You need one phone to start making content. This is the beginner setup I built first: the few things that make filming, audio, lighting and editing noticeably easier without turning “I want to make Reels” into a $900 shopping incident.
Sections
5
Film It Without Buying a Camera
Make It Sound Like You Tried
Editing & Posting Tools
Creator Emergency Drawer
My Favourite Creator Mentors
Film It Without Buying a Camera
Start with the camera you already own before convincing yourself equipment is the reason you haven’t posted. ONE TRIPOD first, not a billion.
Super portable, and comes with a bluetooth remote for the perfect shot.
HOCO - 54" Expandable Selfie Stick and Tripod for Content Creators
FILM WITH YOUR BACK CAMERA. A MIRROR DOES THE JOB OF A DJI OSMO 4.
Neewer Basics Magnetic Selfie Light for MagSafe iPhone Cri95 Foldable Ring Light with Mirror for Video Calls White
Very extendable AND portable for a ring light. Best for desk/UGC/yap creators.
Tocad - Sunpak Self Storing Ring Light Vlogging Kit - Black
Make It Sound Like You Tried
People will forgive average lighting long before they forgive crunchy, echoing audio.
Barebones budget mic if you're starting out, especially for voiceovers and yaps.
Mini Mic Pro - -Wireless Mic for iPhone, iPad, Android, Lavalier ...
This one's good if you dislike larger mics, yap in loud places, or wanna do public interviews.
Lavalier Microphone with Lightning for Apple iPhone, or iPad w/ a ...
A good starter once you start taking talking heads, VOs, yaps more seriously.
LARK A1 Mini Duo 2-Person Wireless Microphone with Lightning ...
Editing & Posting Tools
The apps and tiny conveniences that take me from “I filmed something” to “oh look, it actually got posted.”
I currently use Edits for editing my reels because Capcut demands a subscription for anything useful.
Instagram Edits for Creators
F#!k Creative Cloud. You get the trinity for one download here. It's ACTUALLY free.
Affinity
Literally half the reason I even bought an iPad. If you're creative brained, this is so worth it.
Procreate & Procreate Dreams
Steep af learning curve. But the ROI goes brr.
DaVinci Resolve | Blackmagic Design
It's free. I don't use AI features. Be warned that IG is now marking even ‘background remover’ use as AI.
Canva
Creator Emergency Drawer
Chargers, storage and miscellaneous nonsense that becomes incredibly important five minutes before you need it.
Your phone WILL die at the worst possible moment. Prepare accordingly.
Anker Power Bank (20,000mAh, 30W) Black
Back. Up. Your. Files. If you don't want to pay a monthly tithe to the technocracy, get this once upfront.
WD Easystore 2TB External USB 3.2 Gen 1 Portable Hard Drive Black
If an upfront SSD is a lot rn, start smol.
Dropbox
My Favourite Creator Mentors
Rule of thumb. Apply a system before you procrasti-plan about a new one.
My go-to for IG, and the overall social media ecosystem.
Julia Broome
SOLID account to understand the systems behind content marketing.
