You don’t need to drop big money on a fancy mic to sound professional. A simple, cheap clip-on mic can instantly improve your audio for calls, content creation, and more. It's one of the easiest upgrades you’ll ever make

1 Superior Sound Quality
Both smartphones and action cams have limitations regarding the sound quality of their built-in microphones. If you want to capture nuances and clear speech, an external microphone makes a significant improvement. Even my off-brand, $40 wireless lapel mics produce clear results while filtering out pops and sibilant sounds.

Notably, a lapel microphone is directional and picks up sound from wherever it is pointed, making it less likely to record ambient noise while isolating the target sound source. Mine work well in noisy environments like busy bars or traffic by absorbing some background ambiance while maintaining vocal clarity.

Lapel mics are not a good solution if you want to record ambient noises; an omnidirectional mic would be better suited.

3 Hands-Free Operation
Handheld cameras are limited when delivering dialog to the camera, especially when you’re operating alone. With a wireless lapel mic, you can place your phone or video camera on a tripod or in a fixed position and stand naturally, with your hands free to gesture or demonstrate. This improves your body language and the visual impact of your delivery.

A lapel mic’s hands-free operation also eliminates unwanted handling noise from handheld microphones and the clumsiness of selfie-style shots. If necessary, you may stand several meters away from the receiver while speaking, allowing for more versatility in your background and foreground framing and wider shots.

2 Improved Flexibility
Wireless lapel microphones require a little time to set up and check sound levels, making them unsuitable for reaction shots and spontaneous recording. However, they are ideal for any creative content, such as YouTube and social media videos, and are helpful in several other situations.

Poor vocal clarity can make you sound unprofessional and become fatiguing to an audience over time. Lapel mics are, therefore, perfect for use with computers and tablets while live streaming or giving work presentations, especially when you want to eliminate background noise, such as fans, air conditioners, or chatter from office staff.

I didn't buy my microphone online; nevertheless, you can find plenty of cheap clip-on mics on Amazon.

1 Discreet Mic Placement
Handheld microphones can look clumsy or overly professional, especially when producing fun content and candid clips. By comparison, a clip-on lapel mic is unobtrusive. Some brands, like DJI, use magnetic attachments that are even more versatile in their placement. I sometimes use mine as a transmitter with a tiny Purple Panda lavalier mic extension for an even more discreet look.

While modern desktop video trends tend toward large XLR condenser mics and unwieldy angle-poise mic stands, these are often overkill, especially when a compact USB microphone will usually suffice. A set of wireless earphones, such as AirPods, work well enough. However, these stand out on the side of the face. A lapel mic, on the other hand, affords practicality and freedom of movement and does not distract the eye, unlike most other types of microphones.

Of course, wireless clip-on microphones are not always ideal or necessary. Still, if you enjoy capturing videos on mobile devices and/or action cams, they are a good item to have in your arsenal. With improved sound quality, additional background music or ambient sounds become more effective, and your videos will be more appealing across the audiovisual experience.