Here you will find my FAVORITE tools for running a business on social media, this list will change as time and technology changes of course, I will update this with my latest gear to create a professional social media business. Keep in mind, as a beginner you can absolutely start with just your phones camera! However, upgrading is a good idea when you are ready to take it to the next level.
VIDEO CREATION TOOLS
~ BEGINNERS ~
Use your PHONE for videos! You will get incredible quality! Trust me! This is the best way to just START. and use iMovie or Kindmaster to edit your creations!
~ INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED ~
when you are ready to really UP your game in YouTube and get some professional quality filming and editing equipment here is a list of what I am currently using. I researched successful YouTubers with the look I wanted to recreate to find the PERFECT camera and editing software.
CAMERA: Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera
This one is the one I have, there is a newer version, however I decided to get the 70D as I have read some reviews from YouTubers that indicated there were some quarks with the newer model so I decided to just get this one! To check out the newer 80D you can find that here.
LENS: Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art DC HSM Lens for Canon
This lens is perfect for creating beautiful bright videos with the background slightly blurred. It has an amazing automatic focus. Across the board this is the most popular lens recommended by YouTubers.
MICROPHONE: Rode VideoMic Shotgun Microphone
This specific camera is sensitive to sound, this microphone is a high quality that works perfect with this particular type of camera.
EXTRA BATTERY: Cannon 70D Battery
An extra battery is ideal so you wont have to lose any footage if you are out filming and your battery dies! Just pop in the new one and you are good to go.
MEMORY CARD: SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC UHS-I Card (SDSDXXG-128G-GN4IN)
EDITING
LAPTOP: HP SPECTRE 350 I recently upgraded to this HP and it is AMAZING for day to day and also editing! I love the large screen. Prior to this I was using the Lenovo Yoga which honestly was amazing too, but… the keyboard stopped working on me!
BEGINNERS:
Editing Software for your phone: iMovie or IOS or KindMaster for Andriod. editing on your phone is perfect in the beginning, not too overwhelming and I have a tutorial on my YouTube on how to use IMovie to edit your videos!
INTERMEDIATE OR ADVANCED:
Editing Software for a computer, this can have a serious learning curve and I definitely recommend upgrading once you reach a specific level because you can do so much more creatively with a good editing software.
SOFTWARE: ADOBE PREMEIRE PRO
This editing software comes in a yearly or monthly subscription. There are upgrades you can get and searching YouTube for fast tutorials are easy to find! This can be difficult to learn so I would recommend going this route a bit later into your video creation career.
TRIPODS & LIGHTING
LIGHTING:
Neewer 18-inch Outer Dimmable SMD LED Ring Light Lighting Kit
This comes with a tripod and I recommend this for anyone who is serious about creating videos to add a professional element to your videos and photos.
LimoStudio 700W Photograpy Softbox Light Lighting Kit
a Softbox lighting kit will allow you to brighten up your background or add lightness to your face, I personally use two softboxes and a ring light in the center (this kit includes 2 softboxes)
TRIPOD
Ravelli APLT4 72″ Light Weight Aluminium Tripod with Bag and Universal Smartphone Mount.
CAMERA CASE AND BAG
To keep your camera safe, I recommend picking up a Camera Sleeve and to transport your new gear this is a great large Equipment Bag
VIDEO BLOGGING & Branding BOOKS
To up your game with YouTube I recommend you study as much as you can, especially study other successful Vloggers.
VLOG LIKE A BOSS: How to kill it with video blogging
Vlog like a boss, is in my opinion based on what I know about video creation and getting a channel off the ground, the best beginners information on how to start up your Channel.
KNOWN: The handbook for Building and Ulneashing Your Personal Brand in the Digital Age.
This is an amazing book for learning how to build your personal brand, which is critical for creating a channel and success in the social media world.
Get both on audible with your first 2 books free here.