The gig economy and the increased need for social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic have left more people than ever before looking for ways to make money online. There are thousands of different options out there, and some of them are better than others.
We’ve found that one of the best ways to make money online is to learn to become a video editor. Part of that is because you can make videos of your own to make money on YouTube, while using them as portfolio pieces to take on further paid editing work.
The good news is that if you’ve been looking for new ways to make money online, and you have an interest in video creation, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know. Let’s get started.
SOURCE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olive_video_editor_Alpha_0.1.0_2019-10_1e3cf533-fr.png
What a Video Editor Does
If you want to learn how to edit videos for YouTube, you first need to understand what a video editor does. Generally speaking, the role of a video editor is to take the raw footage that they’re provided with and edit it together to create a coherent video.
Many creators who make money from video blogging hire an editor to help them out. In other words, the creator is responsible for coming up with video ideas and filming them, and then they hand it over to an editor who takes their footage and gets it ready to upload to YouTube.
Skills a Video Editor Needs
It goes without saying that if you’re learning how to become a video editor, one of the most important things to look at is the skills you’re going to need to get the job done. Easily the top skill is the ability to use video editing software in the first place, but that’s not all.
You’ll also need to be good at coming up with ideas for videos, as well as understanding the ways that videos can be used to tell a story. Your goal as an editor is to take the raw footage and elevate it to something bigger and better – and to get paid for doing it.
How to Get Training and Experience as a Video Editor
Perhaps the easiest way to get training and experience as a video editor is to start making videos of your own. The downside is that this could require you to get in front of the camera yourself, although there are ways around that.
Remember that just because you’re not editing for other people, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make money. There are plenty of different ways to make money editing videos, and if you can tap into one or two of them while you’re still training, you can make your career more sustainable in the long run.
How Much a Video Editor Makes
The most common question we come across when talking about this is, “How much do video editors make?” Unfortunately, we’re going to have to disappoint you because different editors earn different amounts, just as different writers or different photographers charge different rates. You can expect to be paid anywhere between $10 to $100 hours per hour, and potentially even more if you find a niche and specialize in it.
SOURCE: https://www.pexels.com/photo/desk-editing-indoor-night-77711/
How to Make Money Editing Videos
1. Choose Video Editing Software
There’s no shortage of video editing software out there, from free to paid options. If you’re looking for a video editor for Mac, we’d recommend Movavi or the native iMovie. For Windows users, we suggest Shotcut or Adobe Premiere Pro. All of them are powerful editing programs with lots of features that can work for different levels of experience.
The key is to find one or two applications that work for you, and to get to know them like the back of your hand. You can then try additional software if you need functionality that your regular software doesn’t offer.
2. Create an Impressive Portfolio of Work
Now that you know which video editing software you’re going to use, you’re ready to start. If you want to find work as a video editor, it’s important to note that you’ll need a portfolio that shows the kind of thing that you can create.
The types of videos that you make are up to you, and the bigger question is where you’re going to post them. If you have the skills to do so, it can be a good idea to create a website. Otherwise, use sites like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels to showcase what you can do.
3. Find Your Clients
Now that you’ve built a portfolio, you’re ready to go out and start finding clients. There are plenty of different sites out there that you can choose from, with Fiverr doing a pretty good job for those who are just starting. Later on, you may want to move to Upwork, where you can generally charge a higher rate for the work you do.
Don’t underestimate the value of tapping into your social networks. Many freelancers get their start because someone they know is impressed by their skills and is willing to take a chance on them.
SOURCE: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/102475
4. Do a Good Job
It should go without saying, but once you get your first jobs, you need to make sure that you excel at them. Good enough isn’t good enough – you need to go out of your way to do the best you possibly can.
There are a few good reasons for this. If you under-promise and over-deliver, you’ll find that people are more likely to pay you to edit future videos, and the work you do will look great in your portfolio. There’s also the next point to consider.
5. Get Referrals
When you want to make money in the gig economy, the single best thing that you can do is to win referrals from your existing clients. If you do a great job, and they’re shouting from the rooftops about how you were able to help them, it’s going to bring more work your way.
Most content creators are in touch with one another, and there’s a community of sorts around video makers in particular. If you do a good job for one creator, word will travel, especially if you’re so good at what you do that your clients get comments like, “Great video! Who’s your editor?”
SOURCE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shotcut_Video_Editor_Screenshot.jpg
6. Follow up with Previous Clients
Most of your clients are going to be busy people with a lot on their plate, so it’s easy for things to slip their minds or for a project to be put on hold because they’re focusing their energy somewhere else.
If you want to keep on making money, then you need to follow up with your previous clients to see whether they have anything new for you to work on. It’s way easier to get more work out of an existing client than it is to go out and find a new one.
7. Find a Niche
Niches allow us to showcase our expertise and position ourselves as the go-to people when a job needs doing. For example, if you’re known for being the best editor for horror YouTubers or if you make the best animations that money can buy, you’ll have people beating down your door to work with you. Better still, you can charge them more for the privilege.
8. Get Paid
Let’s be honest, you’re here to make money and so you’re probably not going to forget this step. Still, it’s important to make sure that you follow up with the people that you work for and that you invoice them on time.
You’ll also want to keep an eye on whether you’re making any profit. Income is great, but if you’re spending more money than you’re making due to software licenses and stock footage, you’re not going to stay in business for long.
SOURCE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KEXP_studio_03_-_video_editing_room.jpg
Conclusion
Now that you know our top tips for making money by editing videos, it’s over to you to put what you’ve learned today into practice.
If you haven’t already, the best way to get started is to get to know the different software that’s out there and to start creating videos. That will help you to build a portfolio that you can share with potential clients to pick up some work.
As always, we’d love to hear what you think, so be sure to let us know in the comments how you get on so that we can keep the discussion going. We’ll see you soon for another article.
