Wondering what the difference is between a blogger and an influencer? Look no further. Here’s the key differences between a blogger and an influencer, from a blogger and an influencer.
With the rise of the internet and social media, online businesses have exploded, and so have the terms used to describe just how people are making their online dough.
From side hustler to blogger, influencer, content creator and everything inbetween it’s easy to get your terminology mixed up.
Today I’m breaking down the difference between being a blogger and being an influencer.
As someone who is both a blogger (at candaceabroad.wpengine.com) and an influencer (@candaceabroad) I’ve had first-hand experience on what it means to be both. But first, let’s head to the good ole dictionary.
What is a Blogger?
According to Merriam Webster a blogger is: a person who writes for and maintains a blog. Pretty straightforward right?
What is an Influencer?
According to Merriam Webster an influencer is “one who exerts influence: a person who inspires or guides the actions of others“.
The Oxford Dictonary also defines an influencer as “a person or thing that influences somebody/something, especially a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by recommending it on social media.”
Key Differences Between a Blogger and Influencer
Despite the definitions, there’s still a lot of nuance regarding the difference between a blogger and an influencer. In my opinion, here are the 5 key differences:
1. Having a Blog
A blog to a blogger is like paint to a painter, you can’t have one without the other.
However you can be an influencer without having a blog.
As a blogger, you’ll typically have a website and a newsletter to start.
The truth is to be an influencer you only need to have to have a social media account (although it’s not something I suggest).
It’s also important to note that an influencer can be a blogger (take me for example) but if you’re a blogger who regularly posts content and maintains a blog without a sizeable number of readers or influence, you may not be considered an influencer.
Funny enough, many influencers that don’t have a website call themselves bloggers. But that’s another story for another day.
2. What They’re Known For
One of the key distinctions between a blogger and an influencer is what they’re known for.
If you’re a blogger you’re probably known for your website. Whether your website is named after you or not, people know you for your articles and the information you provide first and your name or personality second (in most cases).
An influencer is quite the opposite. Since their whole brand is typically made off of sharing their passions and interests through a particular social media platform people may identify with their personality before their ‘niche’ or the information they provide.
3. Passion and Motivation
Anyone who creates content online usually starts to do so out of a deeper passion or motivation.
A blogger usually starts their blog because they have a passion for writing and want to use blogging and their “niche” as the medium to fuel that passion.
On the other hand, an influencer usually starts with a passion for their niche (say fashion, travel, home decor etc.) and or photography and videography.
This leads to the influencer creating personalized content through social media with beautiful images or videos that reflect their passion.
Most influencers usually set out with the want to attract and build a following or audience from the beginning. Whereas many bloggers motivations come from wanting to find a medium for their writing.
4. Long vs Short Form Content
When it comes to content creation there’s a big difference between creating a blog post and creating an Instagram post, and that’s where the difference between being a blogger and an influencer steps in.
A blogger typically works on a self-hosted website and writes articles that can be anywhere from 500-3000+ words. They’ll also need to do keyword research and on and off-page SEO to create a fully optimized blog post.
The content creation process for an influencer may look a bit different (but depending on the type of content they produce it may be the same, if not more work). This can include doing a photoshoot, editing pictures and creating captions.
However at the end of the day, an influencer’s content is typically considered ‘short-form’. It can be consumed quite quickly and the written elements tend to be less than 200 words.
Blogs or Youtube videos are typically considered ‘long form content’ because they take longer to consume. Again, depending on the type of content they produce, the work that goes into them may also be more substantial.
P.S. – If wondering what goes into being an influencer be sure to read ‘Is Being an Influencer a Real Job?’
5. Measurements for Success
Measurements for success will be different for every creator, but the measurements for success for bloggers and influencers do tend to be quite defined.
Bloggers depend on page views (or unique sessions) and email subscribers. These represent the people that are coming to their blog, reading their articles and subscribing to their newsletter.
As you probably guessed, Influencers measurement for success tends to be followers. These are the amount of people that are ‘subscribed’ to their social media content on a certain channel and see their posts regularly.
Bonus: Monetization
Of course, measurements for success for any creator aiming to make their blog or social media profitable will be income.
Bloggers typically make their revenue through ad displays on their site and affiliate links and influencers typically make their revenue through working with brands and creating sponsored posts.
However in reality there are dozens of ways both a blogger and influencer can make money online. Including (but not limited to):
• Digital Products
• Mediavine Ad Revenue
• Affiliate Links
• Events & Workshops
• Freelance Writing
• On-Camera Appearances
• Social Media Consulting
What’s Better? Being a Blogger or an Infleuncer?
I’ll admit I do see a bit of a disconnect when it comes to bloggers vs influencers. But at the end of the day, both are creating content online that their audience’s find valuable, whatever their job description may be.
With all that said the best combination is to be both a blogger AND an influencer. Not only with you have an outlet online that you own completely (with the ability to create long-form content), but you’ll be able to create a tight-knit community that simply writing on a blog won’t always grant you.
By being both a blogger and an influencer I’ve found a way to combine my love for writing, photography, scripting videos and building a community all in one. And you can too.
If you liked this post let me know in the DM’s at @candaceabroad. I’m also launching a newsletter on January 1st exclusively for content creators, so be sure to sign up here! And if you want help setting your influencer and blogging goals for 2022 be sure to book a social media consultation.
READ MORE BLOGGING & INFLUENCER TIPS
• 5 Skills You’ll Need to be an Influencer in 2022
• Being an Influencer is a Real Job (here’s why)
• 2022 Influencer Goals for Candace Abroad
• Best Free Blogging Tools for Beginners (That Every Blogger Needs!)
• Best Cameras for Bloggers (from a Blogger!)
• How to Get 10k Followers on Instagram (the real way!)
