Content creator
Also called creator, digital creator
What is a content creator?
A content creator is someone who makes and publishes material for an online audience: short videos, photos, posts, articles, podcasts or livestreams. Some create for their own following and earn from sponsorships, ads or products. Others work for businesses, either in-house or freelance, making content that the brand publishes under its own name.
The term overlaps with influencer but is not the same. An influencer is defined by audience size and sway; a creator is defined by making things. Plenty of skilled creators have small followings and earn mainly by producing user-generated content style videos for brands.
Creators are the workforce behind the creator economy. Their skills usually span scripting, filming, editing, writing captions and understanding how each platform rewards content.
Why a content creator matters
Creators know what holds attention on each platform, which is a different skill from traditional advertising. Working with them, or thinking like one, tends to produce content that looks native to the feed instead of like an ad.
For a small business, the owner is often the main content creator. Treating that as a real role, with time set aside and a plan, is usually what separates a quiet feed from one that brings customers.
How to work with a content creator
- Decide what you need: posts for your own accounts, ads, or posts on the creator’s channel.
- Look at creators’ past work for style and quality, not just follower counts.
- Write a short content brief with the goal, key message and must-say points.
- Agree usage rights, deadlines, revisions and payment in writing.
- Give feedback on substance and accuracy, and leave the delivery style to the creator.
Content creator FAQ
What is the difference between a content creator and an influencer?
A content creator is defined by making content. An influencer is defined by having an audience that trusts their recommendations. Many people are both, but a brand can hire a creator purely to make content it posts itself.
How do content creators make money?
Through brand deals, platform payouts and ad revenue, affiliate links, selling their own products or courses, and fees for making content that brands publish on their own channels.
Related terms
The creator economy is the industry of independent creators who earn money from content, audiences and brand deals, plus the tools that serve them.
Influencer marketing is paying or partnering with creators who have an engaged audience to promote a product in their own content and voice.
User-generated content (UGC) is content made by customers or fans, not the brand: photos, videos, reviews and posts about a product.
UGC ads are paid ads that use user-generated content, or content made to look like it: real customers or creators talking about a product on camera.
A content brief is a short document telling a writer, designer or creator what a piece of content is for, who it is for and what it must say.
A micro-influencer is a creator with a smaller, focused following, often about 10,000 to 100,000, and usually close ties with their audience.