Strike Overview
- The latest TikTok news reveal a still-uncertain path for the platform in the U.S., even as user engagement and ad performance remain strong.
- While political pressure continues, recent delays under President Trump signal more time on the clock as TikTok seeks a buyer to maintain U.S. operations.
- Despite regulatory unknowns, TikTok is actively expanding its ad tech, giving brands new tools to drive performance, lower CPMs, and capture Gen Z attention at scale.
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TikTok Update: What’s New for Advertisers in Q1 2025
With over 135 million monthly active users in the U.S., TikTok continues to prove its strength as a leading platform for engagement and discovery. Even with ongoing discussions around a potential U.S. TikTok ban, the platform shows no signs of slowing down.
Q1 2025 brought plenty of headlines, from acquisition talks to shifting timelines, but it also brought new opportunities. Advertisers are adapting, creators are evolving, and TikTok is still rolling out powerful tools to help brands connect with audiences.
In this TikTok update, we break down the latest TikTok news for advertisers in 2025—and what it means for your paid social strategy moving forward.
Catching Up on TikTok News
It’s undeniable that 2025 has seen TikTok navigating turbulent regulatory waters. Despite the uncertainty, TikTok’s ecosystem has not stalled. See a rundown of the latest TikTok news:
What’s the Latest News on the TikTok Ban?
- Ongoing discussions around TikTok’s future in the U.S.: TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain as legal battles continue. Yet, despite years of scrutiny—from its initial controversy under the 2020 Trump administration to his reelection in 2024—the TikTok app remains live, popular, and under active negotiation.
What began as a national security concern evolved into a high-stakes acquisition effort. TikTok responded early by migrating U.S. user data to Oracle servers, but the push to restrict or ban the app still gained traction. A formal TikTok ban was enacted in March 2024 and took effect in January 2025, briefly removing the TikTok app from U.S. app stores for roughly 14 hours.
- Trump delays TikTok ban amid acquisition talks: Within a day of the TikTok app going dark, newly re-elected President Trump issued a 75-day delay on the ban, reinstating TikTok on the Apple and Google app stores. Users quickly returned, and advertiser activity began to stabilize. In February 2025, Trump expressed continued support for the platform’s future, signaling that the delay could be extended further depending on acquisition progress.
No final deal has been made as of Q1 2025, but the White House granted an additional 75-day extension in April, giving advertisers more time to plan ahead.
- Who’s in line to acquire TikTok and what it means for the ad platform: Several major U.S. companies and investment groups are bidding for TikTok’s U.S. operations, a move that could reshape how brands create TikTok ads and run TikTok ad campaigns long-term. With over 7 million U.S. businesses actively using the platform, the stakes are high for creators and brands.
Here are the leading contenders in the latest TikTok updates for advertisers in 2025:- Microsoft was one of the earliest to express interest, and Trump publicly signaled approval if Microsoft were to move forward. Their involvement could bring enterprise-grade integration and ad innovation to the TikTok Ads Manager ecosystem.
- Oracle is already managing U.S. user data, and it appears to be a front-runner. If acquired, Oracle could double down on data security, a central concern behind the original TikTok ban.
- Perplexity, the AI-powered search engine, aims to merge intelligent search with TikTok’s algorithm-driven content feed. A potential acquisition could open new pathways for performance targeting and contextual ad delivery.
- Amazon entered the race with a last-minute bid on April 3, pitching its acquisition to Vice President JD Vance. As an e-commerce powerhouse, Amazon sees TikTok as a strategic avenue to reach younger shoppers and build out its social commerce strategy.
- Who’s in line to acquire TikTok and what it means for the ad platform: Several major U.S. companies and investment groups are bidding for TikTok’s U.S. operations, a move that could reshape how brands create TikTok ads and run TikTok ad campaigns long-term. With over 7 million U.S. businesses actively using the platform, the stakes are high for creators and brands.
Here are the leading contenders in the latest TikTok updates for advertisers in 2025:- Microsoft was one of the earliest to express interest, and Trump publicly signaled approval if Microsoft were to move forward. Their involvement could bring enterprise-grade integration and ad innovation to the TikTok Ads Manager ecosystem.
- Oracle is already managing U.S. user data, and it appears to be a front-runner. If acquired, Oracle could double down on data security, a central concern behind the original TikTok ban.
- Perplexity, the AI-powered search engine, aims to merge intelligent search with TikTok’s algorithm-driven content feed. A potential acquisition could open new pathways for performance targeting and contextual ad delivery.
- Amazon entered the race with a last-minute bid on April 3, pitching its acquisition to Vice President JD Vance. As an e-commerce powerhouse, Amazon sees TikTok as a strategic avenue to reach younger shoppers and build out its social commerce strategy.
What Influencers and Advertisers Are Doing Amid Uncertainty
- Where influencers are shifting to: As early as December 2024, when the TikTok ban seemed increasingly likely, many creators began urging their audiences to follow them on alternative platforms like Instagram and YouTube. This move was especially challenging for TikTok-first influencers whose largest followings were built entirely on the TikTok app. Despite the return of TikTok to U.S. app stores, this migration helped them preserve their communities and diversify their content strategy.
- How advertisers are rebalancing budgets: According to Sensor Tower, 8 out of the 10 largest advertising categories on TikTok reduced their ad spend in early 2025 in anticipation of a potential platform loss. With the TikTok app briefly unavailable, many advertisers reallocated their budgets across other platforms.
Nearly 40% shifted spend to Meta properties, including Instagram Reels, while YouTube and Google captured a combined 10.7% of the redistributed budget. These quick pivots ensured ongoing reach and performance, even as the TikTok ads manager remained in flux.
While TikTok news continues to evolve and headlines shift week to week, creators and brands alike are still showing up. For now, many continue to create TikTok ads and run TikTok campaigns while actively planning for alternative platforms to TikTok for paid ads—just in case.
Stream This Episode: How Advertisers Stayed Strategic on TikTok in 2025
If TikTok’s future in the U.S. has you second-guessing your ad strategy, this episode is for you. We unpack what actually happened when brands doubled down on TikTok—and how you can maintain performance while preparing for any platform shifts ahead.
Latest TikTok Platform Updates for Advertisers
TikTok shows no signs of slowing down as it continues to innovate its ad platform and tools. Throughout Q1 2025, here are the TikTok updates for advertisers it released, reinforcing its commitment to brands and marketers.
Maintaining and Expanding Brand Safety Suite
Brand safety and suitability on TikTok continues to be a top priority, ensuring that ads are shown in contexts that align with brand values and target the right audience. The platform has long offered tools to help advertisers control how their ads appear, and in Q1 2025, TikTok expanded its brand safety suite to give marketers even more control.
Here’s an overview of TikTok’s original suite of brand safety tools:
- Inventory Filter: Offers a three-tier selection for controlling how narrowly or widely your ads appear across different inventory categories.
- Category Exclusion: Allows advertisers to exclude ads from appearing on content related to gambling, extreme sports, violent video games, and other potentially sensitive topics.
- Vertical Sensitivity: Provides more granular control over vertical alignment, excluding categories like Financial Services, Technology, Automotive, and more, so ads reach the most relevant audiences.
In a TikTok update this April, the brand safety suite was enhanced with the addition of two new tools:
- Video Exclusion List: Advertisers can now exclude specific videos from appearing alongside their ads. For example, if a brand doesn’t want to appear on political content or certain news topics, they can exclude specific TikTok videos.
- Profile Feed Exclusion List: This new feature enables advertisers to exclude specific user profiles (by username) to prevent ads from being shown on selected TikTok user profiles.
Smart+ Catalog Ads and AI Tools
In a clear response to Meta’s Advantage+ and Google’s Demand Gen campaigns, TikTok has launched Smart+ Catalog Ads, its own AI-powered solution designed to streamline e-commerce advertising.
With Smart+, advertisers can now:
- Upload a product catalog directly through TikTok Shop.
- Connect seamlessly to the TikTok Shop API.
- Launch automated ad campaigns that drive conversions without heavy manual setup.
In a recent TikTok update, Smart+ capabilities were expanded to support Traffic campaigns. This helps advertisers drive more clicks and user actions through AI-powered automation, making it easier to optimize performance across the funnel.
Automotive Ads Rollout
TikTok introduced Automotive Ads, a new ad solution designed specifically to help automotive brands and dealerships reach users who are actively shopping for vehicles. This TikTok update adds another vertical to its growing suite of performance-driven tools for advertisers.
Automotive Ads come in two engaging creative formats:
- Video + Product Card
- Multi-link Carousel Card
By blending TikTok’s signature storytelling format with shoppable catalog elements, these ad formats facilitate discovery and interaction, keeping users engaged without leaving the app.
These rollouts signal TikTok’s “business as usual” approach amid regulatory uncertainty, maintaining platform development and reinforcing its commitment to creators and advertisers. Through continuous innovation, TikTok aims to deliver strong campaign performance and a stable advertising environment in 2025.
Is TikTok Advertising Still Viable for Brands in 2025?
TikTok continues to hold its ground as a leading ad platform in the U.S. Its user base is largely backed by Gen Z audiences, 82% of whom are likely to have TikTok profiles, with more than half using social platforms to guide purchase decisions. For brands targeting younger consumers, TikTok remains a vital channel.
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Momentum hasn’t slowed globally, either. In Q1 2025, 65% of businesses increased their TikTok ad spend year-over-year. Further, in February, it remained the most downloaded app worldwide. At this point, there’s no audience shortage for advertisers looking to reach audiences on a global scale.
Despite shifting market sentiment, brands that stayed active on TikTok saw clear advantages. Thanks to reduced competition, CPMs dropped by as much as 80% between January 2024 and January 2025. While this opens up more ad inventory, it also requires smart targeting strategies to avoid wasted reach.
Still, the regulatory landscape in the U.S. calls for adaptability. Advertisers should maximize current opportunities on TikTok while building flexible campaign plans that align with long-term goals—ready to scale efforts up or down depending on future developments.
For now, TikTok remains a high-performing ad platform with strong potential. However, success in 2025 requires balancing TikTok campaigns with a diversified media mix to navigate market shifts and protect brand performance.
As trends change and ad platforms evolve, so do we. To stay informed about the latest TikTok news and more, subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn.
Article by
Syd Olivarez, Strike Social’s SEO Content Specialist
Syd crafts content on paid digital advertising strategies, blending 5+ years of writing expertise with 3 years in digital marketing. She keeps up with the latest trends to deliver valuable insights that keep brands informed and competitive.
