How To Find Good Editors For YouTube?
I’ve hired over 15 different YouTube editors in the past six years alone, and today, I want to share with you the things I learned from that experience.
Truth is, sometimes you really need to make some mistakes before you learn how to do something the RIGHT way.
For me, this has been a frustrating, time-consuming, expensive experience that has taught me lots of good things and helped me develop a 100% winning process for hiring editors for my YouTube channels.
That said, let’s jump right into it.
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How Do You Find Good Video Editors?
Finding a good editor for your YouTube channel is a challenging task.
I know this because I’ve hired quite a few editors in the past six years. Most of the time, it was a waste of time and money.]
But then I learned something.
In fact, I was able to develop a process that is now helping me identify the best possible editors for my editing needs and style.
This is a five-step process that will change the way you hire editors and will make a huge difference in the quality edits you get for your money.
Let’s start with the first step:
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Step 1. Pick Your Favorite Platform.
For me, I like to use UpWork.
Upwork is a platform where you can create a free account using your email address, then proceed to create a job listing, after which people will apply to your listing.
There are a few reasons why I LOVE UpWork:
- It’s very easy to use, has a nice, simple UI, and it takes less than a few minutes to create a job listing and publish it on the platform.
- It has a commission of 5%, which is less than what most other platforms out there are charging for their services. If you end up paying someone $100 for editing your video, UpWork will take $5 of that.
- I like the idea of having people apply for my listing more than reaching out to tens of people saying the same thing. It’s essentially a search engine similar to Google, but designed for hiring individuals to complete specific tasks for you.
And there’s more:
- I also like that that I can filter out a lot of bad applicants who don’t have the work ethic I’m looking for just by adding specific details in the description of the job [you’ll later see what I’m referring to].
- I like that I am able to check each applicant’s profile and see a history of some of the work they have done in the past.
- And lastly, I like that there are enough active editors on the platform who apply to my job listings. I usually receive anywhere between 20 to 100+ applicants for EVERY editing listing I have created in the past.
That said, for me it is UpWork, but if you prefer Freelancer, Fiverr, or any other platform out there, it’s all good.
You will STILL get tons of VALUE from the process I’m about to share with you today.
However, if you want to use UpWork and don’t have an account, make sure to click on this link to create one before we dive into the next step on the list.
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Step 2. Decide On Your Editing Style.
Here’s how it goes.
You’ve probably watched a lot of YouTube by now.
And you probably know of a few channels whose editing style you really like.
If it’s something that a creator does very well and you want to incorporate that style of editing into your videos, that’s great.
But if you have ideas of your own, that’s even better.
If it’s a combination of those two, that’s PERFECT.
The thing is, you have to know what type of editing you’re aiming for.
This is a way to show to the applicant that you’re knowledgeable about your requirements, and any work that falls short of the quality you’re aiming for won’t be accepted.
If someone sees you have no idea what you want, they’ll hurry to get the job done and charge you $200 for a $20 job.
You DON’T want that.
The way I like to do it is like this:
- I identify a channel I really like in terms of editing.
- I add that channel’s URL to my listing’s description and mention that I want my videos to be edited the same way.
- I even go ahead and select specific cool edits from within the video that I highlight in the description and ask the applicant to look at and let me know if they can replicate them.
- I am VERY serious about the things I like and want to be included in the video. I usually mention that I don’t accept any projects that don’t use relevant sound effects, appropriate music, and b-roll clips that are longer than 5 seconds.
Anything longer than 5 seconds is bad when you’re working with b-roll.
People have short attention spans, so you need to make sure there’s something changing on the screen every 2 to 5 seconds.
So, you want to mention that in your job listing and make it a MUST.
But we’ll talk more about that once we get to the step where I give you a template that you can use to create your listing’s description.
Step 3. Create The PERFECT Job Listing.
There are a few KILLER techniques that I use when I create my job listings that help me almost ALWAYS find the perfect editor for my needs.
One of them is this:
Don’t shake hands on a deal before making it clear to the applicant that they have to show proof of their skills by re-applying to your listing with a short, 30-second to 1-minute edit using YOUR own script.
That means you want to share your script with them and let them know that the only way they get a chance to work on the project is if they are willing to edit the first 30 seconds to 1 minute of the video in advance.
This ensures that you can confirm they have the right skills and share the same vision you have for your videos in terms of editing.
And to be honest, they’re not doing you a favor.
You’re entitled to ask for that.
How else would you know if he’s the man for the job if you didn’t see him in action first?
…yes, you’ll get some no’s and maybe’s, but that’s actually good for you.
How?
Well, think about it:
If someone’s not willing to showcase their skills and prove to you that they can actually edit to the level of editing you’re paying them for, do you have something to lose in that case?
I don’t think so.
In fact, I think it is better to get some no’s, and the reason for that is that how you filter out bad applicants.
Someone who’s confident they can provide the quality of work you’re asking them to deliver, won’t be afraid to invest a couple of hours into showing you they’re a good fit for the job.
What I’m trying to say is that you’ll get tens or even hundreds of applications on your listing, and most of them won’t even read through your description.
Heck, most of them, if not all of them, will promise you that they can edit exactly the way you want them to, and this is shady because not all of them can edit in the style you’re looking for.
So you want those people filtered out.
That said, let me show you the EXACT job listing I’m using every time I’m on the market for an editor. [Remember to adapt the script based on your needs, but stay on track with the main idea of the description].
Step 4. Set An Accurate Price Rate.
This is also very important.
You need to know how much it costs to get the type of editing you’re aiming for.
Believe me, people will overcharge you if you’re not aware of the rates in the editing world.
Here are a few examples:
Video Editing Rates For Faceless Channels:
If you want to edit like MagnatesMedia, well, this is going to cost you a lot.
This guy has an entire team behind his videos, and while we don’t know exactly how much he’s paying for his videos, we know it’s going to be well above average.
His style of editing includes visuals, animations, special effects, and much more.
If that’s the type of editing you’re aiming for, you need not only an editor but also an editor who is familiar with After Effects and can create animations to bring your content to life.
If you want to edit your videos the way MagnatesMedia does, you should expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $100 per minute of voiceover.
But you really don’t have to invest that much into editing.
Another faceless channel that does a very good job at editing is n8wealth.
If you want to edit like n8wealth, expect to pay anywhere between $25 to $40 per minute of voiceover.
On the lower side of the spectrum, there’s another YouTube channel that makes tens of thousands of dollars every month without putting too much effort into editing.
And that channel is Company Man.
The power of this channel comes from its scripts. It doesn’t stand out in terms of editing but still makes a good living.
If you want to edit like Company Man, you can get away with anywhere between $12 to $20 per minute of voiceover.
Now, let’s move on to talking head videos.
Video Editing Rates For Talking Head Videos
There are quite a few creators out there who have some really cool edits.
But as a general rule, talking-head videos cost less to edit than faceless videos.
The reason?
Well, there’s not much effort put into those since you have your A-roll that you can use for 75% of the video.
You just need some cool edits like B-roll, text overlay, and other similar things from time to time to make the videos more engaging.
If you want to edit like Ali Abdaal, you should expect to pay anywhere between $10 to $20 per minute of video.
VidIQ puts more effort into their editing. They use more sound effects, B-roll footage, screenshots, and animations to bring more complex concepts to life through the power of editing.
If you want to edit like VidIQ, you should expect to pay anywhere between $20 to $30 per minute of video.
On the other side of the spectrum, Dr. Izzy Sealy or mako. don’t really put that much effort into editing. It’s mostly their face on the video accompanied by some text overlay or graphic elements from time to time.
If you want to edit this basic, you can get away with as less as $10 or even less than per minute of video.
I Tested That Script, And Here’s What I Got
So, I told you that the script in the picture below is what really worked for me.
To test things out, a couple of months ago, I created this YouTube channel where all I wanted to do was hire editors using that script and the selection process I shared with you here today and see how things turned out.
I hate to come off as an impostor, so I really wanted to go the extra mile and show you that I did try the things I shared with you today.
There’s a “Case Study” in the title of the article, so I had to live up to that.
The result?
This video:
Now, I don’t know how you feel about this, but here’s the thing.
For the price I paid, I was actually very happy with the editing of the video.
I used that same script I shared with you today.
I had 25+ editors apply to my job listing, and I narrowed my options down to 10.
I asked those 10 to put together a sample.
Three of them didn’t want to do it, but seven said, “Sure, I’ll do that.”
Out of those seven:
- Five of them were completely off-topic, with really bad editing. Nothing close to what I was aiming for, especially since I knew exactly what to expect and get back from what I was willing to pay. So those were a no-go once I got the sample back.
- Two of them were really good, but I went with John, the editor who edited the video above. I’m still working with John to this day, and we’re making a great team.
I ended up paying $205 for the Angry Birds video. That’s a $23 rate per minute of voiceover.
But how does all that help you?
Well, there are a few things I want you to learn from my experience:
- Regardless of how detailed your job listing is, there are always going to be people who apply that don’t have the skills to deliver the style of editing you’re asking for.
- NEVER shake hands on a deal with someone before you get a sample of their work made for you only on your own script.
There’s much more to learn from this experience, but basically, that’s it.
If there’s one thing to take away from this article, it should be that job listing description script. Make sure to download that image or bookmark this page and ALWAYS use it when you’re on the market for a video editor.
I spent a lot of time experimenting with different descriptions to make sure I attract the right applicants, and that script worked wonders for me.
If you have any questions, leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you in a minute.
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