Why 2025 Is Not the Year To Monetize a TikTok Page — Do This Instead
Written by
Heather Altamirano
Edited by
Chris Cluff
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Just hours after TikTok voluntarily went dark in a nationwide shutdown ahead of the looming ban, the social media platform was back up, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how long users can access the app and make money from it.
On Sunday, Jan. 19, TikTok released an official statement on X acknowledging the situation.
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
Many influencers and companies rely on TikTok for exposure and a source of income, but 2025 might not be the year to count on the platform financially due to political issues that could permanently stop TikTok content creators from generating income in the U.S.
Why TikTok Was Banned
For years, U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns over the risk of China potentially threatening the country’s national security through user data.
U.S. officials have growing concerns that the Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, could use the platform as a surveillance system to gain private information from users without their consent or knowledge. However, there has never been evidence of this taking place, Reuters reported.
On Jan. 17, the U.S. The Supreme Court ruled TikTok must cease U.S. operations unless the platform was sold to American owners, which President Joe Biden supported. However, President Donald Trump is pushing for at least 50% American ownership and signed an executive order allowing the platform to continue in the U.S. for 75 days. If ByteDance won’t budge on a sale, the ban will go into effect.
RedNote (Xiaohongshu)
Xiaohongshu, which means “Little Red Book” and is called RedNote for short, is another Chinese app that’s rising in popularity while things with TikTok remain unpredictable. It’s referred to as the Chinese version of Instagram and is known as where the “TikTok refugees” are heading.
While the app wasn’t designed for Americans since everything is in Chinese, millions are flocking to RedNote and are welcomed by current users, who post everything from beauty tips to must-see travel destinations. However, there is a way to change the language preference to English, which changes the app’s interface, like menu items, and you can switch the settings to have automatic translation, but everything else on the app remains in Chinese for now.
Flip
Flip, the shopping-focused and short video app, is seeing an influx of new users due to the issues with TikTok. After experiencing an unexpected surge of people, the company took to X to post an apology for the platform’s delays.
“This month has been nothing short of extraordinary,” the statement reads. “While we’ve been preparing for huge growth, the demand over the past 30 days has been exponentially higher than we anticipated. Currently, the app is either very slow or completely down for most users today and yesterday. We know how frustrating this can be, and we’re deeply sorry for the inconvenience.”
For creators who love sharing their latest fashion finds, it’s easy to make money from engagement, content-related sales and reviews.
Instagram reels was launched in 2020 to rival short video content on TikTok and YouTube Shorts, and now some influencers are moving their content to the Meta platform. Creators can post videos and photos while partnering with brands, selling products, or promoting affiliate links to monetize, but some say it doesn’t have the magic of TikTok. Reels only allows 90-second videos, whereas users can post a 10-minute video on TikTok, and content is more refined on reels as opposed to a relaxed vibe.
TikTok offers features that other platforms don’t, like stitches, and the freedom to be authentic, making it much more tempting to ride out the saga. But with the real possibility of the app shutting down in the U.S. for good, it might be time to consider other options and start building an audience elsewhere for now.
More From GOBankingRates
