Did you know that TikTok’s U.S. ban is the first time the country implemented a ban of such a large scale? Not only did it shake the entertainment and social media industries, but it also left some ecommerce brands on the platform anxious about their future.
Fortunately, there was an extension that calmed everyone’s nerves down—for now.
- TikTok’s early exit 🏴
- The ultimate Amazon secret for 2025 🤫
- An Amazon sabotage? 🔻
- Top social media tools in 2025 📲
HOT TOPIC
Looks like TikTok didn’t want to go down quietly.
But ironically, the app went dark in the U.S.—somehow quietly—2 hours before the ban’s effect, as reported by CNN. Users who tried to access the app were greeted with the following message:
“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
❓ Why did this happen?
U.S. News reported that TikTok’s usability would degrade over time. At the very least, the app will be unavailable for download; at worst, TikTok can decide to shut down completely.
According to TikTok’s January 18 announcement, they will be forced to go dark on January 19 if there’s no “definitive statement… assuring non-enforcement.” After all, strict enforcement of the law could negatively affect service providers.
Trump to the rescue
President-elect Donald Trump announced in his “victory rally” that “TikTok is back,” ending the 14-hour blackout. The app is now back online for many U.S. users, although it may still be unavailable for download. ❌
TikTok posted on X:
“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”
But nothing’s certain…
Despite the small win, there’s still a long way to go before TikTok’s back in the U.S. for good. Notably, millions of #TikTokRefugees have fled to RedNote, a Chinese app.
It may be worth checking out the hype. Who knows, it could be the next social marketing trend. 🔍
TOGETHER WITH REVIEWSCOOP
The secret to outpacing your competition on Amazon in 2025
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BITES OF THE WEEK
- Try Censored: China has strict content moderation, as many RedNote newbies are discovering.
- Predictive Analytics: Today's top predictive tools are powered by AI for more accurate forecasting.
- Strategist Wanted: ICYMI, Seller Interactive is looking for a Content Community Strategist.
BLACK MARKET
Did Amazon sabotage a seller for being critical in the forums?
If you offer merchant-fulfilled items on Amazon, you know that you must provide valid tracking numbers for at least 95% of your packages across categories. This ensures that your selling privileges won’t be suspended.
But things don’t always go according to plan. One seller shared how their Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) went down below the 95% requirement—possibly because they’re quite critical of the retailer in the forums! 🧐
Discrepancy between USPS and Amazon
Frustrated with the notification, the seller immediately investigated the cause. But the messages shown don’t make much sense.
- The seller can see that packages were marked “delayed in transit.” However, Amazon representatives found no tracking information or indication that the items were shipped.
- Amazon representatives followed up with the USPS site and were met with the "Pre-Shipment, USPS Awaiting Item" status.
- This means USPS did not receive any shipment despite the seller insisting that orders were picked up (they even have it on camera!).
🚨 Possible culprits
The seller’s initial speculation of sabotage from Amazon looks like just that—a speculation. The more sound reasons for this are:
- Failure to scan: For packages to be ‘officially’ received by carriers, their shipping labels must be scanned. According to USPS FAQs, “Scanning information is updated throughout the day as scans become available.”
- The problem: Packages in high-volume shipments seldom get scanned the moment they are picked up.
- Winter storm: Deliveries across the central and eastern U.S. have been affected by the storm Blair. This could have resulted in delays or even loss of the shipment.
What should you do if this happens to you?
Amazon representatives shared what to do in cases Amazon tracking doesn’t match with your logistics provider.
- Submit a support case disputing the VTR metric.
- Request metrics review/escalation.
- Include detailed information on those specific shipments.
And of course, double-check if you really don’t have any violation of the updated guidelines.
SOCIAL PULSE
Top social media management tools of 2025 (so far)
If there’s anything we’ve learned about the TikTok phenomenon, it’s that social media marketing is. A. BIG. DEAL. Beyond posting content, brands can build themselves through social platforms.
However, doing so requires a lot of work. Building active communities while ensuring your brand’s reputation can get stressful.
🧰 This is where social management tools come in handy. Sprout Social has the perfect list to help you get started:
- Best for agencies: Sendible
- Why: Sendible knows well that agencies require a tool that can be accessed by multiple users and is optimized for collaboration.
- Features:
- Comprehensive dashboards to view your social media performance
- Collaboration tools for teams, including automated client reporting features
- A mobile app for on-the-go monitoring and management 📱
- Best for small teams: SocialPilot
- Why: SocialPilot provides straightforward management features, especially for those just starting out.
- Features:
- Publishing and scheduling features
- Integration with major social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
- In-depth analytics reports to monitor performance and engagement metrics
- Bulk scheduling for up to 500 posts
- Best for publishing: CoSchedule
- Why: With CoSchedule, your content strategies are optimized in a comprehensive content calendar to publish them at the right place, at the right time.
- Features:
- Social Message Optimizer and AI Social Assistant for a hassle-free creation of powerful social media messages ✍️
- Catchy social sharing templates
- ReQueue for automatic posting of recurring social posts from your best content
- Top choice overall: Sprout Social
- Why: Well, it takes the best to know the best. Sprout Social is a powerful social management tool that aids in managing the basics to the most complicated aspects of social media marketing.
- Features:
- Centralized dashboard for social media publishing, scheduling, monitoring, analytics, reporting
- Smart inbox for easy viewing of messages from various platforms 📥
- Advanced tracking features for trending hashtags and custom URLs to get as much insight as possible into your posts’ performance
- A one-of-a-kind Employee Advocacy tool that lets you create a curated feed of content for your employees to share across their social networks.
🫵 What social management tool is working for you? We want to know and feature them in our next issues.
