Quick Answer: A GRWM (“Get Ready With Me”) video films you doing your routine while talking to camera. The format works because the story carries it, not the makeup. Set up a phone at chest height in soft front light, film your routine in short clips, open with a hook naming the occasion in the first two seconds, and cut it to 30–60 seconds for TikTok or Reels. Good audio matters more than good lighting.
The first get ready with me video I filmed took two hours and produced eleven seconds I was willing to post. I had the ceiling light on, my phone propped against a cereal box, and I said “um” forty times because I had not decided what I was actually talking about.
The format looks effortless when it is done well, which is exactly why it is harder than it looks. What is really happening is a person telling you a story with their hands busy. The makeup is the excuse. The story is the content.
Here is how to make a get ready with me video people actually watch through: the setup, the filming, the structure that holds attention, and 25 ideas for when you cannot think of an occasion.
What is a GRWM video?
GRWM stands for “Get Ready With Me.” It is a video where you film yourself doing your routine, whether that is skincare, makeup, hair or outfit, while talking to camera about something. Part vlog, part tutorial, part before-and-after.
The get ready with me format is one of the most durable on TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts, and it has survived several full cycles of platform trends. The reason is structural. It has built-in narrative tension. Viewers stay because they want to see the finished look, which buys you sixty seconds to tell them something interesting.
That is the whole mechanic. Understand it and everything else is execution.
Your setup (you need less than you think)
The absolute minimum
A phone, a window, and something to prop the phone against. That is a publishable get ready with me video. Do not let gear be the reason you have not started.
The upgrades that actually matter, in order
1. A tripod with a phone mount, the single best purchase Not for image quality, but for consistency. Propping your phone against things means every video is framed differently and half of them fall over mid-take. Get one that extends to about your seated eye level. Check on Amazon (Phone tripod)
2. Front lighting The most common mistake in get ready with me videos is overhead lighting, which throws shadows under your eyes and nose and makes your makeup application impossible to see.
Face a window. A window in front of you at midday beats most equipment. When there is no daylight, a ring light or a small LED panel positioned in front of you, slightly above eye level does the same job. Check on amazon (Ring light with stand)
A ring light gives you that distinctive circular catchlight in the eyes. An LED panel with a diffuser looks softer and more natural. Neither is wrong, so pick the look you want. Check on Amazon (LED panel light)
3. Audio, more important than lighting This is the one people skip and the one viewers actually notice. Bad lighting reads as casual. Bad audio makes people scroll.
If you are more than about three feet from your phone, its microphone is picking up your room more than your voice. A cheap lavalier clip-on or a small wireless mic fixes it completely. Check on Amazon (Wireless lavalier mic).
4. Your background It does not need styling. It needs to not distract. Clear the counter. Check what is visible in frame behind you. A plain wall beats a cluttered vanity, and viewers notice laundry.
Camera settings
- Vertical (9:16) for TikTok, Reels, Shorts
- Back camera if you can manage it, because it is noticeably better quality than the front camera. Frame it, hit record, and work from memory
- Chest height, angled slightly down, the most flattering standard angle
- Clean the lens. It is a foundation-covered phone.
How to film a get ready with me video
Film in clips, not one long take
This is the practical thing that changes everything. Record each step as its own short clip: skincare, base, eyes, blush, lips, final look. Ten separate clips.
Why it matters: if you fumble the eyeliner section, you re-shoot twenty seconds instead of eleven minutes. Editing is dramatically faster because your cuts are already made. And you can rearrange the order in the edit if the story flows better a different way.
Talk the whole time
The single biggest difference between a get ready with me video that performs and one that does not is that the creator is saying something.
Options that work:
- A story with a beginning and an end, which is the best option every time
- An opinion people will want to argue with
- Advice or a lesson learned
- Answering a question from your comments
- Real product commentary, meaning what you like and what disappointed you
Options that do not:
- Narrating what you are doing (“now I’m applying concealer”), because viewers can see that
- Silence with trending audio over it, unless the look itself is spectacular
Decide before you press record
Two minutes of thinking beats two hours of re-shooting. Before you start:
- What am I getting ready for? Be specific. “My ex’s wedding,” not “an event.”
- What am I talking about? One topic, one story.
- What’s my first line?
That is it. Do not script the whole thing, because scripted GRWMs sound scripted and the format lives on feeling unrehearsed.
The structure that keeps people watching
| Section | Time (60s video) | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Hook | 0–2s | Name the occasion + the story tease |
| Setup | 2–10s | Skincare/base starts, you get into the story |
| Body | 10–45s | The routine and the story run in parallel |
| Payoff | 45–55s | Story resolves, final look revealed |
| CTA | 55–60s | One question to the comments |
The hook is everything
You have about two seconds. The retention curve on short-form video is brutal, and almost all your loss happens at the start.
Weak: “Hey guys, welcome back, get ready with me for tonight!” Strong: “Getting ready for dinner with the friend who ghosted me for a year.”
The strong version names the occasion and opens a loop the viewer wants closed. Combine both and people stay.
End with a real question
“Let me know what you think” gets nothing. “Would you have gone?” gets a comment section. Comments drive reach on every platform far more than likes do.
25 get ready with me ideas when you’re stuck
Occasions
- First date · 2. Job interview · 3. Wedding guest · 4. Ex’s event · 5. Family holiday dinner · 6. Concert or festival · 7. First day at a new job · 8. Meeting the parents
Everyday 9. 5-minute rushing-out-the-door version · 10. Work from home vs office · 11. Errands with no makeup · 12. Sunday reset · 13. Night shift · 14. Gym-to-dinner
Themed 15. Using only drugstore products · 16. Using only products under $10 · 17. One-brand look · 18. Recreating a look from a film · 19. Doing my makeup in a moving car (parked, please) · 20. Using my sister’s or partner’s makeup
Story-led 21. Telling a story from my twenties · 22. Answering the question I get most in comments · 23. Reviewing products that disappointed me · 24. What I’d tell my 18-year-old self · 25. Getting ready while explaining a decision I regret
The story-led ones consistently outperform the technique-led ones. That is the format’s real lesson.
Editing, in about ten minutes
Apps: CapCut (free, most creators use it), InShot, or your phone’s native editor. You do not need desktop software.
A practical checklist:
- Cut every pause. Ruthlessly. Aim for zero dead air.
- Speed up the boring parts. Blending, waiting, anything repetitive at 2–4x.
- Captions, always. A large share of viewers watch on mute. CapCut auto-captions, then fix the errors, because auto-captions mangle brand names constantly.
- Music low. Under your voice, not competing with it. Use whatever is trending on the platform for reach.
- Show the final look twice, once at the reveal and once at the very end. The second one catches people who rewatch.
- Keep it 30–60 seconds for TikTok and Reels. YouTube tolerates longer.
Posting: the part that decides whether anyone sees it
Your cover frame matters more than your caption. Pick the finished look, not the bare-faced opening. It is the thumbnail in every grid and feed.
Write the caption as a second hook, not a summary. Ask something, or add the detail you did not have time to say.
Hashtags: a handful of relevant ones beats thirty generic ones. #grwm #getreadywithme plus something specific to your actual content.
Post consistently rather than perfectly. The get ready with me format rewards volume. The creators who win are posting several a week, not one immaculate video a month.
Reply to comments in the first hour. It is the highest-leverage thing you can do for reach on any platform, and it costs nothing.
Disclose sponsored and gifted products: this is a legal requirement
Skipping this is a real risk and most get ready with me guides do not mention it at all.
If a brand paid you, gifted you a product, or gave you an affiliate commission, US law requires you to disclose it. The FTC’s Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers is the plain-English guide, and their endorsement guides FAQ covers the edge cases.
The rules that catch people out:
- “Clear and conspicuous” means in the video. The FTC says the disclosure belongs in the video itself, not just the uploaded description, and that both audio and on-screen text is best, since some viewers watch on mute and others miss superimposed words. A hashtag at the end of a caption is not sufficient.
- Gifted counts. You do not have to be paid. Free or discounted product is a material connection, and the FTC is explicit that you disclose even if the brand never asked you to mention that particular product.
- Affiliate links count.
- Say it properly. “Advertisement,” “ad,” and “sponsored” all work. So does a plain sentence like “thanks to Acme for the free product,” as long as it is placed where nobody can miss it. What the FTC warns against is vague shorthand: “sp,” “spon,” “collab,” or a stand-alone “thanks” or “ambassador.”
- Don’t bury it in hashtags. The FTC specifically says not to mix your disclosure into a block of hashtags or links.
- Platform toggles are not enough on their own. Use them in addition to your own disclosure, not instead of it.
- This applies if you post from outside the US. US law reaches your post when it is reasonably foreseeable that it will affect US consumers, and your own country’s rules may apply on top.
One more thing worth knowing: the FTC also says you cannot review a product you have not actually tried, and being paid does not let you call something terrific when you thought it was terrible.
Say it in the first few seconds. It takes two words and it protects you.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a get ready with me video be?
30–60 seconds for TikTok and Instagram Reels. YouTube tolerates 5–15 minutes for long-form versions. Short-form retention drops sharply after about a minute unless the story is compelling.
What equipment do I need for a get ready with me video?
A phone and a window is enough to start. The upgrades that make the most difference, in order: a tripod, a front-facing light, and a clip-on microphone. Audio matters more than lighting.
How do I make my GRWM video interesting?
Talk about something other than the makeup. The routine is the visual, the story is the content. Open with a specific occasion, tell one story with a beginning and an end, and finish with a question.
Do I need to say if a product was gifted?
Yes. The FTC requires disclosure of any material connection, including gifted products and affiliate links, and it must be clear and conspicuous within the video itself rather than hidden in a caption.
Can I make GRWM videos without showing my face?
Yes, though it is harder. Hands-only versions focused on product application work, and outfit-focused videos can crop above the shoulders. You lose some of the connection that makes the format work.
The bottom line
Set the phone at chest height, put the light in front of you, decide what you are talking about before you press record, and film in short clips.
Then post it. The get ready with me video you are slightly embarrassed by and actually publish will teach you more than the one you keep re-shooting.
Related: the routine I film most often is my 5-minute everyday makeup routine, six products, and it fits a 60-second video without cutting anything important.
Hi, I’m Marwa ✅
I test skincare, haircare, and makeup on real skin and a real budget, and writes the honest reviews to prove it.
