesty and transparency is key.

What happens to the TikTok app after the ban? 

TikTok won't be available for download in both App Store and Google PlayStore. Users won't receive any app updates, which will eventually slow the app down and see its end of life relatively soon.

Is it illegal to have the TikTok app on your phone after the ban? 

No, it won't be illegal to have the app on your phone after the ban goes into effect. But, there's been no official announcement about that yet.

What happens to TikTok creators' sponsorships and brand deals?  

There's a high chance that brands will eventually terminate active sponsorships with TikTok creators. The best way to approach this scenario is to accept the situation and focus on building a long-term relationship with brands. It will be easy for you to work with brands again as you grow and create a community on different platforms.

Wrapping up 

The TikTok ban is a gentle reminder that social media platforms are usually rented land, and there's always a chance of losing your followers and work overnight. It's a call for all creators to focus on building their brand and community on their own medium, like a website, in parallel to their social media channels.