Content Creation Tools For Instagram

We all want to take our content creation to the next level. So I'm going to go through a few tools that I use to make my content the best it can be. All of these tools are very affordable or free. Make sure to read until the end for some bonus tools that I don't see talked about often enough.
My name is Megan and I help business owners go from confused to confident on social media. I help my clients build a loyal community, get more clients, and build a more profitable business. Let's get started. We're going to be talking about the key equipment and tools necessary for producing high quality content on social media. Visual appeal, professional presentation, and viewer satisfaction are all factors that will be going into the decision of what type of tools best for you. Your goal is to attract and retain audience retention and it's just going to be that much easier with these essentials.
Number one is a high quality camera. This can either be something that you take time to invest in or you could just use a regular iPhone. With visual platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, high quality content is so important. And you can totally do this with just your iPhone, it's a great option all you have to do is make sure that you have really good lighting as well. Which leads me into
Point number two which is having good lighting. I recommend using either a ring light or some sort of clip on light. I'm using my main ring light right now, but I also have a desktop ring light that just opens up onto your desk which is really nice for when I'm creating content on my desk or I have a meeting. I've also used clip on lights like this one and they work really well also, especially on the go. Having proper lighting significantly enhances the clarity of your content which makes it more engaging and professional, so consider using a ring light or one of those clip-on lights if you do lack natural good lighting. Honestly I think think natural good lighting is preferable but you can't always film midday or maybe if it's too overcast outside you need additional lighting. I think that having good lighting is more important than a high quality camera so keep that in mind when considering what to invest in too.
Number three is having a tripod, a phone stand, or some sort of stabilizer to make sure that your camera is not shaking when you actually film. A lot of ring lights have phone or camera adapters on them that you can attach it to too, that's what I'm using right now. I also highly recommend this phone stand I got it off Amazon for I think $7 and I bought this thinking I would use it once or twice but I literally use it every single day. I have my phone in it all the time, I record videos in it, I take it to go you can fold it up and it can fit in your purse. I swear by these. I also have an on the-go tripod that's nice and small. Again I can fit this in a purse, but this is like having a mini ring light in your pocket. It's not as nice and won't go as tall, but you just undo it like this and then open up the tripod and you can actually take out this light right here and then you'd want to turn this open it up you can actually fit the light right here. So you put your phone in here while you're filming on the go and then again you can lift this up as high as you need to and then it also comes with this really cool remote you can actually take out and you can start and stop your videos from where you're standing instead of having to go to your camera and press record. I've also been researching a lot about about these gimbals and I think I might have to invest soon because when you're walking around it will actually track your movements with AI as if someone's filming you so that way you can create a lot more content by yourself rather than needing someone else. And having this stability is key to creating polished and steady content. Something like a tripod, phone stand, or these stabilizers I was talking about helps avoid that shaky footage and provides a professional look to your videos. There's nothing worse than getting a headache after watching someone's video when it's moving so much, so by eliminating that you're able to focus on delivering quality content to your audience.
The fourth tool I recommend is a microphone. Either a lavalier microphone or one of the standing microphones or even just Airpods. Good audio quality is crucial for ensuring viewer satisfaction so I recommend investing in some type of microphone, whatever works best for you. I like these little lavalier microphones. They're really nice because you can clip them on any type of outfit you're wearing and then it connects to your phone. You can also use a microphone like this one that can stand on your desktop and it's really good at canceling out background noise so if you're in a busy environment you can set it to actually pick up audio that comes directly from the front of the microphone or the sides of the microphone. Really levels up the quality of your content, so I used this microphone to actually record my Instagram course whereas I use my lavalier microphone to film YouTube videos. If you don't want to invest any of those I recommend at least using the wire headphones that have a built-in microphone or using Airpods. And especially with the newer edition it's pretty good at blocking out background noise. These improvements contribute to a much more professional and enjoyable viewing experience that is more cohesive throughout every single video you make.
The fifth tool is using the right software for editing. Obviously when you are going to create content, editing plays a huge factor in that and is unavoidable. So finding the right software will help speed up the process and make it a bit more enjoyable. These softwares allow you to add effects, transitions, captions, and ultimately enhance the overall visual appeal of your videos. I'm going to go over a few beginner friendly and user friendly software options. I use iMovie if I'm editing on my computer, but if I'm on my iPhone I use something like capcut, splice, or inshot. All three of these apps do basically the same things, so I recommend trying them and seeing which one works best for you. And again, having these tools is a huge game changer for editing and will save you so much time in the future.
If you are creating content, you are going to be spending a lot of time on your computer editing. I highly recommend getting blue light glasses that will help reduce eye strain and improve sleep quality. I got these ones off Amazon, they're just clear basic and again I can link them below for anyone who's interested in them. Another game changer for creating content is getting a teleprompter app. If you're like me and there's no way you're able to memorize a script, then a teleprompter app is the way to go. This is an app that allows you to see the words come up on your screen as you're talking and there's some that even use voice control, that way the text actually moves up on the screen as you're saying it so you won't go too fast or too slow. This really helps you maintain a smooth and professional delivery during your video recordings which helps you become more confident on camera because you know what you're going to be saying and people end up being more engaged when you're talking a little bit faster. I use teleprompter apps for YouTube videos sometimes other times I don't. It really depends on what I'm talking about and what type of script I have, but if you do need something that's word for word on the screen or at least a bullet point showing up next to what you should be saying next, I recommend using one of these apps. And last but not least, don't do it alone. You don't need to create content all by yourself all day long. I think having at least a second opinion can significantly ease the content creation process. It's also really helpful to have someone come and film for you if you need that extra support or even just someone to really hold you accountable. I promise you'll have a better end result if you have someone to help you.
If that is you, and you need someone to hold your hand and keep you accountable throughout this content creation journey please reach out to me and we can have a chat. I would love to talk to you about your goals and how we can get you there. A lot of my clients come to me saying they just don't know where to start or they don't know how to keep consistent and keep at it which is one of the biggest ways you can grow. And since you watched the video so far I can tell you're someone who really wants to up level their content and reach the next level for their business and the odds of you succeeding are going to be so much higher if you have someone helping you along the way.
Thanks so much for reading!