What’s the difference between a blogger and an influencer?
Some links are affiliated. This means I may earn a small commission from purchases made at no extra cost to you. Content is based off personal experience and not to be taken as or replace medical advice.
Many people have asked me the question, what’s the difference between a blogger and an influencer? From the outside looking in- they seem to be the same thing.
However in reality, they are quite different.
Although there are many similarities between bloggers and influencers, there are way more differences that are not commonly talked about. Today we’re going to tackle the topic of the huge difference between bloggers and influencers and how both careers make their money.
And yes, I said what I said. BOTH blogging and influencing are careers that can make you a lot of money. Let’s get into it shall we?
What is a blogger?- Difference between blogger and influencer
A blogger is a writer and content creator who has a self hosted published blog. Bloggers have a love and passion for writing which is why they take this specific route of content creation.
There are many different forms of content creation from writing to graphic design to making videos. We’ll go more into depth about those later.
I’ve loved writing ever since I was a child and always got A’s in my literature and language classes. Being able to incorporate my passion for writing into my job has been one of my biggest accomplishments in life!
A blogger can be completely faceless and never even share their name but still make thousands of $$ per month. The key to making a lot of $ as a blogger is to get a lot of people to your website.
Bloggers may re-direct traffic back to their blog with regular SEO or Pinterest. A lot of introverts or shy people may find themselves thriving in the blogging world. That is, if they have good writing skills.
I personally adore being a full time blogger. The money is a lot more stable, I own my platform, and I love to write. That’s a win, win, and another win!
What is an Influencer?- Difference between blogger and influencer
An influencer is a social media figure who shares their life (whether in lifestyle, travel, etc) and has their entire brand surrounded by themselves and their lives.
Influencing can make a lot of money, especially with brand sponsorships, by promoting different products and sharing their day to day life. Influencers mostly post their content to platforms like: Instagram, Tik Tok, FaceBook, and YouTube.
Contrary to popular belief, I have to say influencing is hard work. I run my social accounts and blog by myself and social media alone is honestly a full time job.
You just smile for a pretty picture, upload a video, and go on about your day and make money. Uh…… NO.There is so much behind the scenes people don’t know about!
As a food content creator, there is a whole lighting and professional set up I have to do for my food videos. Major editing for photos, professional microphone voice over equipment, keeping up with trends to stay relevant –oh me oh my!
Influencers deserve more respect for what they do. When I say it is a full time job and a half, I mean it!
Similarities between bloggers and influencers
A huge similarity between a blogger and influencer is the fact that both are content creators. As a gyal that manages both my blog and multiple social media platforms, I have front row experience on both careers!
Both bloggers and influencers have to create an online presence and build an audience. How they go about those two things may be completely different, but those are essential aspects to both careers.
Bloggers and influencers both must also choose a niche to be successful. A lot of people say you don’t have to nice down but in my humble opinion, niche-ing is a must.
If a content creator is posting food recipes one day then financial advice the next, the algorithm might get confused along with their audience!
How they Make Money- Difference between Blogger and Influencer
One of the biggest differences between a blogger and an inluencer is the way each career makes their money.
A blogger will make the majority of their money via ads on their website. On the contrary, an influencer typically makes most of their money from brand partnerships and sponsorships.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many other ways bloggers and influencers can make money. I’ve seen both sides successfully sell courses, products, and host consultations. But website ads for bloggers and sponsorships for influencers tend to be the typical income streams.
I personally think blogging is more stable in the income arena because ads are constantly running on websites without having to put any extra content out making this passive income. There are plenty of bloggers who take a month off of work and still make enough to cover their bills (and then some!)
Bloggers can also have paid sponsorships on their newsletter, incorporated paid ads into blog posts, and other unique ways. However, the most traditional way for a blogger to make income is via the ads on their website.
It is important to note that brand sponsorships can be an unreliable source of income. While you can get paid an insane amount of money one month, influencers must be very financially responsible if they have a few months without any partnerships.
The main difference between a blogger and influencer
One of the MAIN differences between a blogger and influencer is how they present themselves and their content to their audience. Bloggers usually choose a niche (fashion, travel, food, finance, etc) and write about it on their website.
Influencers may center their lives or personality as the whole brand and make content around it. Posts are typically uploaded to various social media sites.
It is also important to note that bloggers own their platform (self hosted website) but influencers are on a platform owned by someone else (ahem, Big Brother?).
I personally do not call myself an influencer even though I have a large following on social media. This is because I focus on my niched content and nothing personal.
I choose to withhold personal/ sensitive information to separate personal life from work. Whereas many influencers share everything in their life from their houses to their significant others to their emotions.
Which one is better?- Difference between blogger and influencer
I personally think both options together are one of the best ways to go. However, in my humble opinion, blogging as a profession is more stable and has more longevity than influencing.
Although I’m an extrovert, I like to keep my personal life to me. It is hard to keep things personal in influencing when your face is plastered across hundreds of thousands of screens all over the world. (I’m not exaggerating, your face is literally EVERYWHERE as an influencer!)
Blogging has been around much longer than influencing. It’s such a great way to monetize content creation for those who don’t want the spotlight on them.
However, there is SO much money to be made with influencing on social media, especially if you have a big platform! Youtube is the platform that pays the most for brand collaborations and has been around longer than Instagram and Tik Tok.
So what do I say? If you have the mental capacity, try to go to both. Combining a blog with a healthy social media presence is honestly one of the greatest blessings ever. Being able to monetize ads on your website and paid brand sponsorships on social media is like a dream come true.
At the end of the day, my first love will always be writing and blogging so that is what I push to people the most and what I think has the most longevity.
Did you enjoy this article? Sharing is caring! Be sure to share with family and friends and save to your Pinterest board for later.
