Being an influencer can be difficult work! With all the filming, editing and planning content, it can quickly become overwhelming. Luckily, technology can make your work much easier if you know what gadgets you should use.
We’ve gathered seven of the most important gadgets to have if you’re thinking of being an influencer
1. Physical Security Key
As an influencer, your social media accounts may consistently be under threat from hackers. You don’t want to lose all the effort and work you put into creating your fanbase. Even if you were using the strongest passwords and two-step-verifications YOUR ACCOUNT STILL AT RISK!
Hackers have numerous methods to break into your social media account. A common tactic known as a “brute-force attack” happens using certain programs that have the ability to make unlimited, systematic attempts at guessing your password, all in the span of a few minutes.
The most notable of these attacks came in 2014, you may have heard of it. After hacking and obtaining over 500 private images of high profile celebrities and influencers, the hacker posted the images to the public over a popular imageboard site. Later, investigations found that this was all orchestrated using brute-force methods to hack iCloud!.
Another common method is for a hacker to access your accounts over your mobile carrier. Here, the hacker will call an employee of the carrier, and attempt to convince said employee, that THEY are the owners of YOUR account. The hacker then tries to get the employee to transfer your phone data to a new SIM card, that they control! This recently happened with AT&T in August!
Popular influencer Amanda Cerny, had her phone hacked! The hacker was able to access all of her social media accounts. So who knows what devious acts they could’ve committed with that information!
James Charles another young influencer was affected by this type of attack. Having access to James’ photos, the hacker tried to extort him. But, James isn’t the type to conform and ended up tweeting his own nude pictures, completely rendering the hackers’ efforts useless.
Bella Thorne, Whitney Cummings & King Bach all popular influencers were hacked as well through this method.
The solution, a Physical Security Key. Physical security keys use a USB connector and/or wireless NFC, for securing your online accounts, digital services, laptops and phones. Basically, anything secured with the key can never be accessed without the key being physically present. Even if a hacker has successfully guessed your password, it’s useless without the key inserted.
Here, some of the most secure Keys out there;
This is considered to be the best and most secure. The same Key used by Google employees!
This key supports a plethora of security standards, including OTP, Smart Card, OpenPGP, FIDO U2F, and FIDO2 to provide as much security as you would ever need. It’s made in the USA & Sweden.
2. Digital Camera
While you can still effectively use your smartphone for shooting, you may be needing something with more quality. Digital cameras are not as expensive as they once were and provide a lot of value and customization allowing for – larger lenses, better exposure to lighting and higher quality resolution. Along with their wide range of capture settings!
Here are some of the most used digital cameras by influencers;
The PowerShot G7 is very popular amongst vloggers worldwide & is considered one of the Best Vlogging Cameras in 2019. This awesome camera provides an uncropped 4K image as well as a microphone socket, this is usually very rare with cameras at this size. Another advantage (especially if you’re a Youtuber) is that this camera can directly stream to YouTube!
Sensor size: 1.0-type.
Resolution: 20.1MP.
Monitor: 3.0-inch tilt-angle touchscreen.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, NFC.
Max movie resolution: 4K.
weight: 304g.
This camera is great for adventure seekers. Not only because of its durability, but for its long battery life and its waterproof protective housing. So, if you’re the adventurous type who likes to shoot footage of yourself trekking up a mountain, diving underwater or biking across rough terrain, then the Hero 8 is exactly what you need.
Sensor size: 4.5 x 6.2mm.
Resolution: 12MP.
Effective focal length: 16-27mm.
Monitor: 2.0-inch touchscreen.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.
Max movie resolution: 4K 60fp.
weight: 126g.
If portability and compactness are important to you, then Osmo is our smallest choice. It’s mainly used for people interested in only taking video, it’s not necessarily made for shooting still images. Its main feature is that you can attach it to your phone, using it alongside social media apps instead of your phones’ built-in camera.
Sensor size: 1/2.3-inch.
Resolution: 12MP.
Monitor: 1.0-inch touchscreen.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Lightning & USB-C.
Max movie resolution: 4K.
weight: 116g.
3. Flagship Smartphone
Even if you were to have a stellar digital camera setup, you may be in situations where you aren’t carrying all of your camera equipment. Since the best shot doesn’t wait around for you, we recommend a solid smartphone with an astounding camera. Generally, the Flagship Smartphone (the brand’s top of the line device) is the best choice when camera specs are a must.
Here’s the list of the best smartphones out there;
4. Ring Light.
The difference between a great vlog and a lame vlog can potentially come down to the lighting! Enter, the Ring Light. Ring Lights come in various shapes, sizes and can even attach to your phone! Filming with this device, just once, can have you completely hooked. They’re like magic, giving you sharp picture quality for your content.
Here are some of the most popular Ring Lights we’ve found:
MACTREM is the industry standard for Ring Lights, offering high quality, it can also be attached to a laptop or any other USB capable device. It’s also adjustable, allowing you to film at any angle you desire.
For those of you on a budget, this Ring Light will do just fine. For only $13 it’s an absolute steal!
5. Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer & Camera Tripod.
A shaky video is uncomfortable for viewers. This issue can easily be solved by using a tripod or a gimbal to stabilize your camera.
Even though your smartphones’ camera is more capable of shooting high-quality clips than ever before, their lenses are still too small. They can never allow as much light as a standard DSLR camera. But what about those pesky tremors and shakes? That’s where the gimbal stabilizers come into play. They’re relatively inexpensive and are always steadier than your hands.
Here are some of our recommendations;
This should be your go-to choice, Freefly did a great job making this stabilizer the easiest to use. It’s also very flexible, allowing you to shoot portraits, landscapes or even take selfies. It’s also compatible with iPhones & most Android devices (up to 90mm wide).
Made out of high-strength Composite material, which also reduces the weight to about 485 grams. Osmo 2 also has a built-in battery, functioning alongside the main gimbal battery, as a power bank to charge your smartphone.
Pixi Evo is a standard tripod/ stabilizer. Offering adjustable legs and can adjust up to a 90-degree angle. Manfrotto is usually known for its larger stabilizers, this one, however, is their smallest and most convenient option.
6. Teleprompter
If your content is long-form, requiring you to read or remember a script, then you’re definitely going to need a teleprompter.
The teleprompter is a device meant to view a previously-stored scripts while you’re looking into the camera. These devices can really help to improve your videos and vlogs’ quality.
There is a reflective screen placed in front of your camera lens – the screen is made from an optical beam splitter, so it’s completely see-through on one side and reflective on the other. All you need to do is to write your script and to view it on the monitor. Now you’re going to have the ability to read your script line-by-line while filming.
Here are some teleprompters we’ve found;
This teleprompter from Ikan supports larger iPads, large Android & Windows tablets. It’s your best choice if you are used to shooting with DSLRs or mirrorless cameras.
Proaim provides you with clear content readability up to 15ft and a very adjustable mounting plate. It also comes with a high quality 60/40 prompter framed glass.
7. Power Bank
Now, we all know there’s nothing more frustrating than that moment o, reaching for your phone, excited to capture a grammable picture, only to find out your battery is dead… So, let’s make sure this never happens again!
Buy yourself a large power bank, that way you’ll never worry about having enough juice in your devices, ever again!
Here’s a list of some of the best power banks available;
It’s not easy to find a lightweight power bank but Anker has accepted the challenge. With their 20100mAh battery only weighs in at only 354.369 grams.
The only thing you should be concerned about with large power banks is their charging duration. Fortunately, this is not the case for RAVPower, this can be rapidly recharged from 0% to 100% only in 4.5 hours!
If work requires you to be charging more than one device at a time, then choosing a power bank with multiple ports is ideal, like this one. EasyAcc power bank has 4 USB output ports, 3 smart USB and 1 USB type-c port.
