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Key Takeaways
Understand the Core Difference: An influencer brings reach and audience through their own platform. A content creator brings high-quality production skills and creates content for your brand, not necessarily for their own following. You’re paying one for exposure, the other for assets.
Know What You Actually Need: If your brand lacks video, walkthroughs, or consistent social content, you need a creator. If you already have good content and just want more eyeballs, an influencer with the right audience might help. Match the hire to your gap.
Relevance Beats Follower Count: A smaller influencer with the right audience will outperform a big-name influencer whose audience doesn’t care about your destination. You don’t want to advertise wedding dresses during a UFC fight — pick a partner who talks to your future guests.
Creators Can Fuel Long-Term Growth: Content creators can produce ongoing material that’s yours to reuse — social reels, listing videos, stories, and more. This builds brand equity over time, even if it doesn’t “go viral” overnight.
Influencer Reach Is Often One-Time-Use: You’ll likely need new influencers for every campaign, and their content may disappear fast. Most don’t let you reuse it freely or indefinitely. Without contracts in your favor, you may lose your best-performing assets just as they gain traction.
Beware of Vanity Metrics and Fake Engagement: Many influencers inflate likes or followers. Dig deeper: Where are their likes coming from? Do their comments sound real? Don’t let follower count blind you to true impact.
Contracts Matter — A Lot
Always clarify:
- How long can you use the content?
- Where can you use it (ads, website, print)?
- What are you actually getting (feed posts, stories, video)?
- What rights do you retain?
Without clear terms, you risk wasting money and effort.
You Can Be the Creator: Hiring full-time isn’t always necessary. You can start with a local contractor, freelancer, or even train a team member to produce vertical, native-style content. Aim for frequency and consistency — not perfection at first.
Use Influencers Sparingly, Not as a Strategy: Think of influencers as boosters, not a foundation. Their content can help expand your reach, but don’t build your marketing around them. Build it around your brand and owned channels. Start Imperfectly — But Start: Your first 100 videos might not be great. Post anyway. Like Gary Vee (who’s been posting for 17 years), you’ll learn by doing. Every piece of content is a step closer to brand recognition and booking growth.
What We Cover In This Episode
In this episode of The Heads In Beds Show, Paul and Conrad break down the difference between a Content Creator vs an Influencer and how BOTH can lead to success when installed into your vacation rental social media marketing plan. Enjoy!
