My ‘Always-ready’ Content Creation Desk Setup for Personal Branding
You're here because you understand how important it is to build your personal brand. However, regardless of how much of an expert you are at what you do, creating content can feel overwhelming and exhausting if you’re not used to it.
The best way to start a healthy habit of daily or weekly content creation is by having a setup that's always ready, reducing friction from idea to recording and publishing your content.
For entrepreneurs wanting to build in public, coaches sharing educational content regularly, or thought-leaders looking to build their personal brand online, having an efficient and always-ready home office setup is crucial.
This guide outlines my streamlined desk setup designed to minimize friction and maximize productivity, ensuring you can focus on creating high-quality content effortlessly.
1. Record a sharp image straight to your laptop with the Sony a6600
The Sony a6600 is perfect for high-quality video. I connect it to my MacBook using an Elgato Cam Link 4K, ensuring a smooth integration. All my YouTube videos have been recorded with the a6600 and look great.
The reason why I picked the Sony A6600 is that it is affordable, the autofocus is amazing, and it delivers really good quality without any need for postproduction. Because it's a crop sensor (not full frame), it provides a nice image that doesn't feel extremely cinematic yet is still high quality—perfect for educational content.
Recorded with a6600, Sigma 18mm. No color correction or editing.
I use a couple of Sigma lenses, but my go-to lens for the desk setup is the 18mm, which works great in terms of framing when you’re sitting on your desk. It’s really sharp, and has an f1.4 aperture, which delivers a nice blurred focus, even on a wide cropped sensor lens.
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2. Achieve clean audio and image with basic yet powerful accessories.
For crisp and clear audio, I use the Shure MV7 microphone. It connects via USB-C, so there's no need for an additional interface, but you also get an XLR output if needed.
I mount the mic on a Neewer mic suppor, so it’s always placed where I need it without taking up desk space in front of me. I've tried a few of these over the last years, and this specific one is the best you’ll get for your buck. Affordable, and without annoying springs that loose tension over time.
Good lighting is crucial to make your content look professional. The Elgato Key Light Air connects to my Mac via Wi-Fi, providing soft, adjustable light that’s perfect for video content.
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3. Become a training master with my best kept secret add-ons. 🤫
This accessories will make your life extremely easy if you’re making live content, or talking over supportive media such as a deck, videos or other training material.
Logi Clicker: If you're a coach and will be teaching online over a deck, a clicker is invaluable, so you don't need to touch your keyboard. I’ve had this one for the last 5 years, and hasn’t gotten old. Best investment I’ve ever made as an educator.
Elgato Teleprompter: Essential for live streams, coaching calls, or presentations. It acts as a secondary screen and ensures you maintain eye contact with your audience. It mounts on the desk, keeping the setup clean.
I’ve had a cheaper teleprompter that uses an iPad as the screen, but I don’t recommended. What you need is a screen that’s always ready, and for the first time, there’s a teleprompter that offers this for less than 250 EUR.
Elgato Stream Deck: For advanced users who want to spice up their presentations with different scenes or effects, the Elgato Stream Deck provides a smooth recording/streaming experience, allowing you to focus on content and audience.
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4. You only need software that makes your life simple.
As a creator, software can get really fancy and expensive, but as you get started, there’s not really many tools you need to make content in a simple way. This are the two I would recommend if you don’t want to waste time.
CapCut: is your tool if you’re into short form content, It’s free, and the smartphone version is extremely powerful.
Riverside is designed for you if you’re a coach, entrepreneur, or educator.
Is an online creator studio that helps you record and edit all your content in the most simple way. You can use it to record your content, meetings, and even podcasts with remote guests. It records 4K locally on your computer so the quality of your connection doesn’t affect your content.
It’s so good it has recently replaced Zoom for my regular calls.
It also has AI that will help you edit the content extremely fast and even make summaries and text versions of your recordings.
Get a 15% OFF with my code ‘alexantolino’
5. Make it personal and inspiring with this comforting touches.
Making content has to be enjoyable, so I always make sure I feel good when I’m doing my thing. Of course this is very personal, but here are my favorites:
Ugreen Charging Mount for iPhone: Keeps your phone within reach and always charged.
Phillips Hue - Mood Lights (HUE Play): Adds ambiance to your workspace and can be controlled by the Stream Deck. Remember to make any HUE Lights work, you will need the Hue Bridge controller.
Hey Studio Prints: I love my prints from my friends at Hey Studio. Bring hi-energy vibes to my setup.
With this setup, creating professional content from your home office can be both efficient and enjoyable. Each piece of equipment is carefully chosen to reduce friction and ensure you’re always ready to hit record.
Hit me up if you have any questions, and thank you if you decided to buy any of these products using my affiliate links, as they support my work as a creator :)
