Creator Mindset Beats Influencer Status, Shira Lazar Tells Comms Pros

By James Calloway

A TIME100 Creator with more than 3 million followers told communications professionals they don't need online fame to win modern audiences — they need a creator's mindset.

"You don't need to be an influencer to think like a creator," Shira Lazar declared during the opening keynote of Ragan's Future of Communications Conference. Lazar founded the digital news brand What's Trending, which counts more than 3 million followers.

"Thinking like a creator is a mindset," Lazar said. "It's not just a job title. It's not just about creating content. It's about sharing our expertise, building trust, connecting with people and navigating change."

Lazar laid out five questions communicators should take back to their teams. Each one came with a concrete proof point.

What do we uniquely know?

The creators and brands that thrive don't try to be all things to all people. They lean into content only they can make.

"We are going from the attention economy to the credibility and practical value economy," Lazar said. Audiences want content that makes them pause and say, "I hadn't thought about it that way."

Her example: the Louisiana Crawfish Company, a more than 40-year-old business now going viral. A simple video explaining how crawfish are harvested and how the pond is maintained pulled more than 2 million views on TikTok.

"They're not building formats," Lazar said. "They're literally documenting what they know best."

Takeaway: your expertise is the content.

Whose voice has credibility?

The crawfish company's videos work because they're filmed in the field, with a real crawfish farmer and his son. It feels real.

"We want to see people, humans, stories. Who's the person behind that company?" Lazar said.

That person doesn't have to be a company leader. Lazar pointed to a bottom-up approach that highlights rank-and-file workers who know the daily work and can explain it in plain language.

Takeaway: credibility lives with the people doing the work.

How are we showing up for our community?

Purely transactional content fails, Lazar warned.

"A lot of times, as comms people, external, internal, you're only showing up when you need something, and I get it. But that's not how you build a human relationship," she said.

The most successful creators check in frequently even when there's nothing immediate to gain — commenting on other creators' content, reaching out to employees when there's nothing new, staying in touch.

"Fifty percent of the work is the post, and 50% of the work is what comes after the post," she said.

Takeaway: half the effort happens after you hit publish.

Are we giving more than we ask?

Lazar cautioned communicators not to "extract" from audiences. Content has to be additive and genuinely improve people's lives.

"Don't just tell people the information that's already out there," she said. "How are you adding value to that subject?"

The math, in her framing: provide so much value that when you finally make an occasional ask of people's time and money, they're willing to return the favor.

Takeaway: give first, ask rarely.

What can we test in the next 30 days?

Most importantly, just start. You don't need a full plan sketched out.

"Test things quickly. Fail fast. Double down on what's working. Let go of what's not," Lazar advised.

Her suggested first step is small: write down the one question people always ask you or your organization, then answer it in a post, a short video or a team discussion this week.

Her broader advice was simpler still.

"Lean into you, lean into what makes you human, lean into your humanity," Lazar said. "We've each been through such unique things in our lives. That is what is going to make you stand out."

For comms teams weighing a 30-day experiment, the bar is one question, one post and one week to start.