Video and recording
What setup do I need to record good LinkedIn videos at home?
Short answer
Less than you might think. The phone or laptop you already own will do, with no studio, quiet room or external mic needed.
Face a window for light, set the camera at eye level, sit close enough that it hears you clearly, and frame vertical or square. The one thing a video can't skip is subtitles, which many viewers now rely on.
1 in 3
US adults always or often watch TV and films with subtitles on, an AP-NORC poll found in 2025
What do you actually need?
- A phone or laptop. LinkedIn's app lets you record with your phone's camera right where you write the post, so the phone you already carry is enough.
- Something to prop it on. A stack of books works as well as a tripod, as long as the lens sits at eye level and the phone stays still.
- Light from in front. Sit facing a window rather than with one behind you, so daylight falls on your face.
- Subtitles. This is the one item on the list you can't skip.
Why are subtitles the one must?
Because a large share of people watch with subtitles on. An AP-NORC poll in 2025 found one in three US adults always or often use subtitles for TV and films, and YouGov found in 2023 that 63 percent of Americans under 30 prefer them on.
Most of them can hear perfectly well. In the same AP-NORC poll, hearing problems were a reason for only 4 percent of subtitle users under 45, while 40 percent pointed to a noisy room around them.
Without subtitles, anyone watching on mute scrolls past a silent face. With them, the video works either way. LinkedIn can add captions automatically when you upload, but burned-in subtitles, which are part of the video itself, show on every device and stay with the clip wherever you post it.
Does audio quality matter?
Yes, more than most people expect. In a 2025 study in PNAS, voices made to sound tinny led listeners to rate the speaker as less intelligent, hireable and credible, even though every word was just as easy to follow. Sitting within arm's length of your phone or laptop and speaking towards it keeps its built-in microphone from sounding thin and distant.
What makes a home video look better without buying anything?
- Frame from mid chest up, with a little space above your head, and look at the lens rather than the screen.
- Record vertical or square, which fills more of a phone screen in the feed and works on other platforms too.
- Tidy what is behind you, or turn so a plain wall or a bookshelf is in shot.
- Keep it short and make one point, so a small slip doesn't matter.
None of this needs a budget. A founder explaining something they know well, lit by a window and subtitled, beats a polished studio video with nothing to say.
Follow-up questions
Is a laptop webcam good enough?
Usually, yes, especially if you sit facing a window and raise the laptop so the camera is at eye level. A phone camera is often sharper, so use the phone if you have the choice. Either is fine for LinkedIn, where what you say matters far more than resolution.
Do I need a ring light?
No. Daylight from a window in front of you does the same job for free.
A ring light can help if you record in the evening or in a dim corner, but it is an extra rather than a requirement, and it can leave an odd reflection in glasses.
Should subtitles be burned in or uploaded as a caption file?
Burned-in subtitles are the safer choice. They show on every device and stay with the clip if you post it elsewhere.
A separate caption file can be switched off and doesn't always carry over, so keep it for when you want viewers to choose.
Talk for a few minutes. Post all week.
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