How to use an iPhone to start with content creation.
Creating content is vital to making your website visible online. But how do you start? Do you need the expensive equipment to get started, or is there a different approach?
In 2023 anybody can start creating content using an iPhone. In there last three years, iPhones have really come along way. The newest iPhone 13 Pro can even record videos in ProRes, a video codec that is used by professionals, these small cameras are simply outstanding.
So, how do you actually get started? It's pretty simple. I would always recommend that you start off with blogging. This is because you can then use the blog as a script for other media forms. This is great, because then you have some structure to your video and audio content creation elements.
Start with written communications
Initially start off by creating a content calendar. Put in the dates that you would like to release a blog over the next six months. The frequency of blogs is entirely up to you and what you have time to do. To be effective I would recommend at least one new blog per month. Ideally I would push that to once every two weeks, but as we are just starting out let's go with once a month.
Now that we know what our blog schedule is going to look like, it's time to do the same thing again for podcasting and video. Video can be more complicated to get started with, so let's park this one for now.
Podcasting is a great way to get your business heard and it's booming right now. Start off by taking your most recent blog post and adapting it to fit the audio format, once you are done you are ready to record!
To record a podcast using your phone, simply open the voice memos app and hit the record button. If you make a mistake, pause and then repeat the last section that you read out. Once you have completed the recording, it's time for editing. If you have a computer, I recommend sending yourself the voice memo so that you can access it on your PC/Mac.
Editing seems complicated, but it is actually simpler than it looks. If you are on a PC, you can use a free programme called Audacity to edit your audio file. If you are on a Mac, you are spoilt for choice, GarageBand and iMovie are both great at editing audio files. Personally I use used to use iMovie over GarageBand, because it exports slightly better.
In the edit, simply go through the file and edit out any of these sections that you needed to re-do. Once complete, congratulations you have a podcast!
So, back to video. What about creating videos? Well for this you are going to need some extra equipment. The first thing to look for is a tripod with a iPhone mount. Luckily you can pick one of these up on Amazon for less than £25 - which makes the gateway into iPhone videos small.
Once the tripod has arrived. Set it up with the phone in it, place it in a direction that points towards you and then hit record. But wait, what do you talk about?
Anything! You are using video to position yourself as the subject matter expert in the field in which you operate in, so simply pick a topic to chat about, or a previous blog post, and get on with it. Once you have recorded your video you can edit it directly on the iPhone with the iMovie app. You can open the footage in iMovie and it will actually help guide you through the process.
If you'd like to use a computer though, you can send yourself the files to access on a PC / Mac. On a PC, I think Windows Movie Maker is still a thing? In all honesty, I am not an expert in PCs, as I've been on Mac's for the past 15+ years, so I have no idea what to suggest. Here is a link to someone that knows. On a Mac, you can use iMovie in desktop form.
In the edit, try to reduce / remove any errors etc and try to make a few jump cuts to keep the viewer's attention span happy. Once you have edited the video you can upload it directly onto social media or onto YouTube and then syndicate it as a part of your marketing effort.
In terms of video frequency, there is not really an easy answer to this. I would suggest using video as a sales and support tool, so using it as an ad-hoc medium to help with sales and the support of your existing customers.
I really appreciated the section on failure, a whole new perspecitve!
- Josh, CanadaLearn more about digital strategy!
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Conclusion
And voila! We've landed. Now we know how to create content using nothing but our iPhones, well and a tripod. If you'd like to learn more about how to make your business digital. Consider getting a copy of my book: "How to: Make your business digital".
Samuel Isaacs, is an experienced digital marketer that has created digital campaigns for over 50 different companies in 27 different countries...
About Samuel Isaacs