Every content creator needs a few digital tools. There’s a ton of options, and your digital toolkit should be constantly growing and evolving. We recommend researching and testing out new platforms and digital tools as you have time, and we’ve gathered ten of our favorites to help! Whether you’re looking to level up your content creation or make it easier, there’s something on this list for you.
We’ll mention some specific platforms we like, but we recommend researching to find platforms that fit you. Everyone’s needs are different, so shop around to find the digital tools that will help you most.
Video Editing Apps 🎞️
If you aren’t already, we recommend getting a specific video editing app. Not only does this make it easier to share your videos across platforms, but it literally elevates your videos. You’re able to get really granular in each of your clips, trim by milliseconds, add sound effects, and more, depending on which platform you choose. Most of them are free, and some even come with templates to use.
Recommendations: Capcut is a well-known editing app that most of our team uses for our personal content creation. They have an impressive array of editing features and sounds. iMovie is available on iOS devices and easily accessible for iPhone users, and Kinemaster is favorite for Android users.
Audio Editing Tools 🎧
We’ve mentioned befroe that sound is one of th emost important elements of a video. You may not notice it at first, but once you create a video with high-quality audio, you’ll never be able to go back. Even something as simple as microphone and improve your audio quality, but the next step up is an audio-specific editing software/app. Not only can you increase the quality and clarity or adjust the volume, but some even have filters you can apply.
Design Tools 🎨
Whether you’re planning to or not, you’ll probably need some kind of graphic design tool on your content creation journey. You may want to launch some merch, run a fun campaign, or elevate the graphics in your videos. We recommend finding something that will work for both videos and graphics like flyers, images, and other static posts.
Recommendation: If you haven’t tested out Canva, what are you doing? Canva is a free design platform that works for images, videos, and more. Even their free library includes thousands of templates and graphics to use. We use it in the office for Clapper content, and it’s a favorite of other content creators.
Music and Sound Effects Library 🎶
While your app of choice and favorite editing tool will have a variety of sounds to use, it never hurts to expand it. Each app will give you access to a whole new variety of sounds and audios to use. This will help your content stand out and set trends.
Storyboarding Tools 🖼️
For our planners, try incorporating a storyboarding app to keep you on track! Storyboards are a great way to visualize and organize your videos and can help you plan out which shots or elements you need. They can also help you organize the story to ensure it has an arc and is even more compelling. We have a whole article breaking down storyboards here.
Recommendation: There’s a few apps that could be good for storyboarding. Previously mentioned Canva is a good platform (especially if you’re already using it) and Notion (mentioned below) is a solid option. You can also check out apps like Trello and Milanote for dedicated visual organizing tools.
Cloud Storage ☁️
Creators can never have too much storage. You can upgrade or purchase storage for your specific operating system, or subscribe to a seperate service. Cloud storage lets you drop all your footage in a secure, virtual space to access later. Depending your needs, you may find free options, like Google Drive!
Catch-All Organization 🪣
You’ve got a lot going on. Videos are more than just pressing record: you have to plan them, figure out when to post, store ideas, track performance – it’s a lot. We recommend having some kind of flexible platform or tool that you can customize to meet your needs and help you stay organized.
Recommendation: Notion is a great system for creators looking for a customizable organization tool. It can take a little time to adjust to, but the functionality can’t be beat. You can create tables, Kanban boards, write out scripts, track progress, and more.
Collaboration Tools 🤝
When you start working with other creators or social media professionals, you’ll need some kind of collaboration platform. This will help you track each other’s contributions and how the process is going and where you’re both at. Depending on your needs, you may just want a platform that lets you brainstorm collaboratively or share ideas with each other.
Influencer Marketing Platforms 🏆
If you’re really looking to level up your content creation game, there are a few platforms that will help you connect with brands. They’re usually looking for creators intersted in sponsorships who want to help these brands reach a whole new audience. You can either share your information or find brands to reach out to.
Recommendation: You’ll find quite a few of these platforms, and this is really where we encourage you to do your research. Plaforms like Influencer.co, Aspire.io, and Trend.io give brands a database of creators to work with, and you can submit an application to join.
Trend and News Trackers 📰
There’s quite a few digital tools that help you track news, trends, and other events in your industry or niche. This helps you understand the hottest topics and stay ahead of the trends. Not to mention you’ll never run out of something to discuss in your videos.
Check out our article with AI recommendations for content creators for more digital tools to use.