Since small businesses don’t always have a budget to hire gurus to handle their social media, owners must rely on themselves to produce much of the content. But where does one even begin? How do you make the content catch eyes (and likes) in the feed? Karissa Psathas seems to have a handle on things. Since 2018, the Maryland-based self-care influencer has been producing her own content right at home. After starting out with make-up tutorials, she has expanded into yoga, wellness, and other forms of self-care, inspiring her followers to live their best lives with a body-positive attitude. When you spend so much time working on yourself, you might as well look your best as well. From lighting kits and camera rigs to microphones and backdrops, Karissa has put together a guide of the essentials that every small business should have for making you and the products you sell look amazing in the content you create.
... moreSony Camera
The first few months of creating content for my small business, I used my iPhone. I wanted to produce higher quality content for my followers and the brands I worked with so I decided to upgrade. My favorite part about this camera is the flip screen.—it's great for when you want to be in the frame, but have no one to take your photo. It also has bluetooth capability, making it easy to share my photos and video right to my phone or laptop in a blink of an eye.
Gyroscope
I love this so much!!! Content creation...but add a little spice! This isn't something I started out with, but it for sure CHANGED THE GAME! When working with brands, I sometimes have to review products. Video production is kind of like a hidden hobby I've always had. A gyroscope helps stabilize your camera to create smooth action shots. This can make your "home content" look like you spent thousands on video shoots.
Ring Light Kit
Some days you have to create content even when the light isn't working with you. My ring light helps me on days when I don't have enough natural light. I love this Neewer light from the simple fact that I've had it since the beginning of my platform (over 4 years ago) and it still works like its brand new. Why try something new if what you have works perfectly, right?
Samson Microphone
A microphone can be used for so many different things with content creation. Adding a crisp sound to your videos only increases the quality of not only your content, but your overall business in general. When creating for Instagram Stories, TikToks, and soon my upcoming podcast, a microphone gives the content great sound. I like to think about quality when it comes to my content. I love this mic because the sound is beautiful, especially for this AMAZING price.
Tripod
When you're a content creator, you are your business. What's a better way to bring your brand to life than being in front of the camera? A tripod honestly makes your life 10 times easier. I love this tripod because it has so many different height settings. I can pop it on my counter and film a Story, and I can also collapse it and put it in my purse for on the go photoshoots by myself.
Backdrop Stands
If you don't have a lot of space, the weather is nasty, or you just don't have a space that's easy on the eyes, a backdrop can be a perfect way to capture content. It's easy to tuck away and store, and makes the process so much more fun and creative.
Blue Light Glasses
A lot of people don't know that being a content creator means you're also the editor! Sometimes I can spend up to 12 hours just editing on my laptop. Blue light glasses have helped get rid of the constant headaches caused from staring at computer screens. These are great for anyone who doesn't need prescription glasses but want to use black light glasses at night.
Dry Erase Board Calendar
Being a content creator means you have to be organized. Some days you'll be booked solid, and other times you'll have nothing planned. A calendar helps me spread out my brand deals to avoid becoming overwhelmed. I prefer a dry erase board calendar so I'm not cluttering my space with paper. I love to add a to do list in the notes section for the day and erase them as I complete them throughout the day.
Splice
If I'm working on my phone, this app is great for editing to make your video fit to the dimensions for Instagram or TikTok—and it's totally free!
Planoly
This is an Instagram post planning app that I absolutely love. Consistency is key when it comes to gaining trust with your audience. Showing up every day is important to me, so planning ahead with a scheduling app really helps me stay on top of my content.
Final Cut Pro
I use Final Cut Pro to edit my videos on my computer. It's only available for Mac users and it's a bit costly ($300), but this is something I honestly think is worth the price if you're focused on making great content. For a free alternative, iMovie will work for some basic editing and it comes with any Mac—it's what I started with when I was first learning.
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