We completely understand. The idea of hiring a video editor may not have crossed your mind when you embarked on your creative journey.
Yet, as a content creator, you are often pulled in multiple directions. You’re required to learn a vast array of new skills, manage your business, and continuously conceive fresh, engaging ideas for your videos. This workload can become overwhelming.
The task of selecting a video editor can feel difficult as there are numerous methods to choose from, each having its advantages and disadvantages. To ease this process, we’ve broken down and elaborated on the four most significant options for you.
DIY (Do It Yourself) Video Editing
Before exploring the various ways of hiring a video editor, it’s worth considering the value of DIY editing. Most content creators commence their journey by editing their videos. This process provides a hands-on understanding of video content creation, which is excellent. However, you must also consider the hidden costs associated with this approach.
Pros
Educational Benefit
Gaining firsthand experience in editing can provide you with essential knowledge about video production processes. It can help you better communicate your requirements to a professional editor in the future.
Cost-Saving
Initially, when your channel is still growing, editing videos yourself can save you the cost of hiring a professional.
Cons
Time-Consuming
The editing process can be time-consuming, especially as you’re learning. For every hour of footage filmed, you could spend multiple hours editing, which is time you could be used to create more content or engage with your audience.
Lack of Professionalism
Without extensive training and experience in editing, the final product may lack the professional polish that can help your videos stand out in a crowded field. Because of your lack of experience, you might not be able to see the obvious mistakes in your videos. This won’t happen if you hire a professional video editor.
Cost-effectiveness
Compare your hourly rate and the cost of a professional freelance editor. You might be losing money and getting lower-quality editing. Sometimes it is better to save your time to earn more than to save doing everything yourself.
In summary, DIY video editing can be an appropriate approach when starting as a content creator. However, to scale up your operations, it’s prudent to leave the task of editing to the experts.
Hiring a Freelance Video Editor
Hiring a Freelance Video Editor
The idea of outsourcing video editing to freelancers is often the first thought for creators. Nowadays, with platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, this process has become quite convenient. However, this method does come with certain disadvantages too.
Finding a freelancer is best and most easily explained only by someone who has been and is a freelancer and cofounder of Vortex.video:
Pros
Flexible Contracts
Hiring a freelancer often involves project-based contracts, giving you the flexibility to change or terminate the agreement based on your content creation schedule.
Access to Expertise
Many freelance video editors have professional training and can bring a high level of expertise to your projects.
Flexible Contracts
Hiring a freelancer often involves project-based contracts, giving you the flexibility to change or terminate the agreement based on your content creation schedule.
Reviews ability
Ability to read reviews and view each freelancer’s past hiring history.
Choice for any budget
Ability to choose the best performer for your budget.
Simple conflict management
Option to solve a conflict situation with the support service of the platform, which in 99% of cases will be on the client’s side.
How to Handle a Conflict with a Freelancer on Upwork watch in this video:
Cons
Quality Consistency
Working with different freelancers could lead to inconsistency in your video editing style. It might confuse your audience or disrupt the continuity of your brand.
Potential Availability Issues
Freelancers usually handle multiple clients, and there could be times when they are not available as per your requirements, resulting in delayed projects.
Difficult time management
The challenge is to manage several freelancers who work for you on a part-time basis and are involved in one big project, such as an online course. Especially if they are all working in different time zones.
To summarise, I would say that freelancers can be an effective option if you plan your content well in advance. However, the efficiency decreases as the frequency of your video posts increases, leading to potential difficulties in planning.
You will have to conduct more than one interview to find the best performer and check his professional qualities that are important for you and your project. It is important to evaluate not only the cost and availability of the freelancer for the job but also other important aspects for the success of your project.
To choose the right freelancer,consider these aspects:
You need to choose a freelancer in a time zone that is convenient for you. That being said, sometimes a 7-9 hour difference can be more advantage than a disadvantage. When you are sleeping, your video editor is working and you can get a new version in the morning.Turn around time – if this is important to you and your project. Usually a good result is two days for the first version of the whole video.Extra knowledge and practical experience as a video editor in your field.A good video editor who can explain how to shoot your video to improve its quality is worth his weight in gold. If you find one, you can improve the quality of your videos without increasing the cost of editing.Ask your editor about the number of monitors and the speed of his internet. Having two monitors is 80% of the time a sign of a more efficient and professional approach.Look for people whose full-time job is video editing. Especially if you have an ongoing project.Find out if this freelancer works personally or if he has a team. If there is a team, it is best to clarify exactly who will work on your project if you decide to work with them and how many people in total there are in the team. From my own experience, I can say that if you are not a marketing agency with dozens of clients, it is most effective to have a team of up to 7 people. And having a team should be seen as a definite plus if they have a good profile and great reviews.Do NOT chase the best price. As a rule, the bonuses gained from working with a professional such as better results on your videos, saving your time, and tips that you can get for free, as well as reliability in terms of meeting deadlines override the higher rate of a professional freelancer.
To choose the right freelancer, consider theseaspects:
You need to choose a freelancer in a time zone that is convenient for you. That being said, sometimes a 7-9 hour difference can be more advantage than a disadvantage. When you are sleeping, your video editor is working and you can get a new version in the morning.
Turn around time – if this is important to you and your project. Usually a good result is two days for the first version of the whole video.
Extra knowledge and practical experience as a video editor in your field.
A good video editor who can explain how to shoot your video to improve its quality is worth his weight in gold. If you find one, you can improve the quality of your videos without increasing the cost of editing.
Ask your editor about the number of monitors and the speed of his internet. Having two monitors is 80% of the time a sign of a more efficient and professional approach.
Look for people whose full-time job is video editing. Especially if you have an ongoing project.
Find out if this freelancer works personally or if he has a team. If there is a team, it is best to clarify exactly who will work on your project if you decide to work with them and how many people in total there are in the team. From my own experience, I can say that if you are not a marketing agency with dozens of clients, it is most effective to have a team of up to 7 people. And having a team should be seen as a definite plus if they have a good profile and great reviews.
Do NOT chase the best price. As a rule, the bonuses gained from working with a professional such as better results on your videos, saving your time, and tips that you can get for free, as well as reliability in terms of meeting deadlines override the higher rate of a professional freelancer.
Hire a Full-Time Video Editor
Hire a Full-Time Video Editor
While it’s a less common choice, the idea of employing a full-time video editor has its unique benefits and challenges.
Pros
Consistency
Having a dedicated full-time editor ensures your videos maintain a consistent style and quality. The editor can get familiar with your brand, making their edits more effective and targeted.
Quick Turnaround
A full-time editor works solely on your projects, which can ensure quicker turnaround times, especially important when working with time-sensitive content.
Cons
Additional Costs:
Besides the salary, hiring a full-time employee comes with additional costs like health insurance, taxes, paid leave, and training costs.
Limited Flexibility:
Once you hire a full-time editor, you are committed to providing them with regular work. This might not be ideal if your content creation plan varies.
Lack of consistency of quality
Sometimes it’s difficult to hire a video editor who is flexible enough to produce many different types of content at the same high level. This means that when you want to change the editing style or format of your videos you run the risk of finding that your video editor just isn’t up to the task.
In summary, employing a full-time video editor could be beneficial if you produce a large volume of videos monthly. However, this approach demands substantial resources and a high level of commitment.
Outsource to a Dedicated Video Editing Company
Outsource to a Dedicated Video Editing Company
The final option is outsourcing your video editing tasks to a professional company. These companies offer a range of services and, like all options, come with certain drawbacks.
I’d say it’s a very similar situation to when you’re looking for a freelancer in UpWork and you luckily find a team of several editors, though in this case you’re looking for a team at once and enjoy all the benefits of that solution.
Pros
Professionalism and Quality:
These companies are specialized in their field and provide high-quality, professional edits. They have experienced editors who understand different styles and trends in video editing.
Clear Pricing:
Professional video editing companies often have clear pricing structures that help you budget better.
Cons
Limited Personal Touch:
While these companies are professional, there can sometimes be a lack of personal touch in the editing process. Since different editors might work on your projects, the consistency in style might be compromised. You should discuss this and ask how the company is dealing with this problem.
Potential Communication Issues:
You might face challenges in conveying your exact requirements due to the presence of middlemen (project managers or client service representatives). This is true for large companies or teams and is usually not relevant for smaller companies or those where you work with one department of 2-7 people.
Viktor Pol
For example, with Vortex.Video you get your own project manager and dedicated video editor who will work with you without handing over the project internally.
For larger projects where you need more than two video editors, one of them becomes a team leader and is responsible for final quality assurance and making sure that all videos meet your requirements and are of the same level of quality as each other.
It is your dedicated video editor or your team leader who will be on the phone with you to discuss the details of the project if necessary. You won’t have to explain anything twice.
So, in summary, for most creators, outsourcing to a professional video editing company offers an optimal balance of cost savings, efficient workflows, and high-quality editing.
It is very important to interview directly the person who will work on your project or their team leader, but not the project manager. If you have found a company like this and you like what you hear, you will be in good hands.
Conclusion
After thorough consideration for ongoing projects, the best approach is to hire a freelance video editor or a small team of video editors with a dedicated video editor or team leader.Companies like Vortex.video not only provide quality results promptly but also at an affordable price.However, don’t just take our word for it. Book a free consultancy strategy call where we can discuss your video editing needs and provide recommendations on the best approach for your project.Get a Free ConsultationBy working with such a company, you can streamline your workflow, providing you with more time and resources to relax, find inspiration, and create more content.
You can also hire us on Upwork as an individual freelancer and get all benefits that we described above.
