How the Tik Tok Ban Could Impact UGC on Paid Social

By now, we’re all well aware of the looming TikTok ban, which has been granted a new deadline of June 19, 2025 for the Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest from the social media platform in the U.S. As marketers, we all know TikTok is a UGC (user-generated content) hub, with the platform being responsible for creating new trends, increasing popularity of products, and influencing public opinion. As it’s unclear if the app will be granted another extension, it’s time we start asking ourselves how the Tik Tok ban will impact UGC and our use of it in paid social strategy.

The Rise and Influence of TikTok

TikTok, which officially landed in the U.S in 2018, skyrocketed in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming the most downloaded app in the U.S. (and the world) in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The app’s algorithm focused on content-based engagement (rather than social connection and follower count, like Meta or Snapchat), which allowed small brands and creators to get attention on the For You Page. Nowadays, TikTok has over 170 million active monthly users in the U.S., which is half of the country’s population.

So, what could it mean to completely remove a platform with such wide reach?

Potential Effects of a TikTok Ban

Loss of a major advertising channel: U.S. advertisers spent an estimated $12.34 billion on the app in 2024. A TikTok ban would force brands to reallocate these dollars, leading to increased competition and higher advertising costs on other platforms (Meta, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc.).
Disruption to UGC and influencer marketing: There are approximately 1.3 million creators on TikTok, all of whom needed time to build an audience and foster trust with them. A ban would force these creators to migrate platforms, many starting from ground zero to build up a following.
Impact to the brand/customer relationship: TikTok fosters a unique parasocial environment between brands and consumers, allowing brands to jump in quickly on trends, engage with their customer base in the comments, and connect with users in an organic (and often comical) way. This culture doesn’t necessarily exist in the same way on other platforms, and the ban would leave a void, forcing brands to rebuild this type of engagement elsewhere.
New challenges in reaching younger audiences: Approximately 70% of active TikTok users are between the ages of 18-34. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are increasingly older demographics, and therefore, a ban of TikTok would lead to gaps in brands' targeting strategy.
Changing “best practices" for content: TikTok has popularized short-form videos, dramatically decreased the trend cycle timeline, and made many types of content (“Get Ready With Me”, hauls, cleaning reset videos) popular. With a ban, we would likely see the migration of these trends to other platforms and major shifts in creative best practices for short-form videos that were popularized by TikTok.

How Advertisers Should Prepare

While we remain in TikTok limbo, here are the things we should be doing to prepare for any outcome:

Stick with your strategy: TikTok is still functional, and your audience is still there. Don’t let the ongoing uncertainty disrupt the strategy you’ve worked hard to come up with. Continue producing high-quality content and engaging with your audience.
Diversify your platforms: TikTok’s fate changes daily. Don’t let yourself get caught in a position where it's the only platform you’re on. Build your presence on other platforms by creating engaging content for those channels and encouraging your TikTok audience to follow you over there. Diversifying your channels now ensures that you won’t be caught in a tricky situation should TikTok be banned.
Leverage owned channels: Use this time to fortify your strategy for your email lists, website traffic, and SMS. Things can change with platforms, but the data you own is yours forever.
Save your stats and repurpose your content: Don’t let your hard work go to waste- backup key performance data, download useful reports, and save any other information relevant to your KPIs. If you want to repurpose your TikTok content, make sure you have it saved somewhere outside of the app to keep it accessible. Your TikTok creative can be repurposed on other platforms while you reformulate your creative strategy.
Stay prepared: This situation underscores the importance of adaptability in the world of digital marketing. Set yourself up for success by preparing your strategy to thrive across platforms.

Conclusion

News about the TikTok ban is ever-evolving, and it's always possible that it will never come to fruition or be enforced. However, it's our job as marketers to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared with a strategy if the app is banned. At Revel, we take pride in fostering collaborative, forward-thinking relationships with our clients. Let us help you plan a strong paid social strategy, so you’re prepared for any situation.

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