Content Creation: From Shaky Selfies to Social Superstar

Ah, content creation! Remember when it meant awkwardly holding your phone at arm’s length, hoping your thumb wouldn’t photobomb your masterpiece? We’ve come a long way, baby! Whether you’re aiming to be the next TikTok sensation or just want to share your magic tricks without accidentally revealing them, this guide will help you level up from “my mom’s my only viewer” to “wait, is that video going viral?”

Who is my audience/what is my purpose?

The Basics

Hardware

KISS: The best equipment is what you have on you.

Your Phone

Your phone—make most content here.

Don’t lose it

I put air-tags on everything, and since the cases don’t come with that, I stick them in elevation lab holders. I have them on everything, 100% worth it.

AirTag (4 Pack)

Elevation Labs TagVault

Microphone

  • You can use an external mic, but I usually don’t.
  • I got the something or other, which is nice as it has stereo mics. Not sure this has solved any problem I have.

Selfie Drone - Hover X1

  • Careful, don’t lose it. That happens a lot.

DJI Pocket 3

  • Just got it looks like it’s gonna be really fun.
  • After the novelty wore off I stopped using it.

Insta360 X5

  • 360-degree camera that captures everything around you
  • What’s great is you just record it in 360, then use really nice AI features to find the best view.
  • Does a nice auto upload to web
  • Can put on table and record both sides of the conversation

Never use it: Action Camera

  • Too much work.

Never use it: DSLR

  • Too much work.

External Hard Drive

  • Pretty useful, I have a 4 TB ultra-fast hard drive. Copy everything over; otherwise, you’ll fill up all your storage.

Webcams: OBS Tiny Cam

  • Pretty sweet, built-in gimbal.
  • Has a remote control which is great.

Software

Screencasts

Vertical ShortForm Video

Killer, just take video on your phone, then use CapCut to edit/auto-caption. It’s always getting better. The key is: don’t fight the app. If it wants to do stuff, let it. Over-trying to optimize is a waste of time.

  • Best feature is AI Captions and AI editing.

Pre-Production

Planning

Scripting

Production

Lighting

Audio

Camera Work

Post-Production

Editing

Distribution

AI Tools

Thumbnails

Transcription

Monetization: The Reality Check

Creator monetization is complex and often disappointing. For a comprehensive guide covering all monetization methods, platform-specific strategies, and real earnings data:\n\n<div style=”margin-bottom: 0.5rem” class=”summary-link body-only” href=”/monetize”

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Quick Summary

The brutal truth: 99% of creators make less than $100/month. Success requires:

  • Multiple income streams
  • Years of consistent content
  • Genuine audience relationships
  • Realistic expectations

Main monetization methods:

  • Ad revenue sharing (YouTube, TikTok)
  • Affiliate marketing (Amazon Associates)
  • Brand sponsorships (where the real money is)
  • Direct fan support (Patreon, tips)
  • Digital products (courses, templates)
  • Merchandise

For detailed breakdowns, case studies, and platform-specific strategies, see the full monetization guide.