I've spent hundreds of hours creating content the past three months during my 100 day content challenge. I’ve gotten thousands of views on YouTube and grown all of my followings + started an entire community of podcasters. Here are the content tools I loved, and the ones that wasted my time so you don’t waste yours.
Software tools:
Must use:
Riverside: If you’re a podcaster Riverside will change your life. You can have two feeds uploading simultaneously. You can also use their AI features to create social clips and auto edit your videos. Some months I was able to skip hiring a video editor entirely.
CapCut: Great for video editing, I use this software for my podcast trailers and for short clips on socials. You can also do reaction videos. Easy to use and the auto caption feature makes videos engaging. There should be a free trial available for you!
Canva: I use this every day. Great for quasi graphic design editing.
ChatGPT: The one everyone uses and also the best for giving templates and ideas. Make sure you have the paid version. Joseph S. Khan has great tips on how to get the most out of Chat GPT here.
Jittr: Cool animated clips to upgrade your videos.
Save your time and money:
Tubebuddy: Honestly not worth it. The paid version only lets you test two thumbnails unless you have an enterprise account.
OBS: This is a free reaction video software but I wasted hours trying to use it. It was laggy and nothing uploaded right.
Books:
Must read:
Think and grow rich - great for mindset and goal setting
$100m Leads - great for content creation and structure
Diary of a CEO - great for life advice
Save your time and money:
Reading too many books. Repetition is everything. I have a blog post on this here.
People:
Must use:
Fiverr is great for hiring editors or anyone else when you have the money if you’re just starting out. The people on here are specialists and you don’t have to worry about training them. They are also generally cheaper than outright hiring an assistant. Everyone I worked with on Fiverr has been great.
Save your time and money:
Hiring people you have to train. I’m just starting out, I’m still learning AND I’m solo. At this point it is much easier and cheaper for me to not have to spend time motivating people. Having an employee might make you feel good, but feeling good doesn’t pay the bills.
Advertising:
Must use:
Instagram and YouTube Ads: Easy to set up and cost effective.
Save your time and money:
Google Ads - YouTube ads are technically Google Ads, but I’m talking about the ads you specifically set up within Google. I didn’t find this effective and it was time consuming to set up. If you’re a beginner at setting up paid ads I wouldn’t recommend this method. Their customer service was also awful. One person straight up hung up on me.
Socials:
Must use:
Instagram Threads - This app is the new Twitter and is super community focused. I met so many cool people on this app. One of which will be on my podcast soon. I also started an entire community of podcasters based off of leads from Threads.
You can follow me here.
Save your time and money:
Skool - New platform by Alex Hormozi that allows creators to monetize their communities, but here’s the thing, Skool costs money, and Google has the same features for free. Only join this if you have an existing audience and think you could win the Skool games, that would be worth it in my opinion.
YouTube videos to watch:
Must watch:
Davin Jatho: How to Grow 100,000 Instagram Followers in 90 Days | Content Bible. Instagram masterclass worth thousands of dollars + amazing Notion resource
Diary of a CEO episode: The Money Making Expert: The Exact Formula For Turning $100 into $100k Per Month! - Daniel Priestley. The BEST advice on testing ideas
Masterclass Podcast: Meet The Marketing Genius Behind Steven Bartlett. The mastermind behind the Diary of a CEO podcast spills all her secrets in this Masterclass. Incredible watch.
Jenny Hoyos: How Jenny Hoyos Actually Makes Viral Shorts. This interview is really informative on storytelling on short form content.
Save your time and money:
Any paid digital product under $50. With almost every creator, the free resources they put out were actually better than anything I paid for. Maybe this changes the more you pay, but for me none of these were worth it.
Enjoy these insights! If you're interested in doing the 100 day content challenge you can join the waitlist by emailing laura@lauramaigainor.com with your name, your social media links and why you want to do the challenge.
I'll see you back here next week for day 100 (I can't believe it either).
Love you,
Laura Mai
P.S. Here’s where you can connect with me
Linkedin: Laura Mai | LinkedIn
Instagram/TikTok @lauramaimarketing
Book a free 15 minute call Here