Will Your Affiliate Program Work Be Impacted by a TikTok Ban?

If you work with an affiliate program and you’re targeting an American audience, the chances are that you use TikTok in your marketing strategy. The newest of all the major social media sites, TikTok has blazed a trail of success. Building more than 1 billion monthly active users in eight years. But with a potential American ban on the cards, the site could become a victim of its own success. So, what might this mean for your affiliate program work?

What Do Affiliate Program Members Need to know About the Potential TikTok Ban?

What’s the problem with TikTok?

America is considering a TikTok ban for national security reasons. This is partly because TikTok has ties to China. And partly because the US is uncomfortable with some of the platform’s data protocols. TikTok is fighting back against the ban, saying that it is unconstitutional. But if an agreement cannot be reached, there’s a chance that TikTok could be banned within the next year.

So, what does this mean for affiliate program members? If you use TikTok to promote your dating offers or attract dating traffic, it may be time to work on a contingency.

What can you do to prepare for a TikTok ban?

Although a really useful tool, TikTok is far from the only outlet for your pay per sale promotions. So, the best thing you can do to prepare for a potential ban is to explore other outlets. Depending upon the type of content you produce, at least some of the other social media platforms should allow you to reach your audience. So, keep posting on TikTok. Use it as a resource while you have it. But look into other options too.

1. Instagram deploys a similar format. And the Instagram Creators Marketplace can be a good way to gain the content you need to start making the move across.
2. Facebook attracts an older demographic. But this can be useful, depending on the niche you’re working in. And with Facebook reels becoming increasingly popular, you can carry some of your TikTok content to Facebook.
3. Content diversification can also help. It’s a great way to reach new traffic sources. And it keeps your content fresh. While supporting SEO.
4. Adapting your TikTok content to suit other channels also makes sense regardless of the ban. Because it means that you can get more value for your effort.

What will a TikTok ban look like?

There are three potential things that could happen if TikTok is banned in the US.

1. The TikTok app could be blocked from app stores.
2. Internet service providers (ISPs) could block TikTok. Preventing all access in America.
3. And TikTok use could be made illegal in the US.

However, it’s important to remember that none of these steps have yet been taken. And as things stand, you are still able to use TikTok for all of the work you produce for affiliate programs. Just don’t rely on TikTok alone.

Although we’ve seen social media bans in other countries – China, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Turkmenistan among others – we’ve never seen a movement like this before in the US. In a country that promotes freedom of speech, it would be an unusual step. But at the moment, it’s looking like a distinct possibility. So, for anyone reliant on affiliate networks for their income, or marketers of other kinds, it’s worth taking seriously. That means, keeping on posting for TikTok. Keeping on creating TikTok ads, and using the opportunities available. But also working on content for other channels. And potentially changing your TikTok content so that you can carry it across to other outlets if necessary.