For many creatives, the idea of going freelance can be intimidating. But with the rise of video creation and content creators, video editors are more in-demand than ever. And there’s never been a better time to become a freelance video editor. While the freelance life has its perks compared to full-time jobs, like a more flexible schedule, it isn’t without its downsides.
There’s a lot of questions to consider if you’re thinking about making the leap to freelancing as a video editor. How will you find clients? How do you market yourself? What’s the best way to set your rates? Going freelance requires a lot of planning and research. But to help you navigate the process, we talked to Rachel Kisela, who has built a successful freelance career after working as a Lead Video Editor at MrBeast, about her best advice for anyone considering freelance editing.
How to become a freelance video editor
What to know before you commit to freelancing
If you’re considering freelance video editing, there’s a few things you should keep in mind before diving into it. At a baseline, it’s important to understand that work may not always be consistent as a freelancer. So make sure you have some savings built up that you can tuck away for slow periods.
It’s also helpful to have an idea of what kind of editing you want to do, such as social media editing, film, etc. If you can, try to talk to freelancers or editors in those spaces to get an idea of what to expect. Regardless of what kind of work you want to do, having a solid portfolio or website will be essential for landing clients. So be sure you have the means to create a portfolio and plenty of examples you can include in it to showcase your work.
Generally, anyone reading this will likely fall into one of two categories – you’re either looking to go freelance from your full-time editing job, or you’re someone who knows how to edit, but hasn’t ever had a video editing role before.
For those with full-time editing jobs
If you’re an editor thinking about leaving your full-time job to freelance, the best advice is to set up clients before you decide to quit. That way, you can get a preview of what freelancing is like while still having the security of your current job.
As Rachel puts it, “Because there’s so much flexibility in freelancing, it’s possible you could quickly get sucked into work you don’t enjoy or find meaning in, just to pay the bills. Starting off on the right foot with clients that match your values or interests will set you up for better success than quitting your full-time job and immediately scrambling for work.” Rather than jumping into the unknown, having client experience and freelance work that you like will make the transition to freelancing full-time much less stressful.
For inexperienced editors
For anyone who’s never had a traditional editing role but wants to become a freelance video editor, your own confidence and imposter syndrome can be a challenge. Rachel dealt with that herself when she was looking to get into freelance editing. For anyone feeling like they aren’t good enough to get into editing, Rachel wants to pass along the realization she had that “essentially cured [her] imposter syndrome”:
“Because editing is so time-consuming, some smaller creators aren’t necessarily looking to hire the best editor in the whole world. Some are looking to offload the time it takes to edit. If you craft an amazing cold email or job application, some creators are happy to work with someone less experienced but genuinely excited about their content and mission.”
There’s also no better way to learn and build your confidence than taking on whatever jobs you can get. Rachel got her first editing jobs through Upwork, where she took on pretty much any and every kind of editing job imaginable. “I started editing anything I could, from people’s family vacation videos to leadership coaching videos to statistical programming instructional courses. That built my confidence a lot, to know that I could find work on my own,” she explains.
One other consideration that may hold some people back is the fact that video editing is a male-domainated profession. As of 2022, women accounted for about 24% of working video editors, both in-house and freelance. But Rachel believes there’s a ton of opportunity for women to get into social media video editing today – especially since 77% of influencers, who often hire out their video editing, are women. “If you’re a great woman editor, and especially if you’d like to work on content specifically tailored towards female audiences, you’re actually coming into the industry at a great time to fill that gap!”
Advice for new freelance video editors starting out
The advice we’ll cover here is on top of what we covered in the 15 key professional skills for video editors to learn in 2024. Those skills are necessary for any video editing role, whether it’s freelance or full-time. But for freelancers, it’s especially important to focus on networking, joining groups or communities, and perfecting the art of the cold email.
Build your network
While there are tons of websites for finding video editing gigs, building your network of contacts and cold emailing creators or brands are still two tried and tested methods for landing freelance work. Websites like LinkedIn can be a great way to expand your reach and link up with other freelancers. As Rachel puts it, “If you have editing experience and a professional network in the industry, post that you’re looking for work! If you have a particular background or preference for a certain type of content, put it out there! You can’t be shy about asking for work as a freelancer.” You can also look for freelance groups on Facebook, Discord, Reddit, or other sites to help build your network as well.
Embrace cold emailing
If you don’t have a network in the industry, Rachel recommends cold emailing content creators you genuinely like and watch. Her biggest pieces of advice with cold emailing? “Don’t copy and paste emails – really be intentional about every creator you email. And FOLLOW UP, sometimes emails get genuinely lost in inboxes. Even investing a little time beyond just a cold email can make a big difference.”
When she didn’t hear back after sending two emails to a creator she found on TikTok, Rachel kept up with her content, since she genuinely liked it. Then she happened to hear the creator mention on a live stream that she wanted to post a compilation of her content on YouTube. While the creator was still live, Rachel downloaded her videos, edited it into a compilation, made a thumbnail, and emailed it to her as a gift. That got the creator’s attention – and now she’s been a client of Rachel’s for years. So if you don’t hear back on the first try, be persistent.
Highlight your uniqueness
While best practices recommend only including strictly relevant information in your portfolio or resume, there’s exceptions where related experiences, background, or education can help you stand out. Especially compared to people who only talk about their editing abilities. So if you’re applying to a job editing educational videos on biology, including your volunteer experience for a local wildlife rehabilitation center and that 100-level biology class you took in college could help you land the job.
Rachel experienced this first hand, explaining, “One of my very first clients told me that he knew he had to hire me when he saw on my resume that I had taken some statistical programming courses in college in the same language he was teaching. I learned that the time I spent studying non-editing topics actually meant I had knowledge in a lot of areas that could help me communicate information through my editing.”
Set up custom keyboard shortcuts
Once you’ve landed clients and have regular editing gigs, finding ways to work faster is crucial. For Rachel, custom keyboard shortcuts are essential for speed. “It wasn’t until I worked on an editing team at MrBeast that I really learned how to build out some custom keyboard shortcuts,” she explains. “Now, I keep my keyboard shortcuts file on Google Drive so I can add it to any machine I edit on.” If you’ve never customized your shortcuts, Rachel recommends talking to other editors and seeing what they do. “There’s always new tricks to learn and I promise it will save you way more editing time than you think.”
How to set your freelancer video editor rates
While we have an entire post on 3 secrets for setting fair video editing rates, it’s important to understand that rates are never one size fits all. Like any freelancing rates, it depends on your experience, the job, and tons of other factors. In Rachel’s experience, “My rates have grown as my skill set has grown and my replaceability has lowered. That includes how creatively taxing a project will be and how much of my knowledge from my education and/or work background I’ll be synthesizing to make the best and highest performing video possible.”
The best way to figure out what rates you should be setting is to talk with other freelancers. Rachel recommends finding a community of editors where you can discuss your rates, since those conversations will help both you and others in the community. But no matter how you set your rates, make sure they cover those un-fun freelancer expenses. “Be sure to factor in the costs of health insurance and self-employment tax when determining your freelance rates,” says Rachel.
Final thoughts
With people watching more video than ever, there’s never been a better time to become a freelance video editor. Regardless of what kind of editing you choose to do, there’s opportunities in every area. Once you have your portfolio or website set up, be sure to check out our top 12 recommended job sites for finding video editing work to start getting clients. Then, check out our client onboarding list for freelancers to learn the best process to set yourself up for success.
Once your freelance video editor career is established, getting a Storyblocks plan is a great investment. One subscription gives you unlimited downloads of over 2 million royalty free stock assets and lets you bring it all into your editor with our plugin for Premiere Pro. You’ll be able to find all the high-quality footage, music, sound effects, and other creative content you need to create amazing videos fast and keep your clients happy.
