If TikTok Goes Down, Where Will Your Brand Be?

If TikTok went down tomorrow, where would your audience find you?

Content creators in the United States are facing the need to answer this question with the passing of a future ban on the app. While the end result of the ban remains to be seen, it highlights the danger of limiting your brand to only one social media platform.

It is always best to be prepared, so we wanted to dive into your options for growing your brand identity and your audience engagement on new, alternative platforms.

The act that may ban TikTok 

As of April 24, 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden passed an act that would ban TikTok in the United States, shocking a good number of people who thought the ban would never happen. Biden’s signature on the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) “will ban the video-sharing app from being downloaded in the United States unless ByteDance sells TikTok within the next 12 months.” (What happens if TikTok is banned? – The Week)

This may not result in much more than an eventual annoyance to the average individual scrolling through TikTok. However, with the creator economy generating around $250 billion according to Goldman Sachs, it makes sense that some of those online creators may be feeling like a rug was pulled out from under their feet.

While the ban won’t kick in until 2025, it will have an impact, one way or another. In one case, TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, will sell the app which will likely lead to some big changes (just look at what happened to X/Twitter). In the other case, TikTok ends up being banned in the U.S. and can’t be downloaded.

Either way change is coming. So you, as a content creator, should be prepared.

What can you do?

TikTok won’t be the same come spring of 2025 so it is time to look at what other options are available and choose the ones that best for you. Even if you have entirely devoted your time and energy building your audience on TikTok alone, you have options. They won’t be the easiest but they are doable.

There are other platforms that provide the ability to create and publish short-form video and more that allow long-form video. It is time to get to know these platforms and start making a plan for how to build your audience somewhere new. 

You are likely to reach your audience in new ways on different platforms and can gain new followers when you expand your reach. What’s more, you have the opportunity to grow in your skills as a video creator by learning how to use other video editing tools that aren’t TikTok specific.

The top 3 platforms for producing video content

It may feel like TikTok is the be-all-end-all of short-form video creation, buuut that’s not true. Wth the app on the chopping block, it is time to meet or refamiliarize yourselves with some of the other platforms that walked so TikTok could run.

1. YouTube and YouTube Shorts

YouTube is one of the original video sharing platforms and boasts 2.7 million active users as of 2024. Launched in 2005, YouTube continues to be one of the main hubs for long-form video content. The addition of YouTube Shorts in 2020 allowed the platform to keep up with the ever-growing demand for short-form content.

While Youtube does have a built-in video editor, its capabilities are pretty basic so this platform may be best for those who are already familiar with other video editing tools that exist outside of social media. 

2. Instagram and Instagram Reels

While Instagram was originally just a photo sharing app, it has been one of TikTok’s top competitors. Today, this app has 2 billion active users and offers them a variety of ways to produce video content through Stories, Reels, Videos, and Lives. 

There are a wide range of video editing apps that are friendly with Instagram–such as InShot, Videoleap, Adobe Premiere Rush, Prequel or Veed Limited–so this may ease the transition for some.

3. Facebook and Facebook Reels

It may be a surprise to some but yes, Facebook is still around and still very much in use courtesy of its 3 billion users. The platform has offered users the ability to post and share videos since it was launched but added Reels in 2021 as TikTok rapidly showcased the growing popularity of short-form video content. 

While the platform is video-content friendly, it doesn’t really have the tools for content creation. Facebook still gives you an effective platform to reach your audience, but should be thought of mostly as a publication platform.

4. Pinterest

It may not feel like a conventional short-form video platform, but Pinterest is another effective avenue to get more eyes on your content. With the added option to create Boards, Pinterest can allow you to publish and cultivate content collections that you can target towards your ideal audience quite easily.

While Pinteresst doesn’t offer any video-making tools, it can be used in tandem with your Instagram account. This gives you the ability to link your Instagram to your Pinterest and choose the content that will work best on Pinterest, such as instructional or product showcase videos. One thing to be aware of with Pinterest is the fact that the music licensing aspect isn’t quite up to par yet, so you may want to consider uploading Reels without audio .

5 tips for audience-building on a new platform

The way that you connect with and build your audience on any social media platform is, at its core, pretty similar. Share the heart of your brand or business!

If you focus on sharing music video clips on TikTok to hype up an upcoming concert, that will likely work well on Instagram or Facebook too. If you were doing a series of goth outfits for every occasion, you can bring that same idea to pretty much any platform.

For anyone who needs a bit of a refresher, here’s 5 tips to help you rebuild your audience on another platform:

  1. Get to know the platform: Whatever platform(s) you choose to grow your brand on, you need to understand where you‘re publishing content. For example, you may want to know how long a Youtube Short can be or what optimization options are available to you for Reels. Additionally, some platforms have built in tools to help you create content while others don’t so it is advisable to understand what you can use to create content. 
  2. Set up your profile for optimal success: It is important that each social media profile you have is optimized to show your brand in the best light. Don’t leave visitors wondering whether you are a store or a fan page. Ensure your name, website link(s), and your bio or description are on-brand.
  3. Figure out what audience you are trying to reach: Gear your content to reach the right people by understanding who those people are. Chances are high that you can target the same audiences that you have been trying to reach already, for example those people who want to dress alternatively and look classy at once. Get those audience personas in order and adjust accordingly per platform for variations in age, background, etc. 
  4. Create a publishing schedule that works for you: Consistency is key for gaining trust with your audience and for reaping rewards from your chosen platforms. Don’t fall into the temptation of going above and beyond what you can do regularly. If you can post three times a week on one platform for example, keep that pace going rather than sacrificing quality for quantity.
  5. Start drawing interest toward profiles on other platforms now: Don’t wait until the last moment to launch a new profile or boost your other socials. If you want to rebuild your TikTok audience somewhere new, then it is smart to start getting that attention moved now by promoting your other platforms on TikTok. What better way to build your audience somewhere new than by starting with an audience that already enjoys your content!

“Can I repost TikTok content on other platforms?”

If you can salvage some of the content that you have on TikTok and post it elsewhere, it will go a long way in helping draw your audience to you. 

According to an article by WIRED, “The simplest option for collecting your work is to download the videos from TikTok’s website or desktop app….If you’re looking at your own video and you’re logged in to your account, there will be an option in the right-click menu that says Download Video.”

Trying to salvage the majority of your TIkTok content, it is likely going to be tricky though as, even before the ban, content creators have run into reposting frustrations due music licensing negatively impacting the reported audio.

If you aren’t doing so already, use a third-party app or software to edit and produce your video content. Even if you are still publishing content primarily on TikTok, you’ll want to be prepared to publish the same content on other platforms and to create a version of the same video for them.

If and when the TikTok ban goes into effect in the United States, you don’t want to be caught unprepared. Amplify Your Brand with the videography and social media management services we offer now so you can adjust with ease.

Contact RM Creative Services by sending a message to rachael@rmcsofficial.com or visiting our Contact page.

Written by Brianna Fries, a California-based writer, editor, bookworm, and mother of two. You can contact her at brianna@rmcsofficial.com and discover more of her work at briwritesthings.com.

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