Historically the words “influencer” and “creator” have been used interchangeably. But while the terms are similar, their meanings are not the same – and anyone can be forgiven for struggling to grasp the subtle distinction.
“There’s nuance to [each term],” says Gabe Gordon, co-founder of ad agency Reach Agency. “And yes, the whole industry doesn’t know how to use it.”
As the number of influencers/creators has increased, a taxonomy has emerged. “Creator” has become most applicable to a subset of “influencers.” Anyone with an Instagram account can post appealing photos or videos, accumulate clout with a like-minded audience and be called an influencer. But creators, as the name implies, put a premium on their creativity.
“Today’s influencers are more like celebrities, like Selena Gomez, The Rock, and Leo Messi,” says Katie Foley, vice president of U.S. client services and brand partnerships at talent management firm Whalar. “Creators are the next wave of entrepreneurs, publishers, storytellers and community leaders.”
For example, both influencers and creators can produce a sponsored post to promote a brand’s product. But whereas an influencer’s post may simply show them using the product – through a “Get Ready With Me” time-lapse video of them applying a beauty product, for instance – a creator would seek to showcase the product through their own lens, such as by crafting a day-in-the-life vlog that features them using and then wearing the product in different contexts.
“Creators are not just about who they are but what they create and are community leaders who foster deep and meaningful connections with their audience,” Foley says. “Their focus is more on creating value for their audiences in their own unique, inventive style – from “How-to guides, a day-in-life, to tips, to tutorials, and beyond.”
Admittedly, this distinction can be a fine line. But the point of separation comes down to whether the influencer/creator is being approached by a brand as a media property or a creative collaborator.
“If someone is just amplifying your message through any content – whether creative or not – on their social channels, you’re using them as an influencer. If you were actually co-creating something with somebody, that’s when you’re using them as a creator,” Gordon says.
To help draw the distinction, here are five examples of influencers — who can be best described as creators of their own.
Instagram followers: 1.1 million
A travel influencer, Yamase is hired by brands as on-camera talent as well as for her behind-the-camera talents.
For a campaign promoting Hyundai’s Kona Electric model, the brand enlisted her as both influencer and art director. “She was used in the TV ads for their new e-vehicle, but her photography was on billboards in Times Square,” Gordon said.
In addition to Hyundai, Yamase has worked with brands including Canon, Meta and The North Face. The Canon case study especially distills Yamase’s role as more than an influencer. She participated in the scriptwriting process and conducted a free workshop for Canon’s audience on creating a personal brand.
TikTok followers: 25.8 million
Given the size of his TikTok following, Richards could make a solid living as a stereotypical lifestyle influencer. Instead the Gen-Z creator also runs his own production company, CrossCheck Studios, which he formed in collaboration with Mark Wahlberg’s production company Unrealistic Ideas.
CrossCheck Studios exemplifies how Richards has blended his role as influencer and creator. In 2022, the production company signed a deal with Amazon to give the e-commerce giant’s film-and-TV studio a first look at shows produced by CrossCheck Studios and to have Richards promote Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, including its “Thursday Night Football” programming.
TikTok followers: 2.8 million
Wells was among the wave of influencers that emerged during the pandemic when everyone was holed up at home and looking to be entertained. A college student at the time, she started a short-form video series called “Making Epic Commercials for Random Objects.” As the name implies, she filmed promos for generic items like a fork, a paperclip and a roll of toilet paper. People may tune out during commercials on TV, but they tuned into her ads on TikTok.
Creative production agency Tool of North America ended up hiring Wells to work as a director on client campaigns. For brands including Dawn, Maybelline, and Sabra, Wells has done double duty by working as director for the brands’ content and posting making-of clips to her own audience.
YouTube subscribers: 25.9 million
King has cultivated a massive following for creating clips in which he performs magic tricks and illusions. A video in which he appears to be flying on a broomstick a la Harry Potter set a Guinness World Record in 2022 as the most-viewed video on TikTok.
Through his production studio King Studio, the creator has performed magic for marketers, such as Apple, Coca-Cola and Disney. For Selena Gomez’s makeup brand Rare Beauty, Gomez – an uber-influencer in her own right – collaborated with King on a video, in which he acts as a makeup artist and transforms a Gomez fan into Gomez herself.
Instagram followers: 1.3 million
Someone whose résumé includes having worked at Microsoft as a program manager for Excel isn’t an obvious candidate to be an influencer, let alone a creator. And yet Cheng has become best-known for producing visual gags and creating augmented reality effects on social platforms like Instagram.
Beats by Dre adapted Cheng’s “Donut Selfie” technique – which involves an orbiting camera to perform seamless transitions – for a campaign that starred Serena Williams, Nicki Minaj and, naturally, Cheng. And to commemorate Lunar New Year in 2023, McDonald’s hired Cheng, who is Chinese-American, to create an AR filter than the brand promoted in a TV campaign that encouraged audiences to scan a featured QR code in order to use the filter themselves.
