Lessons Learned From TikTok: Why Your Email List Is The Business Asset You Can No Longer Afford to Ignore

By Tricia Scott.

Let's talk about the life lesson TikTok just served us on a silver platter. Yep, that big ol' ban in America. Sure, it got lifted, but let's call it what it really is: a giant, hot-pink neon sign flashing "DON'T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA BASKET!" 

Look, social media is fantastic. Most businesses use it (I'm all for it), but relying on it as your only way to connect with your audience is problematic at best and disastrous at worst. The nano-second the algorithm changes, a platform glitches, or a ban hits, you're left scrambling to figure out how to reconnect with the very people who make your business tick.

Right now hard-working creators and influencers across the U.S. are doing just that. Trying to piece together a way to reach the audience—and income—that the TikTok ban has temporarily yanked out from under them. Who needs that kind of stress? (Not us.)

This is why email marketing is the bedrock (or the Beyoncé) of your business strategy: timeless, reliable, and absolutely running the show. When you own your email list, you're not renting an audience from the gods of social media—you're building a direct line to the people who want to hear from you. No bans, no algorithms gatekeeping your voice and no guessing games about whether anyone will actually see what you've created.

Your email list isn't just a tool—it's your stage, your microphone, and your dance floor. You control the playlist, the lighting, and the guest list. And if the social platforms pull another move? (Spoiler alert: they will.) Your audience still hears you.

So, let TikTok's lesson be a wake-up call to stop renting your audience and start building your empire. The emails you send today could lead to the sales, connections, and opportunities you need tomorrow. It doesn't matter if your list is five people or 5,000—each chose you. They invited you into their inbox, their personal space. Show up for them. And for yourself.

I believe in you (always).

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Tricia Scott is a passionate startup business mentor and the Founder and Editor of The Female CEO - Create Evolve Overcome, a platform and digital magazine holding the space to showcase female entrepreneurs from all over the world. 

The Female CEO is gaining global recognition daily and Tricia is able to bring her own level of expertise as a start-up mentor and multi-company director to her very exclusive table along with her team of brilliant Guest Editors and Contributors. You'll usually find her with her MacBook in one hand and a coffee or a glass of something fizzy in the other. Reach out anytime!