Bye Bye TikTok? What Creators and Businesses Need to Know

Remember Blockbuster? Once the king of Friday nights, they failed to pivot to digital streaming. Now, TikTok’s uncertain future feels eerily similar.

Let’s be real: TikTok is where I have my biggest following—74,000+ followers. Not for business tips or marketing advice, but for sharing real-life moments as a husband and father.

Surprisingly, it was TikTok that helped me scale my e-commerce startup, Outlaw Masks, during the pandemic to over 300,000 followers and thousands of dollars in sales.

But here’s the reality: we don’t own our social media followers. We’ve seen this story before—AOL, MySpace, Vine… TikTok could be next.

If you’re relying solely on one platform to grow your audience or business, you’re playing a risky game. With the TikTok ban looming (January 19, 2025), it’s time to future-proof your strategy.

Here are 3 things you can do today to protect yourself and your business:

• Own Your Audience: Build your email list. Social platforms come and go, but emails are forever.

• Diversify Platforms: Be present where your audience is—Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

• Create Content You Control: Blogs, podcasts, email newsletters—you own this content. Platforms don’t get to decide who sees it.

I dive deeper into these strategies in my latest blog post:

We can’t control what happens to TikTok, but we can control how we prepare.

If you’re not already following me on Instagram, let’s connect there—it feels safe… for now: 📸 @CarlosGil83

Let’s make sure you’re ready no matter what happens next.

By the way, I wrote The End of Marketing for moments just like this—when brands and creators need to adapt, pivot, and thrive in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Let’s get it!

Carlos