British TikToker says goodbye to Central American followers before potential ban: ‘It’s an amazing community’

If TikTok disappears from the United States, its 170 million American users won’t be the only ones who lose out.

British TikTokers and executives told the Guardian that they would lose a significant portion of their audience after the ban. The video app has become a key entry point into the U.S. for British online video creators who make a living by gaining views and securing sponsored content deals. The ban is scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, leaving a U.S.-sized hole in the global user base.

“In English-speaking markets, many creators have significant U.S. audiences following them,” says Billion Dollar Boy, a UK-based advertising agency that connects creators and influencers with blue-chip advertisers. CEO Thomas Walters said: He added that a ban would be “really sad” for creators who have “built an audience from nothing” on TikTok.

The Guardian spoke to several UK-based creators and one entrepreneur, all of whom said they would be affected by the ban.

Jay Beach, 30, London

Almost half of the users are from the United States. Beech’s 1.7 million viewers On TikTok. He said there were strong relationships between creators and users on both sides of the Atlantic, and that millions of Brits and Americans would miss this kind of digital cultural exchange.

“Seeing that gap in our feeds is going to make a big difference for all of us,” he says.

Beach, who describes her posts as “high energy fashion content”, said sponsored content from brands such as US skincare brand Kiehl’s and Sky TV makes up the bulk of her income. He also has a presence on YouTube Shorts and Instagram, but says he’s noticed that TikTok users “don’t necessarily follow you anywhere else.”

“[A ban] “It’s going to throw people into this diaspora of rediscovering their favorite creators and finding a new home on their platform of choice,” he said.

Fats Timbo, 28, Kent

Fats is a comedian and disability activist who posts comedy, beauty, and lifestyle content. 3 million followers on TikTok. She says the platform’s reach in the U.S. (about a quarter of her followers) is essential to her work.

“TikTok is very important to my career because it allows me to connect with an audience in the United States, where there is a lack of representation for people like me – Black women with dwarfism. “That’s often the case,” she says.

Timbo added that the United States offers creators like her the opportunity to “grow, collaborate, and get noticed on a global stage.”

“It’s not just about the numbers. It’s about the impact I can have and the representation I can give to people who rarely see people like them in the media. Losing that connection is something that I You feel like you’re losing some of your purpose,” she says.

Timbo says the US audience is “key to securing deals, collaborations and global visibility with brands.” Losing TikTok in the US would be a “major setback,” but she is also creating content on Instagram to stay connected with her US followers.

M Wallbank, 25, South Yorkshire

Approximately 40% of Em Wallbank’s audience is from the United States. The South Yorkshire-based creator said it was also thanks to her accent that her comedy skits became a hit across the Atlantic. Wallbank is best known for his posts riffing on Harry Potter characters. TikTok has 1.7 million followers.

“I think part of my popularity is because I’m from the north and my accent is a bit unusual.” [to US users]” she says.

Wallbank, who started posting skits on TikTok in 2022, said the U.S. social media market is a test of the ability for creators like the Kardashians and Nicole Richie to build broad careers.

“People who have careers outside of social media are getting more attention from American audiences,” she says.

Wallbank’s popularity in the US has led her to perform at US fan conventions and create sponsored content with multinational companies such as Disney+ in the UK. She’s concerned about aspiring creators who are using TikTok and its U.S. audience to access creative careers that might otherwise be out of reach.

“Being able to use my background to break into a creative industry is huge,” she says.

Sarah Yuma, 30, London

Uma says her American TikTok audience is essential to the growth of her business, which sells home accessories and hair accessories made from African fabrics.

“It can be difficult to build a business solely relying on a UK audience. It was the US audience that propelled my business during lockdown and took it to the next level.” she says.

Yuma has more than that 3,000 followers on TikToksaid it saw an influx of U.S. customers and followers in 2020 as the Black Lives Matter movement grew in popularity.

If TikTok were to disappear from the U.S., “we would be losing a huge part of our community,” Yuma said. “They helped me design it. It’s a really beautiful community I’ve created.”

She added that if TikTok were to be suspended in the U.S., it would have to rethink how it connects with U.S. audiences.

“We need to rethink our strategies on how to keep them in the community and keep them in touch,” she says. “I don’t want to isolate them. They’re really important to my business.”

Sam Cornforth, 29, London

corn force post fitness comedy sketches He has 460,000 followers, about a quarter of them in the United States. He said income from sponsored content would be protected by the fact that it was working with UK-based brands like Argos.

But he said brands could react negatively to creators losing a significant portion of their audience.

“Brands are paying attention to your entire reach. If you potentially cut 20% to 30% of that, would that impact future opportunities with those brands?” he asked.

Cornforth added that TikTok’s U.S. audience is important in establishing trends that filter down to other platforms. Without that influence, creators may lose the impetus and inspiration for their work.

“This is where the trends come from, which later narrows down to YouTube Shorts and Instagram,” he says.