What are the differences between bloggers and influencers?

After many years of 9-to-5 life, I’m already working with one thing that’s been part of me for many years: blogging. It might be not as trendy as it was years ago, but maybe you are thinking that I, as a blogger, work the same way as many influencers on Instagram, and that’s far from true. If you are still struggling to know the differences between bloggers and influencers, don’t worry, I’ll help you out.

At the end of this post, you will not only be able to differentiate blogger vs influencer, but you will also learn about the work of each one. This way, you’ll have a better idea of which accounts you want to follow on your social media and also if you want to make a vocation with digital content creation.

Remember that there’s nothing wrong with being a blogger nor an influencer – even though a lot of people have ruined the word so much – the wrong thing is to deceive an audience. As long as authentic content is maintained, there should be no problem.

What is a blogger?

The word blogger is mostly attributed to the blogging platform that Google owns, but do not think that “blogger” is only those who own a Blogging site on this platform. Nowadays, bloggers are people dedicated to managing a blog offering content that entertains, informs, or promotes a product. This is the most basic concept.

The blogger keeps in contact with the users through the publications made. Also, a blogger must own a blog or a webpage with a blog section. For this reason, a blogger is not the same as an Instagrammer, a YouTuber, etc.

Bloggers can dedicate themselves to this vocation personally or professionally, but the essential thing is that they generate content. For that reason, there’s so much emphasis on having a blog or blog section where they can provide valuable information.

Characteristics

These are the specific characteristics of a blogger that will allow you to differentiate them faster:

Knowledge in a specific niche or area.
They add different types of content according to their niche.
They work a lot with SEO and digital content best practices.
They have a blog or blog section where the information is offered.
Bloggers usually offer user-friendly articles or blogposts. Therefore, they often work with images or graphics that can make their content more eye-catching.

There’s also more than one type of blogger according to niches, especially if we talk about popular topics like lifestyle, fashion, food, travel, etc. However, we can add all of these categories to one of these two:

Personal Bloggers

This is the category for newbie bloggers or those who don’t expect a huge income from it. Most bloggers start like this, but over time, their content becomes more professional and they move on to the next category.

Professional Bloggers

As the name implies, these bloggers already dedicate themselves to blogging as a job and get an income from it.

What is an influencer?

An influencer is a person who influences decisions or behaviors. That’s the real concept of “influencer” per sé, without mentioning social media. However, to this day, an influencer is related to social media because these work very similar to “celebrities” as in the power they have over others to alter any type of decision.

The influencer doesn’t have to be a blogger. The influencer doesn’t have to be 100% expert in something, although that could help. The main characteristic is influence, so they usually stand out in the digital world. That’s where the great differences between these figures and bloggers arise.

Characteristics

An influencer has the power to affect purchase decisions or attention with others.
Influencers focus on a particular niches to stand out a lot for the audience in that niche, which makes their followers become “fans” and not just customers or users.
They build trust with their audience.
The number of followers and the quality of their content, become key factors for they to be recognized in the digital world.
Brands usually look for them to promote products.

Are bloggers and influencers the same?

Now you know what a blogger and also an influencer is, so the answer to this question is clear: no, they are not the same. However, there’s an important point to take into account: a blogger can become an influencer.

The first influencers were bloggers and YouTubers. As an example, we have the case of the famous Perez Hilton and the Italian Chiara Ferragni (The Blonde Salad). Both achieved a lot of fame with their blogs, even more than recent influencers, hence Chiara and Perez became popular celebrities in Hollywood. Let’s say that a blogger can be an influencer, but not all influencers are bloggers.

You have to understand these differences, especially if you want to dedicate yourself to blogging, or even if you have thought about being an influencer.

In short, bloggers are more focused on managing a blog and keeping it well positioned in Google, regardless of whether this brings them fame or not.

Nobody denies that fame is attractive and is something that many yearn for, but it is also necessary to understand that not all bloggers seek this goal.

The bottom line

Whether you decide to become a blogger or an influencer, keep in mind that each vocation has different purposes on the Internet. You will need different tools and skills depending on what you prefer, and you should also ask yourself: