What Happens if TikTok is Banned? Here’s What You Need to Know

Studio Notes

1. What I’m Thinking About: “My mouth would have closed years ago if I’d had this tool.”—Mr. Beast, upon realizing that YouTube videos with thumbnails involving a closed-mouth smile do better than ones with a laughing or surprised face.

2. What I’m Listening to: Not business related, but I️ love Paige DeSorbo and Craig and had to catch up on their breakup: listen

3. What I’m Reading: These three articles shared in The Club on interior design trends: one, two, three

4. What I’m Buying:

   1. These “clean” cleaning products. I️ love this brand and love that my home is a healthier environment.

   2. Also - these Amazon earrings. I️ bough clip-ons because my ears always hurt, but I️ found a regular style as well. I️ have worn them every day.

5. Updates:

   1. 2025 Book Club: Read along with me and enjoy recaps for Substack subscribers. Currently, I️ am reading The Gap and the Gain. Read along or tune in later this month for a recap (think of it as a Sparknotes email with all the takeaways for creatives).

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Good morning!

TikTok is in the spotlight again, and not for its trending dances or viral videos. A potential ban looms, and the ripple effects could reshape the digital landscape.

Before you click out of this article, trust me, even if you are not on the platform this will effect you and your business. So keep reading…

Here’s what we know:

• TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, faces a U.S. deadline to divest by mid-January 2025, or the app could be banned nationwide.

• The stakes are enormous: TikTok claims U.S. small businesses and creators could lose $1.3 billion within just one month of a shutdown.

• The app is a giant in the creator economy, with 50% of influencer marketers reporting it delivers the best ROI for short-form video content.

But TikTok isn’t just an entertainment platform—it’s where millions of creators and businesses connect with audiences, drive sales, and build brands. Goldman Sachs estimates that the creator economy could grow to $480 billion by 2027, and TikTok has been a major player in making that a reality.

As both an artist and business owner, I’ve thought a lot about how to prepare for a world where TikTok might no longer exist—and here’s the truth: Whether you’re on TikTok or not, this shift matters. Why? Because that audience will go somewhere and it could be where you already are or it could be somewhere new.

Here are my current predictions based on what I️ have been reading.