Your Starter Guide into The Creator Economy!
Why you must start vlogging and content creation now! And the best vlogging cameras for beginner content creators?
YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Linkedin started a new generation of entertainment, information and marketing for the masses, but most importantly, it has created a new stream of income for creators and anyone with an interesting hobby, skills or point of view to share with the world.
You may still think this is just for kids and teens and got nothing to do with you?
Absolutely not, it's now critical for anyone in business to build relationships online via YouTube, Tiktok, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram and other social platforms to create brand awareness, lead generation and revenue. You, or someone in your business must learn to become an effective content creator in order to achieve growth in the current market.
“Every small business sees the need to become a creator,”
says Scott Belsky, chief product officer of Adobe. “Whether you’re the local laundromat or pizza shop down the street or massage therapist or hairdresser or whatever the case may be, you now realize that your brand is only as timely and fresh as your content is. And that you need to be represented in your customers or potential customers’s streams on all these social platforms in order even to have a growing business.”
Since most people are new to video creations, selecting the right vlogging camera can be confusing. Your goal is to find a camera that is easy to use, versatile and covers all your video needs. We will share some possible options with you to jump start your creator career later in this article.
YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Linkedin started a new generation of entertainment, information and marketing for the masses, but most importantly, it has created a new stream of income for creators and anyone with an interesting hobby, skills or point of view to share with the world.
You may still think this is just for kids and teens and got nothing to do with you?
Absolutely not, it's now critical for anyone in business to build relationships online via YouTube, Tiktok, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram and other social platforms to create brand awareness, lead generation and revenue. You, or someone in your business must learn to become an effective content creator in order to achieve growth in the current market.
“Every small business sees the need to become a creator,”
says Scott Belsky, chief product officer of Adobe. “Whether you’re the local laundromat or pizza shop down the street or massage therapist or hairdresser or whatever the case may be, you now realize that your brand is only as timely and fresh as your content is. And that you need to be represented in your customers or potential customers’s streams on all these social platforms in order even to have a growing business.”
Since most people are new to video creations, selecting the right vlogging camera can be confusing. Your goal is to find a camera that is easy to use, versatile and covers all your video needs. We will share some possible options with you to jump start your creator career later in this article.
The Creator Economy is now a $108 Billion dollar market in 2021!
According to Forbes, currently over 50 million people consider themselves content creators and 46.7 millions are new creators. Linktree's statistics show that over 200 million people will soon become content creators over the next couple of years.
The creator economy is not a trend anymore, but the way business and entertainment will be done going forward. Now, you need to decide rather to jump in and grow together in the current creator economy, or stand by risk losing all the advantages that you could have.
So, take action now, have fun creating content and market your business and brand to achieve the success you deserve!
The creator economy is not a trend anymore, but the way business and entertainment will be done going forward. Now, you need to decide rather to jump in and grow together in the current creator economy, or stand by risk losing all the advantages that you could have.
So, take action now, have fun creating content and market your business and brand to achieve the success you deserve!
4 stages of Content Creation.
Stage 1- Mass content creation, broadcasting to a wide audience with platforms such as YouTube, Facebook to
build the largest audience possible. Brand awareness in business terms.
Stage 2- Engage and maintaining fandom and communities on platforms like, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, Twitter,
Pintrest. Audience interested in your product or brand. Trust building.
Stage 3- Audience starting to approve what you do and buy from you, or donate fund to help with your creator career,
on platforms such as your ecommerce website, affiliate links, Patreon, Onlyfans, etc. Sales conversions, is
the stage that your hard work turning back into money.
Stage 4- Authority, expert brand status. Empowering , educating, providing exception value for your audience. Your
audiences become tribal members and your word of mouth marketing for your brand. You will experience
exponential revenue generation.
build the largest audience possible. Brand awareness in business terms.
Stage 2- Engage and maintaining fandom and communities on platforms like, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, Twitter,
Pintrest. Audience interested in your product or brand. Trust building.
Stage 3- Audience starting to approve what you do and buy from you, or donate fund to help with your creator career,
on platforms such as your ecommerce website, affiliate links, Patreon, Onlyfans, etc. Sales conversions, is
the stage that your hard work turning back into money.
Stage 4- Authority, expert brand status. Empowering , educating, providing exception value for your audience. Your
audiences become tribal members and your word of mouth marketing for your brand. You will experience
exponential revenue generation.
YouTube Video Only!!
You are probably thinking that there are over 10 major video and social platforms, there is no way that you have enough time to create content for them all.
This is what you should do.
1- Searching Google, Google Trends for popular topics and double check on Ubersuggest for the search volume and
competition to decide on the best topic to create the video on.
2- Once you have decided on the topic, be creative, fun, entertaining, most of all be yourself as you want to build
a brand around yourself.
3- Spend time to come up with the best title and thumbnail for your video, as they can make or break your video. Also,
you will want to write a paragraph or two including relevant keywords to help your video be searchable on Google.
4- Have all your social platforms, email campaign ready when launching your video. The moment your video becomes live on YouTube, share the video with your email list, on Facebook, on Linkedin, on Twitter and ask your audience to share it with their friends to get a boost of video views on YouTube. This will help unlock more video views on YouTube as this is a strong signal that people are liking your video.
5- Now cut your YouTube video that you just created into multiple small clips to feed your Instagram, facebook, Tiktok, Snapchat, Linkedin and Twitter feeds.
This is what you should do.
1- Searching Google, Google Trends for popular topics and double check on Ubersuggest for the search volume and
competition to decide on the best topic to create the video on.
2- Once you have decided on the topic, be creative, fun, entertaining, most of all be yourself as you want to build
a brand around yourself.
3- Spend time to come up with the best title and thumbnail for your video, as they can make or break your video. Also,
you will want to write a paragraph or two including relevant keywords to help your video be searchable on Google.
4- Have all your social platforms, email campaign ready when launching your video. The moment your video becomes live on YouTube, share the video with your email list, on Facebook, on Linkedin, on Twitter and ask your audience to share it with their friends to get a boost of video views on YouTube. This will help unlock more video views on YouTube as this is a strong signal that people are liking your video.
5- Now cut your YouTube video that you just created into multiple small clips to feed your Instagram, facebook, Tiktok, Snapchat, Linkedin and Twitter feeds.
Evergreen Vs. Disposable
Here is another reason why YouTube video should be prioritized. YouTube videos are evergreen content meaning videos on YouTube can get video views many months after they are uploaded and can keep on bringing in more video views as long as people are searching for the topic. Since YouTube is a sister company of Google, YouTube videos actually have priorities ranking over written content on Google searches. Therefore, not only are people searching for your video on YouTube the 2nd largest search engine, they are also search on the #1 search engine, Google as well.
Also, the more videos you upload on YouTube, the more accumulated video views you will get every month. Therefore, you should treat YouTube as the main video platform.
On the other hand, every other platform like Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, TikTok, videos and content are disposable and typically get views for only12 to 48 hours and they will completely lose all exposure afterward. You will need to perpetually create more content in order to keep the same exposure. Therefore, you should treat these platforms as supplementary.
Also, the more videos you upload on YouTube, the more accumulated video views you will get every month. Therefore, you should treat YouTube as the main video platform.
On the other hand, every other platform like Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, TikTok, videos and content are disposable and typically get views for only12 to 48 hours and they will completely lose all exposure afterward. You will need to perpetually create more content in order to keep the same exposure. Therefore, you should treat these platforms as supplementary.
Viral vs. Value
Most new creators are thinking about creating viral videos to grow fast. However, this is usually the wrong approach, because viral videos need a large network of core audience to help spread your video in order to get enough momentum to go viral. New creators with little to no followers have no leverage to get the momentum needed to go viral.
The correct approach is to create content that offer exceptional value, education, tips and tricks for your audience. This over time will create a loyal following, who are much more willing to help share your videos with their friends and can exponentially increase the odds of your videos going viral.
The correct approach is to create content that offer exceptional value, education, tips and tricks for your audience. This over time will create a loyal following, who are much more willing to help share your videos with their friends and can exponentially increase the odds of your videos going viral.
If you still like to go viral, check out the videos below for inspiration.
|
|
|
|
Go Big, or Go Home!
The average person today comes upon 10,000 promotional messages in a day. We are in a world of noise, regular, average businesses using the old ways of marketing will get lost in the sea of noise. The only way to rise above the noise is be your true self and appeal to people who are interested in what you do and slowly nurture trust and relationship. You offer education, tricks and tricks to transform your audience into a better place and in return, when they are ready to spend money, they will think of you first.
Check out the videos below on how to build brands with YouTube.
Check out the videos below on how to build brands with YouTube.
|
|
|
|
The best vlogging camera for new content creators in 2022?
Watch the video below to help you select the best vlogging camera in 2022!
1- Smartphone-If you are still in the experimental stage and exploring vlogging and content creation, the best camera is your smartphone. You always have it with you and can pull it out whenever you see a moment worth capturing into video content.
Great Audio is a Must
Most smartphones use omnidirectional microphones that are designed to pick up sound all around and often your voice will be overpowered by the background noises. Getting a directional external microphone with a dead cat (windscreen) will focus more on your voice and less on the background noises and the dead cat cuts down on the whistling wind noise when shooting outside, which yields higher and clearer audio.
One of the pet peeves for most video viewers is that they can sit through a poorly shot video, however if your video has poor audio you will get many negative comments complaining, so upping your audio game is a good idea.
Below is the most compact and easy to use external microphone, without the large size and cables.
Most smartphones use omnidirectional microphones that are designed to pick up sound all around and often your voice will be overpowered by the background noises. Getting a directional external microphone with a dead cat (windscreen) will focus more on your voice and less on the background noises and the dead cat cuts down on the whistling wind noise when shooting outside, which yields higher and clearer audio.
One of the pet peeves for most video viewers is that they can sit through a poorly shot video, however if your video has poor audio you will get many negative comments complaining, so upping your audio game is a good idea.
Below is the most compact and easy to use external microphone, without the large size and cables.
Minimum viable setup--Smartphone & external mic
PRO
--Always have the smartphone with you
--Lowest cost camera setup
--Most compact
--All you need is an external mic
--Can edit low resolution video with just the smartphone
--Less invasive to shoot with
--instantly upload to social media
CON
--Lack high quality video stability like with a gimbal
--limited storage space especially with Iphone, can't swap out SD card
--incoming phone calls or messages can ruin the audio or the shot.
--lack selfie screen for the main camera
PRO
--Always have the smartphone with you
--Lowest cost camera setup
--Most compact
--All you need is an external mic
--Can edit low resolution video with just the smartphone
--Less invasive to shoot with
--instantly upload to social media
CON
--Lack high quality video stability like with a gimbal
--limited storage space especially with Iphone, can't swap out SD card
--incoming phone calls or messages can ruin the audio or the shot.
--lack selfie screen for the main camera
Accessories that can transform your smartphone into a very powerful vlogging setup!
Expect to pay between $400 to $700 for a fully rigged smartphone vlogging setup. A 3 axis gimbal is a must have upgrade that will help produce much smoother video and give you a huge boost in video quality. External mic will help capture higher quality audio, wide angle lens will give the audience a better sense of the environment that you are vlogging in, lighting helps to fill in shadow, or allow you to shoot in back lit situations. These four tools are essential in completing an ideal smartphone vlogging setup.
Expect to pay between $400 to $700 for a fully rigged smartphone vlogging setup. A 3 axis gimbal is a must have upgrade that will help produce much smoother video and give you a huge boost in video quality. External mic will help capture higher quality audio, wide angle lens will give the audience a better sense of the environment that you are vlogging in, lighting helps to fill in shadow, or allow you to shoot in back lit situations. These four tools are essential in completing an ideal smartphone vlogging setup.
|
|
|
Ultimate Smartphone vlog setup $400 to $732 (Smartphone not included)
PRO
--Movie quality video stability
--help smooth out sudden jerks
--different shooting modes to help keep horizon level, achieve crane/jib like shots
--proper lighting
--good audio
--still relatively cheap for a high quality video camera setup.
CON
--Lack self screen for main camera
--bulkier setup
--2-3lb additional weight
--2 additional batteries need to charge
--need couple of minutes to setup and break down each time you shoot
--not as spontaneous
PRO
--Movie quality video stability
--help smooth out sudden jerks
--different shooting modes to help keep horizon level, achieve crane/jib like shots
--proper lighting
--good audio
--still relatively cheap for a high quality video camera setup.
CON
--Lack self screen for main camera
--bulkier setup
--2-3lb additional weight
--2 additional batteries need to charge
--need couple of minutes to setup and break down each time you shoot
--not as spontaneous
Smartphone Gimbal options--DJI OSMO Mobile, Movi Cinema Robot, Snoppa ATOM, Zhiyun Smooth 4, Moza Mini-Mi, FreeVision Vilta M.
External Mic options--Rode Videomicro, IDOLCAM VlogStar, BOYA BY-MM1
Lighting options--Aputure Amaran, Lume Cube, LitraTorch
Lens attachment options-moment lens, iOgrapher, Sanmarc
External Mic options--Rode Videomicro, IDOLCAM VlogStar, BOYA BY-MM1
Lighting options--Aputure Amaran, Lume Cube, LitraTorch
Lens attachment options-moment lens, iOgrapher, Sanmarc
Gopro as vlogging camera
Gopro is the most popular action camera, so is it as a vlogging/creator camera? If you already have a Gopro combined with your smartphone can be a viable option, you can cover mid to close up shots with your smartphone and wide angle shots with your Gopro. The recent Hypersmooth feature on the Gopro 7,8,9,10 Black model can produce smooth video with its digital camera stabilization. However, turning on the Hypersmooth on Gopro will sacrifice the image quality by 10 -15% as it needs to crop into the sensor 10-15% in order to adjust for the motion to smooth out the video, also stabilization doesn't work as well in low light situations.
Purchasing a Gopro as a primary vlogging camera is probably not your best option unless you do a lot of extreme sports, surfing or diving. First, the biggest issue using Gopro as a vlogging camera is the fact it only has one fisheye lens, which is very limiting, plus many viewers are turned off by the distorting effect. Second, it lacks lighting which can't properly fill in shadows or shoot in backlit or low light situations. Third, it's missing an external mic adapter, you will have to purchase a $50 adapter in order to use it with an external mic. Fourth, lack of 1/4" screw socket to easily attach to photographic gears such as the hot shoe mount for the microphones, lighting and tripod.
***Osmo Action is another new action camera from DJI that features a selfie screen and might be a better option for vlogging.
Gopro is the most popular action camera, so is it as a vlogging/creator camera? If you already have a Gopro combined with your smartphone can be a viable option, you can cover mid to close up shots with your smartphone and wide angle shots with your Gopro. The recent Hypersmooth feature on the Gopro 7,8,9,10 Black model can produce smooth video with its digital camera stabilization. However, turning on the Hypersmooth on Gopro will sacrifice the image quality by 10 -15% as it needs to crop into the sensor 10-15% in order to adjust for the motion to smooth out the video, also stabilization doesn't work as well in low light situations.
Purchasing a Gopro as a primary vlogging camera is probably not your best option unless you do a lot of extreme sports, surfing or diving. First, the biggest issue using Gopro as a vlogging camera is the fact it only has one fisheye lens, which is very limiting, plus many viewers are turned off by the distorting effect. Second, it lacks lighting which can't properly fill in shadows or shoot in backlit or low light situations. Third, it's missing an external mic adapter, you will have to purchase a $50 adapter in order to use it with an external mic. Fourth, lack of 1/4" screw socket to easily attach to photographic gears such as the hot shoe mount for the microphones, lighting and tripod.
***Osmo Action is another new action camera from DJI that features a selfie screen and might be a better option for vlogging.
Ultimate GOPRO VLog setup $400 to $900 (Add $150-$300 with Gimbal)
PRO
--Stable video,
-4K-60fps
--water proof
--Ultra wide angle
--Lightweight and compact by itself.
--Editing app
CON
**No interchangeable lens**
--Not as smooth as gimbal and looses 10-15% image quality
--Need $50 accessory to connect to external mic
--Need adopter to attach to standard 1/4" screws
--Some viewers dislike distorted images of the GoPro fisheye lens
--Need lighting to shoot in low light
--Over heating and shuts down issue.
Action Camera options--Gopro, DJI Osmo Action, Yi 4K, SJ Cam, Hawkeye
Gopro Gimbal options--Gopro Karma, Feiyu tech, Hohem
Suitable for--Vlogging extreme and water sports, users already have a Gopro
PRO
--Stable video,
-4K-60fps
--water proof
--Ultra wide angle
--Lightweight and compact by itself.
--Editing app
CON
**No interchangeable lens**
--Not as smooth as gimbal and looses 10-15% image quality
--Need $50 accessory to connect to external mic
--Need adopter to attach to standard 1/4" screws
--Some viewers dislike distorted images of the GoPro fisheye lens
--Need lighting to shoot in low light
--Over heating and shuts down issue.
Action Camera options--Gopro, DJI Osmo Action, Yi 4K, SJ Cam, Hawkeye
Gopro Gimbal options--Gopro Karma, Feiyu tech, Hohem
Suitable for--Vlogging extreme and water sports, users already have a Gopro
The DJI Osmo Pocket as vlog camera?
Dji created a pocket size gimbal video camera in late 2018. The OSMO pocket may have been a small powerful camera.
The lack of interchangeable lenses again is the biggest issue, limits your ability to shoot different looks and you will probably need to buy a second camera if you are planning to take shots other than just wide angle.
The lack of interchangeable lenses again is the biggest issue, limits your ability to shoot different looks and you will probably need to buy a second camera if you are planning to take shots other than just wide angle.
The Ultimate Osmo Pocket Vlog setup--$536 to $786
PRO
--Cinematic video with no image quality loss
--Keep horizon level, crane shots, time lapse
--Face tracking
--Lightweight and compact by itself.
--Long recording time for a compact size camera
CON
--No interchangeable lens
--No HDMI out
--Screen is bit small to see detail, need to plug into smartphone to see more details.
--Need lighting to shoot in low light
--Need $39 accessory to connect to external mic
--Need adopter to attach to standard 1/4" screws
--No lighting
Suitable for--a simple and effective creator camera. Just lacking the ability to change lenses and cumbersome to attach external microphones and lack HDMI out.
PRO
--Cinematic video with no image quality loss
--Keep horizon level, crane shots, time lapse
--Face tracking
--Lightweight and compact by itself.
--Long recording time for a compact size camera
CON
--No interchangeable lens
--No HDMI out
--Screen is bit small to see detail, need to plug into smartphone to see more details.
--Need lighting to shoot in low light
--Need $39 accessory to connect to external mic
--Need adopter to attach to standard 1/4" screws
--No lighting
Suitable for--a simple and effective creator camera. Just lacking the ability to change lenses and cumbersome to attach external microphones and lack HDMI out.
IDOLCAM Vlogging Camera
IDOLCAM is a purpose designed vlogging/creator camera for anyone wanting point and shoot operation, while retaining critical versatility like interchangeable lenses, lighting, flip-screen, 1/4" socket, external mic and HDMI jack in a tiny device.
IDOLCAM is a purpose designed vlogging/creator camera for anyone wanting point and shoot operation, while retaining critical versatility like interchangeable lenses, lighting, flip-screen, 1/4" socket, external mic and HDMI jack in a tiny device.
|
|
IDOLCAM--$349 to $499 price
PRO
--Feature interchangeable lens system and comes with Wide angle and fisheye lens.
--Features beauty ring light and spot light option
--Flipscreen
--External mic jack and 1/4" screw socket
--Gimbal for smooth video with no image quality loss
--Keep horizon level, crane shots, time lapse
--No need to setup, save 2 minutes setup time each time you want to shoot
--more spontaneous, always ready to shoot
--Most lightweight and compact full blown vlog setup
***Every IDOLCAM user can join the IDOLCAM Rewards Program that will pay you 16% commssion for sales through your social and video traffic***
CON
--Newer brand
--less readily available in stores.
PRO
--Feature interchangeable lens system and comes with Wide angle and fisheye lens.
--Features beauty ring light and spot light option
--Flipscreen
--External mic jack and 1/4" screw socket
--Gimbal for smooth video with no image quality loss
--Keep horizon level, crane shots, time lapse
--No need to setup, save 2 minutes setup time each time you want to shoot
--more spontaneous, always ready to shoot
--Most lightweight and compact full blown vlog setup
***Every IDOLCAM user can join the IDOLCAM Rewards Program that will pay you 16% commssion for sales through your social and video traffic***
CON
--Newer brand
--less readily available in stores.
