ICYMI: The TikTok Ban "Threat Is Not Threatening"

We're a day away from the deadline and the mood is unbothered

Apr 04, 2025

Update: After I sent this newsletter, Trump extended the deadline by another 75 days and put the ball in China’s court: "We do not want TikTok to "go dark." We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal."

⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY

TikTok (and CapCut’s!) extended deadline is up on Saturday — what happens next?
Amazon joins the list of bidders hoping to get a piece of TikTok
Industry Voices: I asked how YOU feel about the potential TikTok ban
YouTube’s leveled up its Shorts creative tools (very mindful)
Instagram Edits app — coming soon — will be free at launch (very demure)
Roblox partners Google to run ads in the game
Substack now has leaderboards to help you find newsletters
QVC is launching a 24/7 live shopping stream on TikTok
Cory Booker launched his official Senate TikTok account for this week’s historic livestream and gained over 700K followers

💻 ROADMAP

📲 Meta Updates

Adam Mosseri said Edits should be arriving soon and will be free to start but will likely add paid features in the future.
Mosseri addressed the Story issue — post more than one frame and your reach drops drastically. “That’s not on purpose … but we do see that happen so we’re trying to figure out if we can address that.”

📲 YouTube Updates

YouTube announced 3 new inspiration features: AI-powered Hooks suggestions, Brainstorm tools based on previous videos and comments, and Quick Saves, which lets you save ideas from the idea list in YouTube Studio.
YouTube published a blog post on the 10 ways to monetize your presence on the platform.
Google partnered with Roblox to run immersive ads within the gaming experience.
YouTube is stepping up its Shorts creation tools, with updates including:
1. Improved video editor - pinch and zoom to make more precise adjustments, rearrange or delete clips and add music
2. Edits synced to music - clips will automatically align to the beat
3. Simpler templates - upload all media at once and new effects coming soon
4. Image stickers - create stickers based on photos in your camera roll
5. AI stickers - create stickers with text prompts

📲 LinkedIn Updates

LinkedIn is testing organizing video content by trends within the feed and the video tab.

📲 Patreon Updates

Patreon launched a podcast network partnership program with Sony Music and Wondery, helping select shows release exclusive media, offer new fan perks, and unlock additional revenue streams.

📲 Substack Updates

Substack announced it’s rolling out a TikTok-style video feed in its app.
Substack added leaderboards which list rising talent and bestsellers for its major categories — useful for brands looking to source potential partners, creators looking for inspo or just readers looking for newsletters.

📰 TIKTOK UPDATE

Remember the last TikTok ban panic — and all the secret “confessions” from creators that had to be walked back after service was restored?

The vibes feel a little different this time around. A quick look at Google Trends backs this up — news searches for “TikTok ban” peaked in January, and now? Crickets.

Yes, the clock is still ticking. The Associated Press reported that Donald Trump was set to hold a meeting Wednesday about potential investors who could buy a stake in TikTok — possibly stopping a ban. The Information added that Trump has plans for TikTok America, a proposed new company that would be 50% owned by U.S. investors, while ByteDance would still keep a 19.9% stake.

Meanwhile, Amazon has reportedly thrown in a last-minute bid, joining an already wild list of contenders that includes OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely, Andreessen Horowitz, Oracle, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. JD Vance told Fox News that a decision from the administration will “come out before the deadline.”

But creators? They don’t seem nearly as panicked as before. Sure, some are hedging their bets — like Aaron Parnas, who urged followers to find him on Instagram, YouTube, and here on Substack. Others, like Imani B, are over it: “We’ve been gaslit so much... the threat is no longer threatening.” And then there’s John Michael, asking what we’re all thinking: “Are we just pretending TikTok is not going away, or are we ignoring that the ban extension is ending?”

washingtonpostuniverse

A post shared by @washingtonpostuniverse

📣 INDUSTRY VOICES

I wanted to take the pulse of the ICYMI community and asked for your approach to this weekend’s potential ban. “I actually just can’t take on this stress,” one person said to me, which reflects the mood headed into the latest chapter of TikTok’s saga:

“I’m working on [a longer YouTube video] to be posted Tuesday. It’ll cover the history of the ban and where it stands after this weekend. My overall expectation is that TikTok won’t go away this weekend but I have no idea if any deal will be made. Either way, we continue to see super high traffic on Shorts, both on the Washington Post Universe page and my personal page. So, I’m just happy I have multiple places to post vertical videos no matter what happens.”

- Dave Jorgenson, Senior Video Producer, Washington Post Universe

“I’ve been on the app since 2020 and I think this time around I’ve hit the ‘It is what it is’ mood. I freelanced for a couple restaurants and since the faux ban in January I’ve just pivoted my strategy and casually posted on TikTok.
Same thing with myself as a creator. The January “going dark” ban was a lot. TikTok is my largest platform with over 100k followers and realized it was time to diversify for real. I moved most of my efforts to IG and Substack and it’s showed rewards.
Yes, I’ll be watching, especially after hearing rumors Amazon might buy it out in part and it’ll be licensed with ByteDance. I’m just not as sad about it as I was in January. I think losing CapCut would hurt the most. That app is really good for editing on the go.”

- Gabby Mata, Freelance Digital Storyteller and Creator behind Ellaequeue

“Everything we've sourced over the last several months has included creators who have close to or equal engagement on other priority platforms.
Additionally, every contract includes posting content to another platform as a fall back if TikTok goes down (many include cross-posting regardless).
This made big waves in our program the first time so we quickly pivoted to cover our bases this time.”

- Maya Shaff, Head of Influencer & Partnerships at Hatch

“TikTok will not be banned but its sale will take time. Let's not panic. When April 5 comes:
TikTok might go offline for a few hours, similarly to what happened last time around
Trump might announce an unspecified deal for the sale
New EO will extend the deadline for the sale… or there’s a ban.
It matters who will own the algorithm and what changes they will make. The key to the future of TikTok and whether it'll retain its social media power and footing in the US will depend on what happens to its algorithm.
This April 5, like every TikToker out there, I will certainly be glued to the news and incessantly post updates.
If I'm wrong... Let's panic!”

- Andreas Sandre, Founder and Creator-in-Chief of

Content Is Not King

by
We Are Digital Diplomacy

🔲 POLL

Last week: 70% of you were skeptical that AI models would be effective in H&M social posts and marketing campaigns; 12% said consumers wouldn’t mind the virtual models and 19% of you are undecided (note: the poll tool made this add up to 101% so that’s not a typo).

👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES

TikTok's sales team has been pressing agencies to commit more dollars this year, assuring them that the platform isn't going anywhere -AdAge
YouTube’s removal of “gender identity” from hate speech rules has trans rights advocates concerned -TubeFilter
Mark Zuckerberg has visited the White House three times since the start of Trump’s second term lobbying to avoid an antitrust trial -WSJ
QVC is launching a 24/7 live shopping stream on TikTok to revive its business -CNBC
LTK is the latest company to host Creator Upfronts, May 13 in NYC -LTK
Why podcasts are playing a bigger role in brands’ creator strategies -AdAge
Could Tumblr be Gen Z’s safe, alternative space to social media -Business Insider
Netflix is getting more serious about going after gamers -The Verge
Interesting read: Creators won’t dominate the next phase of the creator economy -TubeFilter
Why Cory Booker’s talkathon was a Masterclass in social media savvy: “The numbers rival TV networks” -Vanity Fair
Earlier this week I talked about high-quality or high-concept content. If anyone’s asking you what that looks like, point them toward this Ryan Trahan Joy Ride candy commercial that plays like a mini movie.