YouTube Video Tools You’ll Need

If you’re looking to get started with YouTube videos, or even want to consistently add more videos to Facebook and YouTube, you don’t need a huge production set-up to get started. In fact, outside of creating official ads, most of your videos do need to come across a little more personal. Videos that are more genuine are going to get more engagement on social media. Videos that seem too much like a formal ad are going to get skimmed over because people associate it with spam. So not having a filming studio with tens of thousands of dollars in equipment should NOT deter you from putting effort into video creation.

CAMERA:

If you don’t already have a good camera, it may be a better investment to upgrade your phone to the newest model of iPhone or get a new Android phone that has great camera settings. Most phones these days are built for “vlogging” purposes. The new iPhone has been used in multiple celebrity music videos and commercials to prove its quality. Sometimes it is much easier to pull your phone out of your pocket and start filming then it is to get a whole set-up going with your camera.

If you plan on making quick videos for Facebook and Instagram, your phone is a great go-to. If you want to be consistent with more videos on YouTube, you’ll want a simple (but good quality) camera on hand for filming longer periods. In this scenario, we recommend purchasing the Sony A5100. It does the trick for making good quality YouTube videos without the big expense of a fancy DSLR.

LIGHTING:

Instead of spending money on box lights, again, focus on being more personal than production ready. Instead of having your face lit up with artificial light, sit/stand in front of a mirror or go outside. There is no light better than natural lighting! If you can only film at night, based on your schedule, or want to film on a rainy day - then a ring light is going to be your best friend and help you look good!

EDITING SOFTWARE:

There is a large selection of video editing software tools around. However, if you own a Mac, we highly recommend using their pre-built in Final Cut Pro software. If you don’t own a Mac, then we recommend using Adobe Premiere. We’ll add more videos into the coaching section that revolve around using video editing software for your social media videos.