Influencer

The word describes a business model. An influencer sells access to a relationship, so the rate card is built on how far a recommendation moves an audience, and a small following that buys is worth more than a large one that watches passively.

Plenty of creators dislike the label, since it implies the audience is the product and it has picked up a whiff of the unserious. The distinction that matters to a brand is between reach and influence. A million passive viewers and ten thousand people who trust you produce very different results from the same post, which is why serious rates are set on engagement quality rather than on follower count.