I’ve been actively building my personal brand online for over a decade now, and at the beginning of each year, my director of operations and I do a review of our personal brand toolkit to see which software and equipment are indispensable to my brand.

Here are my top non-negotiables for 2023:

The software stack

1. Grain

Without a doubt, Grain is single-handedly the best piece of software I invested in this past year. This handy dandy recorder joins every single meeting to record and live transcribe a call as it’s happening. Even better? The desktop version has its own “note pad” so as people are speaking, you can “highlight” key points and tag them with headlines and easy-to-reference icons for quick follow-up later. 

You can then “string” your snippets together into “stories” – much like Instagram stories – to share out the core to-dos, notes, and meeting points so no one misses a beat! 

Here’s how we use it for personal branding.

Once a month, my team interviews me on personal branding topics and creates “live snippets” during the call. We then turn those into “snackable videos” and use the call transcription for longer-form articles just like the one you’re reading now.

I’ve become so attached to Grain, that I come into every Zoom meeting now and inevitably waste about 2 minutes telling the attendee how revolutionary it’s been for our business.

2. Clipchamp 

Most of my YouTube videos and reels are created through amazing freelancers, but I use Clipchamp to capture the raw footage. My favorite part of this software that Microsoft acquired? It comes with a “speaking coach” that live analyzes your video and offers helpful coaching clues like, “Slow down! You’re a bit too excited,” or “Vary your tone,” or “You’re using a bit too many ‘ums’.” 

And, for times when I don’t send my videos out to freelancers, I can quickly whip up marketing videos on my own thanks to the “what you see is what you get” nature of the editor. 

3. Loomly.com

I’ve tried Buffer, I’ve tried Sendible, I’ve tried Sprout, the list goes on for the content schedulers and reporting tools I’ve used, but honestly, nothing beats the collaborative and easy-to-navigate interface of Loomly. This tool allows you to schedule everything from YouTube Shorts to Instagram reels, to statuses on your personal LinkedIn page. And they have an awesome “post ideas” calendar to ensure you don’t miss relevant events and holidays. Hands down, the best social scheduler I’ve come across.

4. Good ole’ Google Sheets + Docs

My team and I live in Google Workspace, and no amount of fancy software has yet to replace the brainstorming that happens for our “pillar content” in Google sheets, and the coordinating mind mapping and copywriting we do in Google docs. It’s easy.

5. Canva

What can’t this unicorn of a design software do? As someone who spent 2 years attending InDesign classes and still has no idea how to use the Adobe software, Canva came as a Godsend. The sheer number of templates – ranging from book covers to web design, to new document design, to social media – can uplevel any small brand’s game online and make it look premiere. Invaluable. 

Now, let’s get to the hardware…

I firmly believe that you don’t need anything beyond a smartphone to build your personal brand online, but if you’re really trying to be a full-time creator, these are the tools I’ve found most helpful:

1. DJI OM 5 Smartphone Gimbal

I picked one of these up after reading my brilliant video expert friend Giselle Ugarte’s website and I have to say, money well spent. Hook your smartphone up to this handy little stand, and its coordinating recording app will track your face as you move, making it appear like you have a full-pan camera crew in your space. I love that it lets me record hands-free videos, allowing me to gesture and move about and capture selfies without having to convince my fiancé to be an “Instagram” husband (although in our case, “LinkedIn husband” would be more appropriate.)

2. A good ring light

New York winters mean I have a brief and bright window of time to utilize natural light. With the ring light, I can record any time of day, not just when my surroundings allow for it. It also brightens up the screen and makes videos more captivating.

3. A lav mic

Formerly known as a “lavalier” mic, this little device clips on to your shirt and allows crystal-clear sound when I record on my iPhone. I use MAYBESTA’s Bluetooth powered one that plugs into the base of my phone and pics up my sound.

4. A Blue Snowball Mic

While my lav mic is great for reels and iPhone videos, I guest on a lot of podcasts and use my computer for longer form YouTube video. In this case, the Blue Snowball is my go-to mic, and transforms my “tinny” office into sound so smooth you’d think I’m in a recording studio.

5. An extra computer camera (for me Logitech C920e HD 1080p)

Again, I firmly believe a smartphone will get you 95% of the way to wear you need to be, but for extra “oomph” on my videos, I opt for my Logitech HD web camera. With a wide shot, crystal clear picture, and accessible price tag, it’s my standard for online meetings, podcasts, and YouTube recordings. 

And there you have it! That’s my list of top 10 indispensable tools to build my brand online. If you’re committed to making 2023 the year you go all in on your brand, I highly advise investing in these