Are You A Writer Or A Content Creator? Fast Food or Fine Dining?
Writers vs Content Creators
Before you roll your eyes and dismiss this question as pure semantics, let me preempt this article by stating that the difference between writers and content creators goes beyond labels.
I learned my lesson the hard way.
When I started my writing journey on LinkedIn in July 2022, I suddenly discovered a new world and a new language: the language of content creators.
I started using terms I had never used before, such as audience, copy, impressions, and content. That coded language became part of my daily jargon.
Without realizing it, I earned the title of content creator.
Like a good rookie, I started following the advice from the big creators on social media:
“Find a niche.”
“End with a CTA.”
“Talk to one person.”
“Be clear, not clever.”
“Remove quantifiers.”
“Write short and concise.”
The list is endless.
As you saw in the listicle above, I also became obsessed with formatting.
Every word has its place, and every line is meticulously calculated. Content creation is big on design: the message must look beautiful, like eye candy in a crowded store.
Content creators are lenient with typos, grammar, and editing in general. In fact, even the top content creators make occasional mistakes, and punctuation is an afterthought, but it doesn’t matter because it’s all about the message and its messenger.
In the content creation world, speed is of the essence. Users who enter a platform such as X, LinkedIn, or Instagram don’t go with the mindset of a reader but rather with the one of a consumer ready for a quick snack, and these are very different audiences.
They are scrolling through a saturated space, and their attention span at that moment is minimal. They want a quick, feel-good post, a great motivational line, a thought-provoking idea, a simple framework they can easily implement, or just an eye-catching picture that tells a story.
LinkedIn, for instance, has a 3,000-character limit per post, so the platform is deliberately built that way, targeting the consumer who craves fast food.
If you want to succeed as a creator, think of yourself as a fast food restaurant where you must deliver on your promise: fast, filling, and readily available content. Your audience also expects you to be there every day or most days. In the case of X, they might even expect you to be there 24/7.
The LinkedIn manual for dummies served me well, and I started to enjoy some traction after a couple of months on the platform. Impressions went up, followers increased, and I even started to get leads, invites to podcasts, and opportunities to collaborate with other creators on LinkedIn Lives.
I was finally a content creator, and once I hit a few thousand followers, I felt I had graduated from the rookie category.
Then something interesting happened…
As I started feeling more confident as a content creator, I explored longer posts and articles. I wanted to elevate my writing beyond short conversational posts. Fast food was exciting, but I wanted to experiment.
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Wearing a new hat
I joined Medium in September 2022 with high expectations. With a few thousand followers on LinkedIn, I thought my content creation strategy would find a similar success there.
So, I followed the same approach: short conversational posts, occasional emojis to spice up the story, high-level stories, and a couple of selfies to add a personal touch. I heard crickets.
That’s when I realized that whatever had made me successful in my life as a content creator did not apply in the writing world. I would have to unlearn many things to earn my spot and my writer’s badge. My fast-food approach didn’t work anymore, and I had to rebuild my strategy from scratch.
After weeks of disappointing stats, I started observing how successful writers behave and what their shared language is. I didn’t have to dig deep to discover the writers’ code.
Even when casual, writing has an element of sophistication. If content creation is the fast food you crave after a night out, writing is the fine dining you go to on a date. They are both great and have their place and time, but they serve different audiences and purposes.
That’s when it hit me: if I wanted to succeed in the writing space, I would have to wear a new hat—the writer’s hat!
Writing is your fine dining experience.
Imagine entering a restaurant you booked in advance: you expect white tablecloths and silver cutlery. You sit down knowing that you are not in a rush and want to savor the details, the nice decor, the paintings on the wall, and the curation of the dishes.
Your reader comes to you for that experience, and they are ready to dedicate precious minutes of their day to reading your article and tasting your writing, but it has to be worth it.
They are not just looking for a Big Mac or a 5$ menu and won’t tolerate messy service or crumbles on the table. The high-level motivational post doesn’t cut it here.
Your reader wants an entrée, a main course, and a dessert, and they want it paired with good wine (your editing) and pleasant music (your formatting).
The writers’ language has no room for grammar mistakes or typos. It’s polished, refined, and elegant. Your editing is the seasoning that matches the dish to perfection. Every detail is carefully arranged, and your customers care about it; that is why they chose you.
The magic of writing
It doesn’t matter if you call yourself a writer or a content creator; what matters is that you deliver on your readers’ expectations so they come back for more.
The great news is that you don’t have to choose: I’m both a writer and a content creator. I love my two hats and wear them daily and interchangeably, depending on who is on the other side of the counter and what they are looking for.
When I’m on LinkedIn and X, I make some delicious burgers that people can eat on the go in a couple of digital bites.
When I’m writing articles, books, or this newsletter, I press pause and let my readers enjoy their meal, one mouthful at a time. I season the steak, play relaxing music in the background, and let my customers savor the experience without looking at the clock.
That’s the magic of writing.
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Thread to join discussions like the one below
I love this clarification, AND that I could be both, depending on the day, the message, etc.
I wrote something similar to this the other day in Notes but mine happened to be the fast food version of this idea and your article definitely the 5 star gourmet version of the idea. Perhaps Notes is like the fast food snack version of thoughts and ideas we have and our articles are like (or should be) a gourmet meal prepared by a world renowned chef (writer)
Food for thought…