TikTok creators urge fans to locate them on Instagram or YouTube before the impending ban.

• TikTok users are being encouraged by their creators to locate them on other social media platforms prior to January 19, when the app may be suspended in the US.
• In the event of a suspension of the app, it is predicted that Google's YouTube and Meta's Facebook and Instagram will be the largest beneficiaries.
• Jack Nader, a 21-year-old TikTok creator in Chicago, expressed disappointment that not all of his followers would be attending the gathering.

In 2023, Jack Nader shifted from being a barista in Chicago and residing with his parents to posting beauty videos on TikTok.

In April of that year, Nader, who was 21 at the time, began taking his TikTok videos more seriously. As a result, his account grew rapidly, with over half a million followers. This allowed him to earn enough money through brand sponsorships and ad revenue to quit his job at the coffee shop and move into his own apartment.

"Nader, a creator who earns between $1,000 and $12,000 per month, stated that his 9-to-5 job is his primary source of income. He explained that it is how he pays for his groceries and how millions of small businesses make their money."

Nader's income stream from TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, is at risk as the app faces a potential ban in the U.S. by January 19. As a result, Nader is urging his fans to find him on other social media apps to avoid losing his substantial income stream altogether.

Nader expressed disappointment that not all of his TikTok followers would be attending the gathering.

Since its inception, the TikTok risk has been a concern, but it intensified in April with President Biden signing a law mandating ByteDance to divest the app this month. If ByteDance does not sell TikTok before the deadline, they will be legally required to ensure their platforms no longer support the app in the U.S.

President-elect Trump, who initially supported a TikTok ban, has since reversed his stance and urged the Supreme Court to delay Biden's ban. His inauguration is on January 20th.

In February, Trump's stance on TikTok shifted after meeting with billionaire Jeff Yass, a Republican donor and ByteDance investor who also owns a stake in Trump's social media company.

On January 10, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments from both sides regarding TikTok's ban in the US. During the two-hour session, justices questioned TikTok's head lawyer about the app's ties to China and seemed unconvinced by TikTok's main argument that the law infringes on the free speech rights of its millions of US users.

On Thursday, Frank McCourt's internet advocacy group Project Liberty submitted a proposal to purchase TikTok from ByteDance. The group dubbed the bid "The People's Bid for TikTok" and stated that they would restructure the app to operate on an American-owned platform while prioritizing users' digital safety. However, the group did not disclose the terms of their bid.

Nader isn't waiting for a ruling to determine his next move.

Nader saves his TikTok videos daily and re-edits them for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

"Nader stated that it took him over a year and a half to establish his TikTok presence, which he now hopes to make his full-time job. However, he lamented that the process of rebuilding his brand on a different platform was not ideal."

Nader said he isn't yet making any money from Reels or Shorts.

'This isn't just a silly app'

In November, Danisha Carter, a 27-year-old full-time creator from Los Angeles, had a wake-up call about the TikTok ban, despite being aware of it for months.

"Carter realized that she needed to take the platform and followers she built seriously before she lost them, so she decided to stop wasting time."

Carter, a former luxury retail worker, has announced that her TikTok videos will be the last, and she will be found on YouTube, Instagram, and Patreon.

"TikTok has been more than just a fun app for posting dance videos, as Carter, who earns an average of $4,000 per month from her activity on the platform, explained. It has had a significant impact on people's lives and businesses."

If TikTok is suspended in the U.S., experts predict that YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram will be the biggest winners in the fallout.

In the U.S., TikTok has 115 million monthly active users, lagging behind YouTube with 258 million and Facebook with 253 million, according to Sensor Tower. Instagram has 131 million users. Short videos, similar to TikTok clips, are increasingly popular on these apps, accounting for approximately 41% of user time on Instagram, as per Sensor Tower data.

In the U.S., TikTok has a smaller user base and lower share of total ad dollars compared to its top competitors. However, it is the leading platform for short-form content creators.

According to HyperAuditor, a creator is defined as a user with over 1,000 subscribers. In the U.S., TikTok has approximately 8.5 million creators, compared to 5.2 million on Instagram and 1.1 million on YouTube.

In the U.S., TikTok accounts for 9% of digital ad spend on social media platforms, while Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube account for 31%, 25%, and 21%, respectively.

If TikTok were to disappear, billions of dollars could be left in the air for competitors to take, according to Sensor Tower. Emarketer predicts that Meta and YouTube could capture roughly half of the reallocated funds should a ban be put in place.

The market shift that occurred in other countries has also taken place in India. In June 2020, TikTok was banned in India, with about 150 million monthly users in the country. A year later, Instagram's monthly active users in India increased by 20%, while YouTube's went up 11% year-over-year, according to Sensor Tower estimates.

"Meghana Dhar, a former Instagram executive, stated that the biggest spike in Reels usage occurred at the time of the India ban. If TikTok were to be banned, many creators would have to choose between YouTube Shorts and Instagram, causing them to hedge their bets."

Instagram leaders held multiple impromptu meetings on Friday after the Supreme Court oral arguments, a source close to the matter revealed to CNBC. Despite anticipating TikTok's continued presence in the US, Instagram executives instructed their teams to prepare for a possible surge of users if the ban were to be enforced, the source added, requesting anonymity due to confidentiality concerns.

Need to diversify

The TikTok situation highlights the importance of diversifying followings for social media creators, according to Kristina Nolan, vice president of media services at marketing agency DMi Partners.

Nolan, whose agency works with over 50,000 creators, emphasized the importance of creating audience depth on other platforms.

Recently, DMi has observed an increase in its creators migrating their followers to other platforms in various ways, as Nolan stated. However, Nolan cautioned that some creators are concerned about TikTok's potential "shadow ban," which could reduce their exposure to users if the platform detects that they are promoting profiles on other platforms.

Some creators are using abbreviations like "fbook" to refer to Facebook, while others are censoring certain words to avoid detection on TikTok. Additionally, some creators are collaborating with brands to offer giveaways to followers who follow them on other apps.

"Nolan stated, "It's clear they're not saying, 'Come over to Instagram,' but instead they're saying, 'Follow me on Instagram,' and they're mouthing it.""

Despite the availability of various methods to reach large audiences, creators are concerned about the possibility of reestablishing their business and whether their followers will transfer with them.

"We can't control what happens, so we'll just make the best of it," said Nealie Boschma, 27 of Los Angeles, who has been living as a full-time creator since 2022. "That's how I stay calm."

Although there may be disruption, Boschma sees the prospect of a ban as a chance to develop further and explore new possibilities.

After leaving her job at a horse farm, Boschma began creating TikTok videos and is now living in Los Angeles, funded by her savings and earnings as a content creator.

Boschma plans to create a video asking her TikTok fans to follow her on other apps if the ban goes through.

Although she currently has 2 million TikTok followers and only 278,000 on YouTube, Boschma plans to create longer-form videos, something she has always been interested in.

"Regardless of whether TikTok remains or not, I am confident that something will still work out for me," Boschma stated. "I will adapt and find success in other platforms, just as I did on TikTok."

Niki Christoff, CEO of Christoff & Co., predicts that the Supreme Court will likely uphold the TikTok ban.