When you’re just starting out on YouTube, you shouldn’t have to spend thousands of dollars on video equipment. You can shoot great footage for a lot less. Depending on the content, some creators can get away with spending $100. Others might use a smartphone, which means they’ll pay nothing in the beginning. 

5 Cheap Ways to Film YouTube Videos on Your Phone

But let’s say you’re past the smartphone stage of your journey. What should you buy to upgrade your YouTube production? Which cameras or microphones will do the job?

“When I started my business, I had a budget DSLR,” photographer and filmmaker Ben Johnson says. “That’s what I built my business on. It was a $300 camera, and it got me in the door to start doing some stuff.”

, we speak to creative couple Ben and Mikayla Johnson about how to upgrade your equipment. Ben teaches creators how to make better content on his 

, and he and Mikayla run three businesses together. Their main message to creators is that affordable gear 

Need some purchasing advice? Here are the items Ben and Mikayla suggest for beginner YouTube equipment.

Upgrade Your YouTube Audio With an External Microphone

Before you buy a new camera, consider upgrading your audio equipment. This is the first purchase Ben recommends to new and intermediate creators.

“At the end of the day, video is half audio, so that’s an instant upgrade to 50% of your content,” Ben says. “Upgrade your audio so people can clearly understand if you’re teaching or showing them information.”

You don’t need the most expensive mic on the market to get better sound. It’s nice to be able to say you have a $700 Sennheiser mic, but do you really need it? For YouTube videos, the microphones listed above will work fine.

Camera Shopping: Do You Really Need the Shiniest One?

In some cases, it doesn’t make sense to buy a traditional camera. When you have a smartphone that shoots quality video, it's smart to keep doing that. People love to buy expensive DSLR and mirrorless cameras because they think they need them. But what do 

 need? Unless you’re really advanced, Mikayla recommends a simple YouTube setup.

7 Tips to Create YouTube Videos That Look and Sound Good

Our biggest thing we tell people all the time is just to start – to not let your gear or your lack of gear limit you,” Mikayla says. “Learn what you can about the equipment you have. The lighting you currently have accessible to you, your phone, your camera, your audio.”

Then there’s the issue of price. When is it OK to pay $700 to get better footage than that of a smartphone? Every year, iPhone and Android cameras get more megapixels and shoot better videos. And then there’s the budgeting aspect. You’re already paying or have finished paying for your smartphone. If you purchase a new camera, that’s an extra $300 to $1,000 you’ll have to part with.

“To me, the margin between getting a sub-$500 camera versus using a phone makes me wonder, ‘Is it enough?’" Ben asks. “Is it enough of a change to get into that versus having the convenience of a phone?”

2 Cameras to Purchase When You’re Upgrading From a Smartphone

It's OK to invest in a new camera. But before you do, make sure it's worth the money. You should buy a camera that captures superior footage – something more clear and crisp than your smartphone could ever shoot.

 ($699.99) is one of the better options. In terms of quality, it’s a big enough leap from a smartphone to be considered a worthy investment. For $700, you get a multipurpose camera with 4K video, a flip-out screen, and lots of custom features. Ben says the 

 ($499.99) is another great option but not as good as the Sony ZV-1.

Need more options for your first camera? Here's one budget camera plus a pricier option for superb video quality.

great for live streams, adequate battery life

 pricey, but versatile. 4K video, good for live streaming, action shooting, and filming at home

No matter what, make sure your first camera is flexible enough for your filming needs.

“What are your needs currently?” Ben asks of creators. “Then think over the course of the next year. What do you anticipate your needs being? You can get the best camera for live streaming but if you also want to vlog, maybe it’s not going to be the best solution for that.”

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to TubeTalk on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode! Listen along on

.​ You can also find the complete list of all the​​​ ​TubeTalk podcast episodes

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Are you ready to make better YouTube videos? In this episode of TubeTalk, a pair of film experts reveal the best video equipment for beginners.

The Best YouTube Video Equipment to Upgrade Your Content

Did you know the way you film yourself has a very real impact on your audience, sometimes in a more negative way than you ever intended? Or that developing the skill for storytelling will turn you from a good YouTuber into a great one?

In this week’s episode of TubeTalk, the YouTuber’s podcast, we speak to a filmmaker who's going to be sharing all the industries tips and tricks on how to get better at storytelling and how to engage your audience. If that's what you're looking for for your videos, this is the episode for you!

How to put your audience at ease with different filming techniques

How storytelling is one of the most important skills a YouTuber can have

Tips and tricks for being a better storyteller

How providing real value as a creator is the key to more views and subscribers

That ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘where’, ‘when’, and ‘how’ are the cornerstones of good storytelling

Our guest this week is Victoria Grech, a global authority on filmmaking. Her profession takes her around the world, and her extensive list of clients span Europe, United States, Asia, and Canada.

Tips and Tricks to Being a Better YouTube Storyteller

Victoria started on YouTube by teaching viewers how to use DSLR cameras and just 12 months later was teaching the same subject at Pinewood Film Studios! One of the biggest lessons she learned that as a creator, you have to provide value to the audience.

But how do you convey the passion and expertise you have for a subject to provide that value? By being a great storyteller!

Many of us can stand in front of a camera and reel off 10 things about the latest piece of tech, but can you tell a really good story about those 10 things? Are you delivering the message in the right way?

Victoria confirms that storytelling is a real skill, and it’s one of the major reasons why top creators and production companies can charge the rates they do. The majority of YouTube creators haven’t been to film school and have no real idea the process being scriptwriting or other skills so often approach filmmaking the wrong way. But by understanding how to really communicate with their audience can transform a creator’s content.

Victoria advises any video creator to study neuroscience psychology which will help you take the viewer on a journey. A good script can make the viewer laugh, cry, feel nervous, then feel happy all in 30 seconds!

Tune into this week's TubeTalk podcast to learn how to be an expert storyteller on YouTube. Huge thanks to Victoria for her insights and advice - don't forget to follow her on 

Subscribe to TubeTalk: The Video Marketing Podcast

TubeTalk has been informing video creators amd marketers since 2014, and is one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode! You can find vidIQ's TubeTalk at:

Don't forget to leave us a review if you love the show!

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level then make sure to download vidIQ. It will help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

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The ability to tell a great story is an art that all the top YouTubers have mastered. In this week's TubeTalk podcast, we discuss how you can develop the skill of storytelling to build your audience.

Why Storytelling is the Most Important Skill a YouTuber Can Have: TubeTalk Episode 166

How long viewers watch your content for is one of YouTube’s golden signals. So as content creators we know we need to hook attract viewers with engaging topics. But did you know that quality production values can also help your audience retention?

In this episode of TubeTalk, we’re going to take a deep dive into audio specifically, and give you some must-know tips and tricks around sound quality. So many YouTube creators are not putting the effort into audio, and are losing viewers because of it, even when the content they create is otherwise amazing.

. He’s a recognized expert on audio production, and his 

 is packed full of advice about cleaning up audio, producing podcasts, creating music, and more. He really, really understands the quality and voice that's required to capture an audience and keep them riding along with you. In this podcast you will learn:

Why buying an expensive microphone isn't enough to ensure crystal-clear audio

How a shaggy carpet can help create the best audio

How to mix in a music track so your viewers can still hear you

Best practices for mixing in other sound clips to your video

Why recording background noise separately can boost your audio quality

Why you should build your own library of audio clips

Subscribe to TubeTalk: The Video Marketing Podcast!

TubeTalk has been informing video creators and marketers since 2014, and is one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode! You can find vidIQ's TubeTalk at:

Why Great Audio is the Key to YouTube Audience Retention: Podcast Snapshot

Liron Segev: So Mike, just how important is audio?

Mike Russell: Oh, it's super important. You can have a shaky camera, you can record in 10 ATP, but when the sound goes off it doesn't matter how good your content is. It's hard for people to stay focused and pay attention if your audio is off. It also takes away a little bit of your authority because you're sitting there looking fantastic, but people can't hear you.

Also, you can have the best microphone in the world, but if you have not sound-treated your room, you are still not going to sound good. Investing in sound absorption materials on your floor, walls, and ceiling can actually make a big difference. It can cut down on echo and bounce back especially if you live in a noisy location.

It's a really bad experience if someone is listening to a podcast or watching a YouTube video and they have to constantly turn it up and down because you haven’t put the thought into audio.

Liron Segev: Regarding video editors, many creators are so focused on color grading and making sure that we have B roll and making sure that we have the rough animations that we don't give the audio a second thought. Is that a mistake?

Mike Russell:.I do think like color grading is super important. It can give you an edge providing you get it right, otherwise, you look very, very orange or very magenta. But in terms of audio, equalization of the frequencies is very similar to color grading.

You could shoot something on a mirrorless or DSLR camera and stick it straight into your NLE and then mix it, or render it out and upload it and it would be okay. But if you color grade it, it's going to pop out. It's going to look better. Same thing if you equalize your audio and compress your audio. It's kind of like the color grading of audio.

Liron Segev: If you’re doing collaborations with other people, they often send you clips ahead of time so you can mix them into your own track. How do we get the best practice to help them give us better audio?

Mike Russell: It’s all about their setup and what they're using. You don't really have that much control what the other creator is using, but if it's someone you really want to work with you can try and recommend other gear to them or try to work well with the gear that they've got.

So you might say, "Okay, what are you going to be recording with?" And they might say, "Well, I've got a shotgun microphone mounted just off the camera frame. But maybe they can use a handheld mic? You could recommend something like that.

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level and 

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

And if you’re really serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the 

 and learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.

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Shockingly poor audio can severely damage your Audience Retention rate on YouTube. Learn how to keep your viewers engaged to the end in this week's episode of TubeTalk.

Why Great Audio Can Boost YouTube Audience Retention: TubeTalk 203 with Mike Russell

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The Best YouTube Video Equipment to Upgrade Your Content

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