content creator vs. influencer is there a difference?

We’ve all heard of content creators and influencers, but did you know that there’s a slight difference between the two? And even better, some content creators don’t even like being referred to as influencers due to the stereotypes that are placed on the influencer title. I know…. crazy. I thought this was a bit weird, until I did some research and cracked down on the difference so you don’t have to. So here’s what I learned.

Image Courtesy: Marco Verch under Creative Commons 2.0

Let’s start off defining what a content creator is and what an influencer is.

A content creator is someone who creates content. It’s a very simple concept. While an influencer is a social media personality, who influences their followers to do or buy something based on what they do or buy.

According to Sprout Social, “Influencers work with the intent to convince their followers to purchase a specific brand, product, service, etc., typically because they usually receive their own incentive or percentage from each sale. Content creators work with the intent to create engaging content that educates and informs their audience. They have the power to grow a large audience, but it’s typically less about the creator themselves and more about the information they’re sharing.”

Although the two may seem very similar, the difference lies in the intention behind doing what they do. Is the intention to encourage or influence followers to buy or try something, or do you just enjoy creating content? A content creator can also be an influencer, and an influencer IS a content creator. It all goes down to intention and the motivation behind creating these videos, or photos that are being posted on social media.

Many creators who happen to be influential, oftentimes don’t like the word influencer being attached to them. On social media many everyday users see influencers as people who just get free packages, and don’t really need to do “work,” like the average person would. In an article from Entrepreneur, Jack Conte, CEO of the social platform Patreon, said in a video blog titled i don't like the word INFLUENCER that the term ultimately commodifies creators by throwing them all into the same category, or makes them "non-differentiable from any other creator who also has influence."

Creators have made it known that they want to stand out, and be set apart from the traditional influencers, which I think is a valid statement. They’re more than influential people who sit down and hold a product, or just link the items that they use. There’s a lot more that goes into their craft of storytelling, video production, etc.

I think each and every single one of us should focus more on the quality of our craft and what we want to show to different audiences as creators rather than thinking about these titles. The more time you spend creating content, working on becoming a better creator, implementing new ideas, the better you’ll become and it’ll show through your work.

How do you feel about the whole content creator vs influencer debate? Are you on team content creator? Are you on team influencer? Are you on both? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.