Creators vs Profiles

The Influship API uses a two-level data model: Creators represent people, and Profiles represent their social media accounts.

The Relationship

A single creator can have multiple profiles across different platforms. We link them together so you can see the full picture of a creator’s online presence.

When to Use Each

Use Case	Endpoint	Why
Search for creators	`/v1/search`	Search across all platforms at once
Get a specific account	`/v1/profiles`	Look up by username + platform
Expand to full data	`/v1/creators`	Get all linked profiles for a creator
Find similar creators	`/v1/lookalike`	Match based on combined profile data

Data Modes

Both creators and profiles support lite and detailed modes:

Lite Mode

Basic info for lists and previews:

Name, avatar, bio
Platform, username
Follower count, engagement rate

Detailed Mode

Full data for deep analysis:

All lite fields
Average likes, comments, shares
Posting frequency
External links
Content topics
Audience demographics (where available)

Example Workflow

Scenario: Find creators by Instagram username, then get their full cross-platform presence.

cURL
TypeScript SDK
Python

# 1. Look up by Instagram username
curl -X POST https://api.influship.com/v1/profiles \
  -H 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "usernames": [
      {"platform": "instagram", "username": "fitness_sarah"}
    ],
    "mode": "lite"
  }'

# Response includes creator_id: "550e8400-..."

# 2. Get full creator data (all platforms)
curl -X POST https://api.influship.com/v1/creators \
  -H 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "creator_ids": ["550e8400-..."],
    "mode": "detailed",
    "include_profiles": true,
    "profile_mode": "detailed"
  }'

// 1. Look up by Instagram username
const profiles = await client.profiles.lookup({
  usernames: [
    { platform: 'instagram', username: 'fitness_sarah' }
  ],
  mode: 'lite'
});

const creatorId = profiles.profiles[0].creator_id;

// 2. Get full creator data (all platforms)
const creators = await client.creators.retrieve({
  creator_ids: [creatorId],
  mode: 'detailed',
  include_profiles: true,
  profile_mode: 'detailed'
});

console.log(creators.creators[0].profiles); // All platforms

# 1. Look up by Instagram username
profiles = requests.post(
    'https://api.influship.com/v1/profiles',
    headers={'X-API-Key': API_KEY},
    json={
        'usernames': [
            {'platform': 'instagram', 'username': 'fitness_sarah'}
        ],
        'mode': 'lite'
    }
).json()

creator_id = profiles['profiles'][0]['creator_id']

# 2. Get full creator data (all platforms)
creators = requests.post(
    'https://api.influship.com/v1/creators',
    headers={'X-API-Key': API_KEY},
    json={
        'creator_ids': [creator_id],
        'mode': 'detailed',
        'include_profiles': True,
        'profile_mode': 'detailed'
    }
).json()

print(creators['creators'][0]['profiles'])  # All platforms

Key Differences

Aspect	Creator	Profile
Represents	A person	A social account
ID format	UUID	UUID (prefixed internally)
Unique by	Person identity	Platform + username
Contains	Bio, name, linked profiles	Platform metrics, username
Search by	Natural language query	Username + platform

Common Patterns

Building a Creator Card

Use /v1/creators with include_profiles: true to get everything in one request.

Autocomplete / Typeahead

Use /v1/creators/autocomplete for fast, lightweight suggestions as users type.

Verifying a Specific Account

Use /v1/profiles when you have a platform and username and need to confirm it exists.

Getting Started

Concepts

SDKs

Updates

Creators vs Profiles

Creators vs Profiles

The Relationship

When to Use Each

Data Modes

Lite Mode

Detailed Mode

Example Workflow

Key Differences

Common Patterns

Building a Creator Card

Autocomplete / Typeahead

Verifying a Specific Account

Getting Started

Concepts

SDKs

Updates

​Creators vs Profiles

​The Relationship

​When to Use Each

​Data Modes

​Lite Mode

​Detailed Mode

​Example Workflow

​Key Differences

​Common Patterns

​Building a Creator Card

​Autocomplete / Typeahead

​Verifying a Specific Account

Creators vs Profiles

The Relationship

When to Use Each

Data Modes

Lite Mode

Detailed Mode

Example Workflow

Key Differences

Common Patterns

Building a Creator Card

Autocomplete / Typeahead

Verifying a Specific Account