How to Make High-Quality Content on a Budget

It’s clear that making content is easier than it's ever been. Just grab your phone, record, and post. Making quality content is more indicative of the vision an individual creator wields. Content Creation is, of course, a multifaceted process with unspecific requirements. If only there was a step-by-step process that I could follow to make high-quality content without breaking the bank… 

The first step is determining your budget. In my previous post, I mentioned that smart creators will budget accordingly for each piece of content. Not every piece of excellent content will NEED exorbitant amounts of money. You can make content for as little as $1 or as much as $10,000; it depends, once again, on what you want to create. For a basic example, let’s say your budget is $300.

From that $300, you must have a basic idea of what you wish to create, what you will need to create, and what your strategy for creating will be. Making the most out of what you have is financing 101, and it applies to content creation as much as it does to your everyday life, dear creator.

To make the most out of that amount, let’s start with—

Your smartphone is a universal tool for content creation. It’s especially handy if you lack a proper camera and audio setup. If you’re reading this, dear creator, I’m going to assume you can create using a smartphone. If you don’t, there’s no need to fret; even the most lower-end smartphones have good-quality cameras. 

Here’s a list:https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/best-phones-under-300/

Try to nab one during a sale. And, of course, other pieces of hardware can be helpful in the grind, like Lavalier microphones, cheap ring lights, and a green screen for good measure.

• Lavalier Microphones (Amazon)
• Ring Light (Amazon)
• Green Screen (Amazon)

Next, you must—

Specifically, your FREE tools. Now that you have a phone, you must choose your apps. There are hundreds of applications for content creation, such as video editing software, sound editing software, drawing software, etc; most, if not all, of them have free versions with mostly limited capabilities. Leveraging free tools and resources is a skill ALL creators should have. There’s no need to feel overwhelmed; here’s a list of the best freemium apps:

Browser Apps:

• Blender (Animation & Modeling)
• Audacity (Audio Editing)
• OBS (Streaming)
• GIMP (Photoshop)
• CapCut (Video Editing)
• DaVinci Resolve (Video Editing)
• Unsplash (Stock Images)
• Canva (Multipurpose)

Know that many of these apps are also smartphone-compatible. If you need to upgrade and experiment with premium features, then I would recommend Canva Premium for $12.99 a month. If you decide to keep Canva Premium for longer, then your current budget will give you an extra 5 months of service. If you can create consistently at breakneck speeds, then you should be able to make most of your money back. Once you experiment and pick your faves and are ready to begin creating, you must then—

Plan ahead and according to your time, schedule, and ease. It’s not a race; if you need to, create a content calendar to keep you focused and consistent. Try to create your content in batches, so you don’t stagnate. And you will need time to learn some sick smartphone skills. If you need pointers, here are some Instagram profiles who teach you how to make the most of your smartphone camera:

• Steven Wommack
• Byrvm_contentcreation
• colinpomeroyyy

Learning extra tricks is also a good time to—

As you’re just creating and are actively building a platform, getting to know your fellow creatives and collaborating with them will have to become part of the routine. Reach out, converse, collaborate, and build. Remember that social media is free, and you don’t have to pay to write posts. I’m not going to tell you, dear creator, which creators you should collaborate with, but be wary. You’re on a budget, so don’t make deals you can’t keep. You should, however, join our Discord server; it’s free and a great hub to meet other creatives.

Of course, remember to—

SEO and social media optimization is much easier than it sounds. You can go to many places by making good use of hashtags, keywords, and mentions, and mastering these aspects is key to growth. Captions and flavor text are up to you, but make them as engaging as you can. And if it is within your budget, boost your content with a paid ad.

Some tools to use are:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Hastagify

On the topic of content utilization, one other tactic you can implement is—

Making quality content doesn’t have to be expensive. With the right strategy and a will to learn and improve, you will discover ways to circumvent the need for money and become a savvy creator. Thankfully, there are thousands of tutorials and guides on sites like YouTube and Coursera that can educate you.

The tools are available; all it takes is a bit of creativity.

About the Author

Giovan Santiago is an US-based freelance blogger, writer, actor, and social media manager with a passion for video games. For two years, he’s written about curious happenings in the tech scene, created taglines and sales copy for tech startups, and provided media coverage for local game events and studios. He hopes to branch out into content creation and become a published author.