ICYMI: A TikTok Ban Checklist ✅
+ the clause you should add to your brand-creator partnerships
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⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
ByteDance must sell TikTok or risk the app being banned in the US — scroll down for the facts, the theories and a to-do list in case of a potential ban
Pinterest released its Summer 2024 Travel report
Mark Zuckerberg’s given himself a camera-friendly glow up
Threads is paying creators to post content related to “positivity”
Gen Z is developing their own version of MySpace, called NoSpace
Poll: Did Chik-fil-A blow it with this TikToker employee?
💻 ROADMAP
📲 TikTok Updates
ByteDance has about 9 months to sell TikTok or risk a US ban. Scroll down for more thoughts on the news that’s going to dominate headlines for the foreseeable future.
A TikTok Lite service in France and Spain, which offered rewards for watching videos, has been suspended by the company shortly after the EU threatened to block it.
📲 Meta Updates
Mark Zuckerberg is in his “accessible influencer” era, from the tiny mic and Jack Harlow styling in his video announcements to fashion recommendations and fan fic portraits. (The point to this increased visibility on Instagram was to announce the upgraded Meta AI assistant, metaverse updates, and Ray-Ban Meta video calling.)
Instagram said there are more than 2M+ active subscriptions to creators on the app. The company is testing new tools, including:
Subscriptions sticker tap insight that let creators see how many people are tapping on the subscribe sticker
Subscription content protection to prevent screenshots and screen recordings of exclusive content.
Instagram is retiring its Flipside feature, effective May 24.
Threads is reportedly paying creators to post content related to “positivity,” for a chance to win up to $500, according to The Information. Creators have to post at least once a day on Threads for 10 straight days to be eligible and are encouraged to use the hashtag #GoodVibesonThreads.
Threads now has more daily active users in the US than Twitter (X), according to Apptopia. So far in April, Threads has averaged an estimated 28 M daily active users. As part of its Q1 earnings report, Meta says Threads now has over 150M monthly active users.
📲 Pinterest Updates
Pinterest released its Summer 2024 Travel report which notes an interest in adventure travel increasing worldwide.
📲 LinkedIn Updates
LinkedIn shared tips for your B2B marketing campaigns
📲 Twitter (X) Updates
Twitter (X) announced a new Smart TV app featuring trending content. This is worth paying attention to given the living room focus we’re seeing from big tech companies, including YouTube and TikTok.
📲 Reddit Updates
Reddit announced its updating its mobile app on iOS and Android to emphasize comments as a focal point in the user experience.
⏳ THE TIKTOK BAN
President Biden signed off on the “Peace Through Strength Act” on Wednesday, which requires the Chinese-based ByteDance to sell TikTok or risk a national ban. Lawmakers have said the app is a national security risk.
The Facts:
The bill that Biden signed gives ByteDance 270 days to divest itself of the app (aka sell TikTok), with a potential 90-day grace period if the President believes an extension is in order to allow the sale to happen.
Division D, Sec 2 of the act prohibits entities in the United States [like the App Store or Google Play Store] from distributing, updating, or maintaining a website or application operated by ByteDance, Ltd., TikTok, or other entities after the deadline.
Senators who were briefed by intelligence officials have said, “TikTok is a weapon in the hands of the Chinese government, and poses an active risk to our democratic institutions and national security.”
TikTok Notes isn’t a workaround. The bill restricts any app that is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign adversary that is “determined by the President to present a significant threat to the national security of the United States.” That means CapCut and Lemon8 could get swept up in this, too.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew posted a response to the news: “It’s obviously a disappointing moment, but it does not need to be a defining one … Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere. We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts.”
While The Information reported that ByteDance was exploring a potential sale of TikTok without the algorithm, the company has said it would prefer to shut down the app rather than sell.
The Responses:
“As we’ve seen players in the space come and go, there is one consistent theme: creators are resilient. History shows us that the creator opportunity continues to grow either way, and creators have a highly transferable skill set and will adapt as social platforms evolve,” said LTK creator commerce platform Co-founder and President Amber Venz Box in a statement.
The ban is irrelevant, according to a LinkedIn post from Duolingo’s Zaria Parvez. “Regardless of what happens to TikTok, the same mentality that has driven virality will stay the same despite where the content lives.”
“The easiest way to make something more popular amongst the Youths is to try and ban it,” tweeted The Washington Post’s Dave Jorgensen, before reassuring his followers, “We’re on YouTube Shorts too! And traffic is booming”.
“Advertisers are going to shy away from an app that's deemed a national security threat, and may disappear soon… And influencers are going to move to Reels and other apps with better long term security,” predicted Big Technology’s Alex Kantrowitz, writing on LinkedIn.
"When it comes to TikTok specifically, my advice to brands and creators is to not pull back on activity or spend — yet. Until consumers start demonstrably shifting their attention towards other platforms, stay the course. If TikTok is still working for you (i.e. traffic, attention, and engagement is not decreasing) then there’s no reason to pull back. Focus and media spend should always follow the consumer," said Traackr influencer marketing platform Co-founder and CEO Pierre-Loïc Assayag in a statement.
Related News:
While Biden signs the TikTok bill, marketers still aren’t panicking
TikTok creators react to Biden signing ban-or-sell law: 'We don't want a TikTok ban'
Your TikTok To-Do List:
❒ As always, diversify where and how you show up online. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are the most obvious alternatives but Snapchat, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are all prioritizing short-form video.
❒ Whether or not you plan to publish on another platform, make sure you’ve obtained and are sitting on your username on all the major networks.
❒ Export and save all of your TikTok video content if you haven’t already.
❒ In your bio, the link in your bio, and pinned videos, point people to where you plan to be most active. And then strengthen your presence on those platforms.
❒ Whether you’re a brand or a creator, make sure any partnership agreement includes a clause addressing what happens if TikTok ceases to be available for use in the US, suggested attorney Robert Freund.* If TikTok disappears, do campaign requirements shift to another platform or is the contract terminated?
❒ Monitor the situation. Nothing is going to happen overnight but keep an eye out for official statements from the company or government legislators — not conspiracies and speculation.
*You know the drill. This doesn’t constitute legal advice, it’s for information purposes only.
🗳️ WHAT’S YOUR TAKE
TikToker and Chik-fil-A employee Miri the Siren has been reviewing her employee meals for the past four months — and getting thousands of views. But the company has asked her to stop, citing a rule in the employee handbook.
"What a HUGE missed opportunity for them," influencer James Charles responded on her explanation video. Days later, she posted a collab video done with Shake Shack featuring their antibiotic-free chicken sandwich. You can read more about how Chik-fil-A handled (or mishandled) the situation here.
🧮 DATA POINTS
88% of influencers’ top concern is navigating the frequent changes in social media platform algorithms, according to URLgenius. (A good reason to read ICYMI!)
59% of consumers said they regard user generated content as equally entertaining as traditional media, signaling a competitive upheaval in the quest for audience attention, according to Accenture.
30% of creators say an unclear or misaligned brief from a brand is the biggest challenge to executing a successful brand partnership, according to the 2nd Annual Creator Economy Trend Report Decoding Brand Deals.
👀 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
YouTube Q1 Ad Revenue Climbs 21% to $8.1 Billion, Well Above Wall Street Forecasts -Variety
Meta’s stock plunges 15% on ‘aggressive’ AI spending plans -CNN
Snap beats first-quarter expectations, shares jump 25% -Reuters
Gen Z is developing their own version of MySpace, called NoSpace -Bustle
TikTok has become a pseudo-shopping channel, and Gen Z has had enough -Business Insider
Influencer agencies are pivoting to add new capabilities beyond sponsored content -AdAge
Amazon is dominating the creator economy -Passionfruit
Brands vs. influencers: Who holds more power? -Vogue Business
The logic behind Kendall Jenner and Emma Chamberlain’s collab -Fast Company
✍️ FINAL NOTES:
❤️ Thanks for reading! I appreciate every subscriber — especially the core group of you who click in every single week. I’m grateful that you do!
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