7 days ago
For content creators, mics are as important as the stories they tell
In just two years, Nipun Jain has gone from no mic to spending ₹20,000 on one. The investment was for Arey Pata Hai, an infotainment channel she runs with her partner Mohit Mamoria, that has over 8.5 lakh YouTube subscribers and 2,19,000 on Instagram. When they started, her phone's built-in mic worked fine for their selfie-style videos. But as their frames widened and shoots moved outdoors, 'we realised how badly the background sound interfered with our audio," says 28-year-old Jain from Gurugram. A ₹800 Boya mic was their first upgrade. Then came rentals for multi-speaker shoots. Now they have a DJI Mini setup for studio shoots as well as outdoors, which cost them ₹20,000.
'Initially, it was all about making content backed with research and visually great," Jain recalls. When this didn't work, they started reflecting and realised that when you're casually scrolling like a viewer, you value audio quality over video quality. 'If you have to make your viewer press that volume button, that means you are asking them to do one more step before they watch your content. That is a funnel right there. The audio needs to be just enough for me to keep scrolling," she notes. Instead of complaining about audio issues, Jain says people ask them about their audio equipment in the comments section now.
If ring lights were the symbol of the creator economy's rise during the pandemic, microphones are the motif of its maturity. What was once a scrappy, phone-shot hustle is now evolving into a serious, production-first business. The growing use of professional mic equipment—especially on platforms like Instagram, where polished audio was rare not too long ago—marks the creator economy's shift from quick content to quality content.
Microphones have picked up as a strong segment among the content creators, says Sujith S Agashe, VP- electronics at Flipkart. 'Creator-focused mics have seen 1.3X times growth in sales compared to last year," he adds. 'In this vertical, some of the fastest-growing brands include DJI, Digitek, Hollyland, and Sony."
Over the last three years, entry-level wireless microphone systems from brands like Rode and Hollyland have moved from niche to mainstream, says Abhimanyu Thakur, 27-year-old tech content creator from Moradabad in UP. While most popular mic brands are from China, local brands like Digitek have gained prominence in the market and can be seen promoting themselves actively by collaborating with Indian celebrities and content creators.
'I see a stronger preference for compact, portable, and smartphone-friendly mics as mobile content creation soars," says Thakur, who started his mic journey with Boya By-M1 and has since upgraded to a wireless system with DJI MIC 2.
He finds himself dispelling the most common myths around microphones among fellow content creators: 'Expensive doesn't always mean better, budget mics can sound great with the right setup and AI tools. And there's no perfect mic; the best one depends on your content, environment, and budget," says Thakur.
A mic can reveal where they are in their journey. 'Built-in mics usually mean they're just starting," says Viraj Sheth, 29, co-founder & CEO, Monk Entertainment, an influencer marketing and talent management company in Mumbai. 'Lapel mics are common with mid-level creators focused on clarity. USB or condenser mics show they're getting serious, especially in podcast or commentary formats. Shotgun or boom mics usually signal high-end creators with a production mindset."
Once a creator reaches around 50,000 to 75,000 followers and sees consistent engagement (say 5%-7%), it is worth investing in professional audio gear, says Sheth. 'If your audience is sticking around for your voice, clarity matters."
In today's creator economy, though, microphones have become more than just tools for capturing clean audio—they're now used to make a statement and reinforce a creator's brand. Mitushi Pandey, a 28-year-old creative strategist and content creator from Gurugram, treats her mic as a storytelling device. 'Sometimes I clip it onto a crocheted daisy or a sunflower, sometimes even on my lip gloss. It's part of the video's aesthetic now," she says. Known for her warm, wholesome content, Pandey speaks directly into her mic and likes to hold it in her hand so she doesn't have to worry about what to do with her hands while talking. 'I did a lot of research before buying one three years ago. I had my eye on a Digitek but ended up going with a Grenaro that fit my under- ₹2,000 budget," she adds.
Jain, too, has noticed how creators are getting increasingly inventive with their mic placements, turning them into subtle extensions of their storytelling. 'Suhana Nanda, for instance, reviewed a cricketer's restaurant with her mic clipped onto a bat. Shreya Punj talked about writing and books while pinning hers onto a giant pencil," she recalls. Inspired by them, Jain herself once attached a mic to her niece's toy crab for an explainer on how the word 'cancer" comes from the Latin word for a crab.
For some, the mic has also become a clever billboard. Manish Chowdhary, co-founder of WOW Skin Science, uses product mock-ups as mic mounts in his Instagram podcast videos—many of which clock nearly a million views. 'I came up with the idea, though the team was hesitant at first," he says. But the steady stream of comments proved it had legs. The mic now doubles as free advertising, especially for new launches. 'As a founder speaking to Gen Z, every detail is storytelling," Chowdhary, 45, adds. 'Today's audience wants authenticity and context. Using our actual product packs as mic stands was our way of turning packaging into conversation."
For centuries, the pen has shaped thought in the analogue world. Now, in the digital realm, the mic seals the scroll.
Mic testing
Entry-level creators: Wired lavalier microphones
Mid-level creators: Lapel mics, USB condenser mics
High-end creators: Shotgun mics, boom mics, premium wireless microphone system
Popular microphone brands among creators:
Boya, Rode, DJI, Hollyland, Movo, Digitek, Grenaro
Source: Tech content creators, creator managers
