How To Navigate a TikTok Ban update as a Video Creator Hey! In today’s video I’m going to be talking about the potential TikTok ban and how I think it’s going to affect ALL of us — creators on TikTok, influencers on Instagram, YouTubers here on YouTube, as well as brands too. And, I’m going to quickly mention at the end of the video why I personally believe there could be a silver lining in all of this for creators on TikTok (which I know is an extremely questionable statement to be making at the moment) but trust me I think you may agree with me when you hear me out. By the way, if you’re new here — welcome, I’m Jaye and I’m the creator of 11 St. Studio influencer agency and I’ve been helping influencers like you price their rates, navigate brand partnerships and negotiate brand contracts since 2019. With that said, I’ll be launching a webinar very soon sharing exactly what goes into pricing your rates for brand deals — because let me tell you, it is NOT a one-size fit’s all approach. So make sure to click the link below this video to be notified when that webinar is live because I don’t want anyone who is interested in learning how to price their rates for brand deals (the RIGHT way) to miss it. So, like I said earlier, if TikTok is banned in the U.S. a LOT of people will be affected, starting with the countless U.S. creators on TikTok, to the millions of people who are passive viewers, to all the influencers on Instagram and you guessed it, YouTubers. Not to mention, brands. And, I get it, a lot of people are really upset at the thought of losing TikTok, myself included. So here’s how I think it’s gonna affect more than just the creators on TikTok — and why it’s important that YOU act quickly if you ARE a creator on TikTok. So let’s just start with the obvious — TikTok creators. If TikTok is banned there’s really no denying that you’re gonna have to start all over on another social media platform. And that isn’t ideal, I’m with you on that. Especially considering the absolute LACK of comparable platforms. So, what are your options? Well, I think it’s safe to say that (for now) you’re gonna have to choose between starting over, either on Instagram or YouTube. The problem is, both currently fall seriously short when it comes to creative, in-app editing tools, trends, and video length. But hopefully that will improve with time. OK, so now let’s chat about how I think a TikTok ban could affect influencers on Instagram. Well, to start I think it’s important to mention that Meta recently announced that it’s ending it’s Reels Play bonus program. Which is a huge blow, monetarily, for creator and influencers on Instagram. Especially considering that at launch, the program promised (top) creators up to $35,000 a month to share reels. But we’ll touch more on that in a few minutes. So… if TikTok IS banned, many creators could turn to Instagram to share their videos, which could cause YOUR reach to drop significantly since there will be MORE competition on the app. And, while one might think that reach would improve on Instagram if TikTok is banned (since millions of people will no longer be able to turn to TikTok for entertainment) millions of people on TikTok have already announced that they will be deleting Instagram and Facebook IF TikTok is banned in the U.S.. so I personally suspect they’ll turn to YouTube instead. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I for one almost never open Instagram, except to share content. I’m definitely not on there scrolling my feed or watching stories. I just really prefer to watch videos over scrolling through static images, but that’s just me. In my opinion Instagram is just incredibly boring compared to TikTok. So yeah, I’ll choose TikTok over Instagram ANY day. And I know I’m not the only one to say that, so if it is banned I do think people will naturally turn to YouTube for the simple fact that it’s just more entertaining. So considering that, I think it’s safe to say that reach on Instagram will remain at an all time low and possibly even decrease IF countless TikTok creators pivot to an (already) over-saturated Instagram because with less users on the app and more competition comes, oh I don’t know… zero reach? And, I think we can all agree that Meta’s announcement that they’re PAUSING bonus payouts is not gonna incentivize many creators to share anything on Instagram in the near future. In fact I’m personally pressing pause on sharing anything (but stories) on personal and business profiles on Instagram for at least one month while I re-evaluate my future on Instagram, period. And I know I’m not alone in saying that. Because if there’s ONE thing I’ve worked hard for the past 4 years, it’s to help influencers earn an income on social media. So I can say with certainty that I am in complete opposition of all things Meta at the moment. So, Meta if you think you can implement some kind of casino-like rewards system and pay creators on some intermittent rewards schedule while your stockholders reap all the benefits of your ad revenue, maybe you should also consider how you’re gonna break it to your stockholders that creators are leaving your app by the millions. But I digress. So, one can HOPE that Instagram will launch a new way to monetize reels in the future, and that creators will stick around to find out what that is, but for now Meta is ‘pausing’ bonus payouts. So do with that what you will. OK so now let’s chat about how a potential TikTok ban will affect brands. Well, I think it’s safe to say that they’re going to take a financial loss. And, they will have to decide whether they want to put their marketing budgets into Meta or YouTube. And, I personally think that the brands that put their ad and marketing budgets into FB and Instagram will NOT see a significant return on their investment since millions of users are deleting Facebook and Instagram. And so with that let’s chat about how I think a potential TikTok ban will affect YouTubers. Because if anyone is gonna benefit from TikTok being banned, I predict it will be YouTube, and all the creators that are already established on the app, as well as the countless TikTok creators that will need to quickly pivot to an app that is well… PREPARED for them. And that is, without a doubt, YouTube. So, not only is YouTube an obvious choice for video creators, but it’s also prepared in terms of it’s algorithm. OK, so unlike Instagram, YouTube (and I can say this because I’ve been on YouTube for 3 years now) is driven by SEO. And YouTube, like Google, IS a search engine. Which means when you upload videos to YouTube, and you mentioned keywords in your videos, and video descriptions, and titles, your videos will have an extremely high chance of getting discovered. And the best part about this is that, because Youtube is a product of Google, your videos can be found not only on YouTube, but when people search on Google TOO. OK and not just for a few days, but for months and YEARS to come. Now imagine the income you can generate with that kind of discoverability. It’s far above and beyond anything you can ever really even IMAGINE on TikTok or Instagram. And that’s why I personally believe that there IS a silver lining to this potential TikTok ban. And, it gets better. YouTube is now paying its creators for Shorts. And their payout program is, in my opinion, the BEST in the space. So this is great news because in the past, earning an income on YouTube (through the YouTube Partner Program) was only available to long-form video creators with a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. However now Short’s creators ALSO qualify for the YouTube Partner Program. And let’s just be clear, this is NOT a creator fund. This is a significant cut from YouTube’s ad revenue. So trust me, that is something to take seriously. Just this year YouTube announced that it’s Shorts creators will now earn 45% of YouTube’s ad revenue from their short-form videos. OK, let me just repeat that — YouTube has announced that it will give 45% of the ad revenue it generates to eligible creators that join the YouTube Partner Program. So let’s chat about who is eligible. According to YouTube, to qualify you need to be in good standing with YouTube, follow all their monetization policies, live in a country where the YouTube Partner Program is available and have an active AdSense account. OK, and you’ll need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months to be eligible to earn an income from long-form videos OR 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days to earn an income from short-form videos. At this point I’d like to mention that YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users, while TikTok only has over 1 billion. OK, so there’s NO denying that the potential to gain subscribers and watch time is there. So, long story short, if you’re a creator on TikTok, I personally believe it’s time to take YouTube Shorts seriously because, if you ask me, it’s one of the best opportunities to make money on social media right now. Plus, the YouTube partner program also provides creators with additional monetization tools to boost their income outside of ad revenue alone. So, personally I don’t know what y’all are waiting for, because, to be honest, this is BAD news for TikTok. YouTube has a TON of experience with the ad revenue share model, and has been rewarding its creators for years now. And TikTok, well to the best of my knowledge they’re still paying creators through a creator fund, which is historically not a great payout model. And, like I mentioned earlier, Instagram is not paying creators at ALL. So, in my opinion, the ad revenue opportunity on YouTube ALONE is more than enough of a reason for TikTok creators to breathe a huge sigh of relief because not only can they pivot to YouTube IF TikTok is banned, but they can also earn a significant bump in their income when they do so. Not to mention, gain access to an audience that is double the size of TikToks current audience. And I image YouTube will be ideal for brand partnerships too, because like I mentioned before, with millions of people actively deleting FB and Instagram, brands are going to experience a sharp drop in their ad reach on those platforms, not to mention their reach when partnering with influencers, so they could very well turn to creators on YouTube for partnerships. In other words, it is a win-win for brands, creators and YouTube. So if you’re stressed out by the potential TikTok ban, there is a clear opportunity on YouTube for you, not only in reach but in income potential too. I think it’s pretty obvious that YouTube’s Shorts monetization is a game-changer for short-form content creators. So with that said, I personally believe that NOW is the perfect time to take the plunge and, at the very least, start downloading your current videos from TikTok and repurposing them here on YouTube as shorts. And going forward, taking the time to upload any NEW videos to both TikTok AND YouTube. Because, at the very least you’re going to have a head start at not only earning an income on YouTube, but you’ll be ahead of the game if you start gaining an audience on YouTube NOW, as opposed to months down the road if and when TikTok is banned and you suddenly find yourself competing for views with tons of other TikTok creators turning to YouTube all at once. And remember, YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users, while TikTok only has 1 billion, which creates a massive opportunity for creators. And that will increase significantly IF TikTok IS banned. I mean, it’s no secret that NEW shorts creators have the ability to go viral and grow rapidly on YouTube now more than ever before. Now, I know a lot of people love TikTok (myself included), but keep in mind that TikTok has been blasted for barely paying its creators at all. In fact, Fortune magazine reported interviewing seven TikTok creators (all of whom had at least 100K followers) and not one of them earned more than $5 from TikTok. FIVE DOLLARS. And…the YouTuber Mr Beast (who has 140 million subscribers on YouTube) stated that he earns $100K for every (one) billion views he gets on YouTube Shorts, but if he were to get the same amount of views on TikTok, he’d only earn $1,000. I think we can all agree which platform is the clear winner here. So, if I was a TikTok creator with a sizable audience, I’d start repurposing my content for YouTube Shorts immediately. Because remember, YouTube shorts creators only need 1,000 subscribers and 10 million shorts views in the last 90 days to monetize their videos. And earn 45% of the ad revenue. Whereas creators on TikTok need a minimum of 100,000 followers to be eligible to monetize their videos. And (someone correct me if I’m wrong) I believe they only earn 2 cents for every 1,000 views. So again, I think we can all agree which platform is the clear winner here in terms of monetizing your videos and in rapid growth opportunities. OK, that’s it for today’s video! Let me know in the comments if you’ll be starting a YouTube channel in the near future because I’d personally love to check it out if so! Also if you liked this video please give it a thumbs up, and if you have any questions about anything I mentioned in this video please leave them in the comments below. And of course (if you’re not already) please subscribe to this channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any future videos! OK, thank you so much for watching, and I hope to see you in the next video.
How To Navigate a TikTok Ban as a Video Creator
With a TikTok ban update on the horizon, this is a question a lot of creators on TikTok are debating. This video covers what a TikTok ban could mean for everyone — from creators on TikTok to influencers on Instagram and especially for YouTubers. You’ll also learn how to pivot to YouTube Shorts, and the kind of income you can earn with the new YouTube partner program update.
*Click details above to read the video transcript.
TikTok Ban Update
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