TikTok is Censored. Your Email Marketing Is Not.

TikTok went dark this weekend.

TikTok users woke up this weekend unable to upload videos.

For over 24 hours, the app experienced widespread technical glitches. Videos wouldn't post. Content was getting flagged. The platform blamed a power outage at a U.S. data center.

But here's the bigger story: TikTok just completed a deal that transferred majority ownership of its U.S. operations to American investors. The sale happened because of a federal law that threatened to ban the app entirely unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divested control.

170 million U.S. users have spent the last year wondering if TikTok would disappear overnight. The app did briefly shut down in January 2025 before the deal was finalized. For a few hours, it was completely dark.

The deal closed last week. TikTok is back. But this weekend's technical problems reminded everyone of something important:

You don't own your audience on platforms you don't control.

One power outage. One ownership change. One policy shift. And everything you built can disappear or malfunction without warning.

If you've been relying heavily on TikTok, this weekend was a reminder: you don't own your audience there.

And TikTok isn't the only platform at risk.

"You own your email list. Instagram owns Instagram. And as we've all just seen, those platforms can disappear overnight."

We're All Exhausted

Let's be honest about what's really happening with social media right now.

We have drama fatigue. Every platform is a dumpster fire of outrage, controversy, and people performing for likes instead of running actual businesses.

We have ad fatigue. Every third post is someone screaming at us to buy their course, join their challenge, or sign up for their thing in the next 3 seconds or miss out forever.

We've lost autonomy. Instagram decides who sees your posts. Facebook changes the algorithm every other week. LinkedIn has turned into a weird mix of rah-rah motivation posts and people pretending to love their jobs. You can't control any of it.

And most importantly, we've lost what we actually wanted in the first place: real human connection.

The kind that's trustworthy. Honest. Supporting and encouraging.

We don't need more FOMO. We don't need another how-to video. We don't need to "go viral" to survive.

We need less noise. More ease. Less tension and stress.

We need to feel seen, heard, and appreciated exactly where we are.

Social media can't give us that anymore. But email can.

"You don't need to go viral to get clients. You just need people who actually want to hear from you to know how to find you and stay connected."

You Don't Need to Go Viral to Get Clients

Here's the lie we've all been sold: you need thousands of followers, viral content, and a massive social media presence to build a successful business.

It's nonsense.

You don't need to go viral. You need people who actually want to hear from you to know how to find you and stay connected.

That's what email does.

When someone gives you their email address, they're saying "yes, I want to hear from you." Not because an algorithm decided to show them your post. Not because they accidentally scrolled past you. Because they chose you.

And when you email them, the get your message. Not 10% of them. Not the ones the platform decides are "engaged enough." All of them.

You own that list. Instagram doesn't. Facebook doesn't. TikTok definitely doesn't.

No one can take it away. No one can ban it. No one can change the rules overnight and make your audience disappear.

Email Isn't About Shortcuts

Here's what I'm not saying: use AI to generate a bunch of generic emails and blast them to your list twice a week.

We all know what those emails feel like. Copy-pasted. Soulless. Like the company took shortcuts with their own business, so why would we trust their product?

Those emails don't build trust. They don't create connection. They don't make anyone feel seen or heard.

"Your subscribers didn't sign up to hear from a robot. They signed up to hear from you."

The email marketing I'm talking about is personal. It's you, in your real voice, speaking directly to the people who need what you offer.

It's newsletters that feel like letters from a friend. Welcome sequences that actually welcome people instead of just pitching them. Messages that show you understand their struggles because you've walked in their shoes.

That kind of email marketing works. And it doesn't require you to dance on camera, chase trends, or worry about whether the platform you built everything on will still exist tomorrow.

How to Actually Start

If you've been relying on social media and this TikTok situation has you worried (it should), here's what to do:

Start building your email list now.

Not someday. Not after you figure out the perfect lead magnet or write the perfect welcome sequence. Now.

Pick an email platform. (I recommend starting simple. You don't need fancy automation right away. You need a way to collect emails and send messages.)

Create something simple to offer in exchange for an email address. A checklist. A guide. A template. Something useful that solves one specific problem.

Write a welcome email in your real voice. Not AI. Not a template you found online. You. Talking to them like a human being.

Then send regular emails. Weekly is great. Biweekly works too. Just stay consistent and stay human.

That's it. That's email marketing.

"People trust consistency. When they know you'll be in their inbox every Tuesday, they start looking for you. That's when the relationship builds."

The Platform You Actually Own

Social media platforms are rented space. You're building on land you don't own, following rules you didn't write. Companies can change everything overnight and you have zero say in it.

Your email list is yours.

You own it. You control it. You decide when to send, what to say, and who sees it.

When you want to launch something, you don't have to hope the algorithm shows your post to enough people. You just email your list.

When you have something important to say, you don't have to shout louder than everyone else. You just email your list.

When a platform gets banned, sold, or implodes, your email list is still sitting there. Untouched.

That's the difference.

What Happens Next

TikTok might stabilize. It might face more issues. Instagram could be fine forever. Or it could be next.

The point isn't to panic. The point is to stop building your entire business on platforms you don't control.

Start building your email list today. Make it the foundation of your marketing, not an afterthought.

Because social media will keep changing. Platforms will keep crashing. Algorithms will keep shifting.

But your email list? That's not going anywhere.

Ready to Build Your Email List?

Download the free Email Marketing Starter Kit for Women Who Are Done with Social Media.

You'll get:

• 5 email subject lines that feel human (not clickbait)
• Welcome email template in your real voice
• 3 newsletter topics your clients actually want to read
• How to write emails that build trust, not just sell
• Simple tech setup guide (which platform, what to do first)
• BONUS 1: Free eBook Lead Magnet that you can use right away!
• BONUS 2: It's a SURPRISE for your own email marketing campaign!

No drama. No algorithms. Just you, your message, and the people who actually want to hear from you.