Your YouTube starter stack
Long videos build the deepest trust, and the best ones keep finding viewers for years.
Choose one format you can repeat, publish every week for three months, then look at the numbers.
The tools, in the order to set them up
- 1
Record
Riverside
Studio quality recording for interviews and solo videos, right in the browser.
Free plan; Pro $29/mo ($24 annual), Grow $39/mo ($34 annual). Checked Nov 2026.
- 2
Edit
Descript
Edit video by editing the transcript. Cut filler words in a click.
Free plan; Hobbyist $24/mo ($16 annual), Creator $35/mo ($24 annual). Checked Nov 2026.
- 3
Ideas and SEO
vidIQ
Keyword research and video ideas built around YouTube search.
Free plan; Boost $19/mo or $199/yr, MAX $49/mo or $468/yr (US list prices). Checked Nov 2026.
- 4
Shorts from long videos
OpusClip
Turn each long video into vertical clips for Shorts, Reels and TikTok.
Free plan; Starter $15/mo, Pro $29/mo. Checked Nov 2026.
- 5
Thumbnails
Canva
Design thumbnails and channel art from templates.
Free plan; Pro and Business plans with a free trial (price shown at checkout in your currency). Checked Nov 2026.
Prices come from each vendor's official page, checked Nov 2026. Some links are affiliate links and we may earn a commission at no cost to you. How that works
Next step
One Idea, Six Channels
A plain English course for building a personal brand across your newsletter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and your own website, without posting everywhere every day.
- 34 short lessons in 8 modules
- 6 worksheets and templates
- A 30 day posting plan
Other channels