Social Media Videos 101 Gear + Links
If you’ve landed here, you either took one of our workshops (Social Media Videos 101) or you just found this page organically (also awesome).
The gear listed below was covered in the workshop geared (pun intended) for small business owners who want to start creating their own videos for social media. This is a minimal list of gear I recommend you start with.
THE GEAR YOU NEED
A Phone (You already have one)
That’s right, a phone. The most viral videos on the internet were mostly created with a cell phone. That doesn’t mean better cameras and gear aren’t something you might need in the future, but for now, you shouldn’t be held back by not having those. YOUR PHONE is all you need to start.
A Tripod
This will be your best friend. Having a tripod to stabilize your phone and keep your shots steady plays a major role in the look of your video, and also lets you focus on filming. There will be times you should hand hold your phone, but a tripod will become one of your most used tools (trust me). The one I recommend also comes with a bluetooth remote that lets you start and stop recording without having to touch your phone.
I recommend starting with this one.
A Wireless Microphone
50% of video is audio. While that might sound weird, it’s not. Think about it - Would you rather watch a beautiful looking video that has horrible audio/sound where you barely hear what is being said, or would you rather watch an “ok” video with crisp clear sound that allows you to easily hear and understand the talent? Studies have shown that the second options is what people would rather have. I have two options below for two different budgets. Do NOT buy those cheaper ones you find online, tiktok, etc.
All of these options allow you to record up to 2 people at once + I personally have each one and still use them for different situations (both with my phone and more professional cameras).
Budget Friendly - Hollyland Lark M1 (link)
This is the first one I purchased for our cell phone filming. It easily connects to your phone and the mics easily clip to your clothes.
A Step Up - Hollyland Lark M2 (Link)
This model is a step above the first one, but has a magnetic fastener that lets you clip the mic to more spots on your clothing, jackets, etc. It’s also smaller and more discreet.
The Latest Model - Hollyland Lark M2S (Link)
This model also easily connects to your phone but has a new design that is a smaller and even more discreet, along with a few more features.
An Editing Software (mobile)
While you can easily edit videos inside of Instagram or Tiktok, that’s not always the best route. Having an app on your phone to edit videos and save them allows you to then easily post them on all your social accounts.
The one I suggest is Capcut. There is a FREE and a Paid version, but the free version has lots of useful tools and even templates you can drop your footage and photos in. While it may seem like there are a lot of options inside it that could also feel overwhelming, the app is very user friendly and has a simple layout to follow.
That’s It?
Yup! It’s a short list, but trust me, this is all you need to get started or to level up your current workflow if you’re only using your phone. Some videos on the internet have done well with LESS than this. The most important thing to remember is not to let the act of filming overwhelm you. Just start, keep going and you’ll get better and better.
Have fun!