Content Creator vs. Influencer - what’s the difference, and which one are you?

Have you ever wondered about the difference between a content creator and an influencer? Well, I'm here to tell you that there are a lot of similarities between the two. Both content creators and influencers use social media to promote brands, products, and services. However, they each have their own unique set of skills and attributes, which make them successful in different ways. They’re both fantastic groups of entrepreneurial creatives - at least most of them.

The need to distinguish yourself from the crowd.

There are millions of bloggers, bloggers, and Instagram influencers out there. But unfortunately, it can be hard to distinguish between an influencer and a content creator.

Influencers are often celebrities or people with large social media followings who create content for brands in exchange for money or free products. They're sometimes called "influencer marketing" experts because they have so many followers that they can drive sales through their recommendations (like when Kim Kardashian tweeted about a new hair product).

Content creators are real people with established audiences who create original work on platforms like YouTube or Instagram - think comedians like Hannah Hart or Michelle Phan (recently acquired by L'Oreal).

Building an audience is a crucial feature of influencing.

Influencers are people with established audiences who promote brands and products in exchange for money or free products. They can be celebrities, but they don't have to be. For example, if you have an Instagram following of 100k+ people and your posts consistently get traction (likes, comments), chances are you're an influencer!

Influencers are often called tastemakers because they influence people's tastes by recommending products or services they like. These recommendations are usually made through social media channels such as Instagram stories or Snapchat filters, where the audience is more likely to engage with them than if the same message was sent out via email marketing campaigns or billboards on busy streets where everyone is trying their best not to look at them. Yet, at the same time, they drive by at high speeds.

Creativity is essential for content creators.

Content creators make content that their followers appreciate and share with others. They are experts in their fields, passionate about their work, and have a unique and authentic voice. In addition, they have a point of view.

Content creators can be anyone who creates valuable content for an audience. This could include bloggers, vloggers (video bloggers), podcasters, and even just regular people who make videos on Instagram or Facebook Live that aren't branded ads but still provide value to those following them.

Influencers are trendsetters - though there’s debate on the quality of trends.

Influencers are often called tastemakers because they influence people's tastes by recommending products or services. But, of course, the taste is subjective, so this can be a difficult distinction to make. Often it comes down to what kind of person you are: Are you an influencer? Or are you just someone who likes stuff?

If you're not sure whether or not your taste qualifies as "influential," let's look at some examples:

·         Celebrities who post photos on Instagram

·         People who write reviews on Yelp! (or any other review site)

·         Bloggers who review movies/TV shows/books/apps in their blogs

The value of influencers.

The value of an influencer is based on their ability to drive people to a brand, product, or service. They create content around your brand and share it with their audience. The more relevant and engaging the content is for the audience, the more likely they will want to check out your offering.

Influencers can help you reach your target audience in many ways:

· Promoting your products/services through social media posts, blog posts, or videos (i.e., making recommendations).

·         By creating custom content around specific topics such as trends in tech-related industries like video games or software development tools used by marketers at companies like yours who have large budgets but little time because they're always busy working on something else like taking care of customers' needs instead of focusing solely on themselves all day long."

Can you “influence” without a large following?

No, but you can create content and make money from it without a large audience. However, influencing is another ball game. Influencers are often celebrities, but they don't have to be - they must have a large following to be effective.

For example, suppose you're an influencer with twenty million followers on Instagram and are featured in an ad for Pepsi. Your followers will likely watch the video and drink Pepsi because of it. This is called "brand awareness" or "earned media" (media that is earned by the consumer rather than paid for).

While there are some exceptions (for example, actors who are also bloggers), most influencers are paid by brands to promote their products and services through social media posts or videos.

Content creators make up a considerable bulk of all social media users.

Not all of us are fortunate enough to garner millions of followers on social media, and not all of us become celebrities or tastemakers, and that’s okay! The majority of people on social media are regular folks living regular lives. Some are in between. You may also know these people as content strategists or "creators." They use their skills and talent to help their audience learn more about themselves, their interests, or the world around them. Some creatives are content creators who influence people; some are influencers who transition to mainstream media - think Emma Chamberlain, Lilly Singh, and Bretman Rock.

Content creators are storytellers with the goal of transformation, not influence.

You are a content creator. You have a skill, talent, or passion that you share with the world. You use your skills and talents to help your audience learn more about themselves, their interests, or the world around them.

You're not just a "content creator," though--you're also a storyteller! Your stories may be about how to make an avocado toast sandwich in under 10 minutes, how you learned to love yourself despite being born with Down syndrome, or perhaps focus on how your grandmother taught you how to crochet when she was dying of cancer. Whatever it is, each story has one goal: to inspire others through education and entertainment so they can grow as individuals, too (and maybe even become better versions of themselves).

Watch below as I discuss even more similarities and differences between content creators and influencers.

So which one are you?

As you can see, the difference between content creators and influencers is not just in what they do but in how they do it. Of course, becoming an authentic influencer takes much more work than creating content. But some may argue content creation is more impactful.

An influencer is someone who has earned the trust of their audience and uses that trust to help others or promote products or services in an authentic way that makes sense for them as a person (and not just because it's what was paid for). Genuine influencers know their audience well enough that when they see something new coming out, they know whether or not it would be helpful for them--and if so, why?

So, who are you? Are you a content creator or influencer?