Influencers and content creators are not the same thing, but it’s actually helpful to start by mentioning their similarities before outlining how they differ. Both:
- Create original digital content
- Post that material online to a public audience
- Leverage that content to interact with and grow an audience that trusts their judgement and wants more of what they’re offering
If both create content, is a content creator an influencer? Are the terms completely interchangeable?
No, and deciding which one to become is the first step toward success in either endeavour.
- Becoming a content creator means focusing on the material itself, producing valuable high-quality original content that educates and entertains.
- Becoming an influencer means focusing more on yourself as a brand, posting aspirational content that makes followers feel part of your life.
Let’s explore how the difference between influencer and content creator impacts everything from the focus of your content to which social media platform you should prioritise.
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YouTuber and Busy Blooming podcast creator Tess Barclay says the difference between influencers and content creators is that influencers place the spotlight on themselves while content creators place it on their audience.
“If you are an influencer, the spotlight is on you.… The goal of your content is to be aspirational, to inspire, to emote relatability or comfort,” Barclay says. “As a content creator, the goal of your content is to solve, to educate, to teach, to inform.”
Barclay points to UK YouTube legend Zoella (who now posts simply as Zoe Sugg) as an example.
“[She’s] more of an influencer,” Barclay says. “She’s not giving you tips or advice. She’s talking about motherhood, homemaking, decor, all of that, [compared against] somebody who talks about the exact same topics, but has a spotlight in the audience and says, ‘Here’s motherhood tips. Here’s how to decorate for Thanksgiving. Here’s how to make this recipe.’”
How you make money as a content creator or influencer is ultimately decided by the way you offer value to followers and brands.
“Because creators typically come across as relatable, they may have a more personal connection with their audience,” Dennis Ortiz writes for The Wall Street Journal. “Often, followers look to creators for education or entertainment. In contrast, consumers may be drawn to influencers for more aspirational reasons, based on influencers’ more celebrity-like lifestyle and appeal.”
Content creators
Income is typically tied directly to content. A content creator may monetise through:
- Native ad revenue via programmes such as TikTok’s Creator Rewards Programme or the YouTube Partner Programme
- Long-term sponsorships mentioned directly in content, often as dedicated ad reads
- Paid memberships, subscriptions, or other contributions via programmes, such as Twitch Affiliate or YouTube channel memberships
- Producing high-quality paid content for brands
Earnings generally grow steadily over time as more followers discover content that remains relevant and enjoyable years after being produced.
“Content creators generate long-term value through high-quality, evergreen work,” according to influencer marketing agency Socially Powerful. “Their challenges include slower audience growth, time-intensive production, and dependency on platform algorithms.”
Influencers
Income is more tied to reach, since influencers are great at boosting visibility and awareness. As such, they typically engage in frequent but short-term partnerships and promotions. Income streams include:
- Sponsored posts designed to drive immediate action
- Promoting products and earning a commission through affiliate links or items tagged in content
- Brand ambassadorships, in which influencers consistently promote a brand that aligns strongly with their own content
“Influencers deliver immediate reach, engagement, and credibility through authentic collaborations, yet face drawbacks such as short-lived impact, high partnership costs, and potential loss of authenticity through over-promotion,” according to Socially Powerful.
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There are few hard and fast rules in terms of where to post, but certain platforms tend to work better for influencers while others benefit content creators.
Content creators
Since content creators thrive by producing relatively long and in-depth content, they tend to gravitate toward platforms such as:
- YouTube: Ideal for uploading detailed, high-quality content that appeals to viewers as much today as it will in a few years.
- Twitch: Perfect for marathon streaming sessions during which creators can forge a strong connection with their community and interact directly for hours at a time.
Influencers
Influencers thrive on trend-based content that captures their followers’ attention and has the potential to go viral. It’s all about what’s popular right now, rather than what may still resonate months or years down the line.
That means they’re more active on sites such as Instagram and TikTok, which bring users the very latest trends and reward creators who are able to capitalise on them swiftly.
Both influencers and content creators can build an online presence around certain niches or interests, such as exercise, technology, or food, but content creators place much narrower focus on one community while influencers tend to reach wider audiences.
Content creators
Content creators are free to focus solely on a single dedicated area of interest since they know their audience will find them over time and snowball into a steadily growing community.
“Since creators are often focused around one thing, whether that’s music production, cooking, photography or something else, the people watching and following along are doing so because they’re interested in that niche,” according to leading influencer marketing agency GOAT.
Influencers
Since an influencer’s brand revolves more around their own personality and lifestyle, they’re able to reach a much broader audience beyond both their general area of interest and social media itself.
“For example, the reality TV show Love Island is known for producing ‘influencers’ – people recognised for their appearance, style, and personality over what their skill set is,” observes GOAT. “Some influencers that have emerged from the show have gone on to become megastars, like Molly-Mae Hague, whose influence is now felt outside of just social media.”
People can ultimately switch camps too. Beyond the world of Love Island, Frugal Chic founder Mia McGrath noticed herself becoming “more of an influencer” on her own Instagram account as she started posting broadly outside her chosen niche of personal finance.