You may be wondering: aren’t influencers and content creators the same thing? People like to use these two terms interchangeably, so it’s easy to be confused between the two. We are here to help you tell them apart, so you can use that knowledge to help guide you when working with creators. Some overlaps cause confusion, such as an influential content creator where their expertise lies in all things creativity yet they also may have a huge following that can make them influential. There also are the influencers who create content, so how do we distinguish the two?
To put it simply, content creators produce content. However, it’s more complex than that. They can’t produce any type of content they have to make engaging and high-quality content. Under the umbrella term of content creators are photographers, videographers, writers, and artists. Their goal is to create excellent content without the need to gain a following or build an online community. It’s a common misconception that to be a successful content creator you need to have a huge following because brands when looking for content creators are not focusing so much on the following but more on their work itself. They seek out creative individuals to help them with their branding, not so much for their brand awareness.
An example of an individual who started as a content creator, with a current following of 14.4K is Kassandra Kondo:
Unlike content creators, their goal is to create an influence on their audience. They tend to put more focus on engagement and community building rather than the content itself. When building this community their goal is to garner trust from their audience. It’s true, influencers need to create content to create their community, but the difference is the quality and the focus on content are not as emphasized compared to content creators. The main difference is building a good relationship with their followers. No matter if you are a micro or macro influencer the end goal is the same to garner trust and have the power to impact followers’ opinions and decisions.
An example of an individual who started as an Influencer, with a current following of 12.4K is Mikaela Bree:
The bottom line is that influencers promote products or brands to their audience with a clear call to action. Content creators produce creative pieces to use for the brand. So next time you decide who you want to work with, think about the brand’s needs and goals, making sure you pick the right person for the job. They both can be useful assets, however, you must evaluate who can generate the results you are looking for.
