You're creating video content for social media. What are the best tools to use?

For me, I like to use: - Trello: To jot down the captions, inspiration & idea - Reels Audio Library: To find trending audio - CapCut: For editing - InShot: For editing graphics onto videos

The tools are actually the least important part of your video strategy. Having a great idea and executing it in an interesting way should be 99% of your focus. Most of the biggest creators with the most views don't use any tools. They are amazing storytellers.

Start with planning tools to define your video's goal and audience. Use Trello for task management, Celtx for scriptwriting, and Canva for visuals. Recording tools should enhance your video quality; consider using high-definition cameras or smartphones with stabilizers. Editing tools like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro can add a professional touch. Finally, choose the right publishing tools to ensure your video reaches the intended audience effectively. Always stay informed about your target audience's preferences and latest trends in video content.

As someone who produces user-generated content (UGC), I've found CapCut to be incredibly useful for crafting engaging and professional-looking videos tailored for each social media platform. Its simplicity and editing capabilities make it a standout choice for content creators looking to make an impact online.

Creating video content for social media, you want to start by planning & and researching video topics, Research using YouTube, VidiQ, TikTok, and Ubersuggest, & and answers the public. If you are on a budget, use Google Sheets to outline and plan on video topics. To shoot the video, use your mobile phone or get a video camera. The Sony Alpha ZV-E10 APS Mirrorless comes highly recommended for content creators. Lighting,& and microphones, help to improve the quality of the video. Capcut, Inshot, and Canva, all have free versions and I get everything I need from these apps. Publishing depends on the type of video, vertical videos can be posted on YouTube and Facebook, & horizontal videos can be posted on TikTok, Reels, Pinterest, & Shorts.

Riverside and Descript are some of the best recording tools. Riverside is awesome for remote recording, especially if you're into podcasts or need to chat with folks from all over. It's got top-notch audio quality and slick video capabilities, plus it's super easy to use. And if you're into editing like a boss, Descript's got your back with its cool transcription feature and handy tools for tweaking your recordings just the way you like them.

When it comes to recording audio, Audacity is a great starting point—it's free and easy to use. For more advanced features, you might want to explore Adobe Audition. In terms of hardware, consider trusted brands like Shure, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, or Rode for quality recordings. There is no right or wrong combination, but it all depends on your preferences, content, and how you use these tools.

Research on media trends tells us that high quality audio is more important than ever when crafting successful content. When scrolling through TikTok or Reels, we are seeing an increasing number of interview, podcast, and man on the street style footage. A product like the DJI Mic 2 can elevate your audio to the next level by providing wireless microphones with easy access to mobile devices for on the go creation.

Recording by your phone Initially, if you are a student and after getting some reach, you can work on this by getting some reach after some time. Focus on getting value to your audience, then after focus on tools

It's important to use the right tools for recording so your videos look and sound good. If you're on a budget, you can start with your phone's camera – it's easy to use, and most phones have good video quality. If you want even better videos, you might think about investing in a special camera like a DSLR, which will help you in the long run as well. These cameras give you more control over how your videos look. And if you're doing voiceovers, the Dolby Atmos app is a good choice. It helps make your voice sound clear and nice in your videos. Additionally, OBS Studio is excellent for screen recordings or capturing your screen/gameplay.

Some of the easiest video editing tools to use are: -> CapCut (paid version is also worth it) -> Captions app (the accuracy of captions is incredible) -> Native editing in Instagram or TikTok, because the platforms pick up the text that you include in your videos that was specifically added in their platforms.

The best mobile apps are definitely CapCut and InShot - not only do they allow for the simple editing tools but their paid versions allow features such as AI generated captions + removing backgrounds. CapCut is also now on desktop but Canva is good for beginners and Veed.io gets an honorary mention for it's great caption feature.

Inshot - for people who want free and a comprehensive tool to edit their videos. Inshot has everything a video editor needs - from speed, keyframe edits, PIP mode, filter adjustments, and so on. It's best for beginners who don't want to spend on video editing and come up with some exciting results. Other tools which are in this radar are VN video editor, CapCut, etc.

My personal favorite video editor for short-form video content is Videoleap. It's user friendly and new updates are continually added (including a host of new AI features!) I also use the Captions app -- the app automatically adds captions to your video and there are lots of cool fonts and colors to choose from for the text (including pre-made template options).

As well as using third party tools consider what you can edit in the platform natively. Capcut will auto caption your video but waiting until you export and add the auto captions in TikTok will help with performance, also adding a trending sound in TikTok rather than externally is also recommended.

Most social platforms now have scheduling capabilities, hence the needs for publishing tools are minimal. Social listenings tools combined with platform analytics, can give you the best information to create content and engage with your audience.

A TON of social media publishing tools, including recording tools, also push posts/clips to social media. The best tool should align with your budget. We use Cloud Campaign (recently moved away from Sprout Social). Tube Buddy is absolutely awesome but just for YouTube optimization. StreamYard is good, but Riverside is sooo much better. We also use Captivate to publish our podcast audio to multiple podcasting streaming sites.

Here are the top 3 tools for publishing on social media: Buffer: Buffer allows you to schedule and publish content across multiple social media platforms from a single dashboard. It offers analytics to track performance and suggests the best times to post. Hootsuite: Hootsuite is another popular social media management tool that enables scheduling, monitoring, and analyzing social media content. It supports a wide range of platforms and offers team collaboration features. Sprout Social: Sprout Social offers comprehensive social media management, including publishing, engagement, and analytics. It provides a unified inbox for managing messages from different platforms and advanced reporting capabilities.

SocialBee is one of the very best, low budget platforms for scheduling category based social media content across all platforms. Easy to use, inexpensive, and they have amazing customer success teams. You can use buffer, sure. But not if you're serious. You can use hootsuite, but I don't want to sell my house to pay for post scheduling....

If you work with YouTube, then use Social Blade; it's a great tool for analyzing it. You need to learn about data and social media analytics for YouTube it's a YT studio.

You don't need to perform all your editing in one tool. I like to use a 3rd party tool (usually CapCut) to create the base video. I combine and trim multiple clips, overlay pictures and b-roll footage as needed, and that becomes my "base" video. I use that as my starting point in each platform and use the native editor to add trending audio, captions & on-screen text. This allows me to follow the best practices for each platform, and videos are fine-tuned for the quirks of that user base. Yes, you could do everything in your 3rd party editor and repurpose the exact same video across social media platforms. But taking this extra step to personalize for TT vs. IG vs. Shorts (for example) can make a big impact on performance!

Consistency is the key. Do not get demotivated if your content is not getting the engagement that you expected. Even if you feel that the quality of the content is not up to the mark, do not stop. The more content you make, the better you get at it. Stay patient, stay consistent.

Shiny new software might be tempting, but resist the urge to jump ship unless it's truly necessary. The best tools are reliable partners, not fleeting flings. Invest time in mastering one program, and you'll reap the rewards of seamless efficiency and deep expertise. Chasing trends will only slow you down. Focus on mastering what you have, and watch your skills (and confidence) soar.

I have personally fallen into the equipment and software trap so many times over the past two decades when creating content, but without a doubt, the attitude to create content consistently is the best tool to have. With that mindset and just my iPhone, I have built a brand with millions of followers and billions of views. Sometimes the equipment and software matter, but sometimes they just get in the way.

Resist the urge to research, buy and organize everything: video content in 2024 is meant to be messy and fun, especially for creators. It's an ever evolving medium, and it's here to stay so just try having fun with it. Start now, stop procrastinating and creating excuses, and you and your business will be rewarded for it.