Mario Joos@MarioJoos
YouTube Editors Salary Breakdown: Influential Factors, Payment Structures & Price Ranges
In this post, I'd like to provide some transparency on the current payment rates for YouTube editors based on the work they perform.
We'll break down the influential factors, payment structures and price ranges; however, please note that these figures do not imply that you cannot pay more or less. These are simply the rates I've observed editors receiving, and I've verified them with both creators and editors.
Context: I've worked with a lot of editors over the past few years, and each one has their own pricing system. Prices range from $30 for small edits to $20,000+ per month. Because of this experience, I wanted to add my thoughts to the ongoing discussion about how much editors should be paid.
Part 1: Influential Factors
Let's begin to talk about the different factors that can contribute to an editor's desired or deserved pay for the work they deliver.
Here are 7 factors that could increase or decrease pricing:
1. Remote vs On-site
The first determining factor in deciding an editor's compensation is whether they are required to work on-site or can work remotely.
If you allow the editor to work remotely, you can often simplify matters by benchmarking their compensation against industry standards (listed below). This is because you can easily reduce your editing costs by hiring professionals from lower-cost regions around the world.
However, if you need them to be on-site, you should consider the average wage in your area for someone in that role, even if industry rates tend to be lower.
You'll often find that in on-site cases, editor rates increase significantly since top YouTube editors are relatively scarce.
2. Revisions
Some creators don’t require any revisions, and this is perfectly fine. However, you'll often find that revisions are a crucial part of the editing workflow. For most channels, one or two revisions are very common and should be included in the pricing.
But what about editors who offer unlimited revisions?
Most of the time, this is offered because it sounds good, but in reality, both the editor and the creator realize that most creators won’t actually need more than one or two revisions at most.
That being said, I've seen rare cases where a creator would have more than 25 revisions. I’ve even been involved in some of those. These cases are uncommon, and it's either due to a very crucial content piece or major flaws in the revision process. In those rare cases, revisions can have an impact on pricing.
3. Turn-around & Footage Length
Turn-around expectations is going to have a significant impact on the pay because it doesn't just set an expectation for how much time you want the editor to spend on a project, but it also affects the pressure you put on an editor.
I've worked with creators who expect their editors to provide a 24-hour turnaround for the first version and creators who provide their editors with 1-week turnarounds.
In the shorter cases, you should often be willing to pay a premium to the editors since you are pushing them in a high-pressure work environment. Most of the time, these editors will burn out extremely fast, which is why I suggest you to not push editors too far.
There are also differences in pricing based on the amount of footage and whether you have director's notes.
Later in this post, I won't delve too deeply into the salary changes based on turnarounds when I break down pricing, as this would overly complicate the matter.
4. Experience & Demand
The reason why people often advocate for higher wages for editors is that those advocating for this change are typically established editors who can charge almost anything for their services.
However, this isn't always realistic for smaller creators. I've seen editors charging $10,000 per month for two videos, but this doesn't mean you can't pay someone $100 for a simple 10-to-20 minute edit.
Yes, I understand that I'm setting a potentially dangerous precedent here by being 'okay' with a price like $100, but I'm merely observing the industry's current practices.
Some 20-minute edits can take 4-5 hours to complete, which makes $100 a reasonable rate for many editor. However, if we also expect the editor to conduct research, put in significant effort on the music, and create visuals from scratch, then $100 can quickly seem inadequate.
So, here's what you need to know:
Currently, there's a significant shortage of experienced editors in this industry. Everyone is searching for experienced editors and willing to pay top dollar for their services.
However, there are creators who cannot afford these rates. In such cases, paying an editor what others might consider a low rate is often a reasonable compromise. And yes, you will find editors who are content working for those lower rates.
For full transparency, I've seen creators retain editors for less than $100 per edit. If the editor isn't satisfied, they can easily explore other opportunities because, yes, there's an incredible demand for their skills.
5. Exclusivity
This one isn't often talked about, but many creators expect an editor to be exclusive to them. This is where you'll often notice the biggest issues in the editor/creator debate.
If you're expecting to have someone exclusive, you're not just responsible for getting them a decent pay per video, you’re also responsible for their monthly income.
For example, $1,000 for a 2-day project can be amazing pay; however, if you're only creating 2 videos a month when the editor is exclusive, you're underpaying most editors massively.
This is why you'll often find $120,000-a-year editors. These editors are expected to be exclusive to the creator, but in return, they'll be paid for more than just their work.
And yes, this is why you'll sometimes find an established editor making more than $250,000 a year for a single client because not only did the creator want this specific editor, but there was no other way to secure this editor.
Exclusivity is a reasonable thing to expect from an editor, especially if you're training them. However, exclusivity comes with a cost.
6. Skill & Knowledge
Editors are often perceived as individuals who merely trim footage, add music underneath it, and incorporate a few fancy transitions. However, this couldn't be further from the truth.
I've had the opportunity to work together with some of the best editors in the industry; where my role was to provide feedback on their edits. And let me tell you this: even the most skilled editors occasionally overlook certain aspects. This leads me to emphasize that working with an editor who truly understands their craft is a night-and-day difference compared to one who isn't proficient in both Premiere & After Effects.
If your editor only cuts and uploads your footage, you may pay very little. However, the moment you expect them to possess knowledge or skills beyond a beginner's level, your pricing will quickly increase.
Here are six key skills and areas of expertise that can significantly impact an editor's pricing:
- Organizational skills (particularly relevant for larger teams).
- Understanding of story structure.
- Editing speed (indeed, faster quality editing comes at a higher cost).
- The ability to find appropriate music.
- Comprehension of audience retention.
- Proficiency in using tools like After Effects and Photoshop for animations.
7. Role
There are three types of editors often hired by creators, and this role title could have a drastic impact on the amount you're paying the editor. Some of these roles often come with managerial functions.
The first type of editor is a lead editor. For most creators, this is the sole editor you have on your project. However, for larger teams, this editor polishes and brings the edit together. They are typically the most skilled editor, and therefore, you'll often find that they are more expensive than any other editor.
The second type of editor is a second editor. This role is like an assistant or right hand to the lead editor. Their responsibilities often align with those of the lead editor, but they lack the same level of experience. Their pay is usually not far from that of the lead editor. I recommend keeping their pay relatively close to each other to avoid any jealousy or other team issues.
The last type of editor you'll often find is the assistant editor. This type of editor is primarily used for pre-cutting footage. This type of editor is often kept at a significantly lower rate to your lead or second editor.
Here's a piece of advice for creators: If you're looking to reduce your costs, hiring an assistant editor is often one of the easiest ways to do so, as the cost of lead editors can be expensive. Some lead editors may even charge a day rate instead of a flat fee, so it's a good idea to consider lower-cost editors to reduce your expenses.
Part 2: Payment Structures
Before we delve into the actual numbers of editors, I'd like to propose one more aspect of salary negotiations.
Most people, when they talk to editors, only think about one thing: they need to get their pricing as low as possible because they're not making enough yet to pay an editor well.
This is where I'd like to introduce five types of deals for both editors and creators, primarily applicable to long-term editors.
1. Project-based pay
This involves a flat fee per edit, with a set number of parameters such as turnaround time, revisions, etc.
2. Monthly salary
This is a flat fee per month where the editor has a guaranteed pay for a maximum of 'x' number of edits.
If you're consistently using an editor, you'll often want to switch to this model as it encourages them to stay with you due to the guaranteed income.
3. Performance bonuses or commissions
Most creators may not be aware of or apply this, but if you're struggling to find an editor within your budget, you can create some excellent models this way. Here are a few options:
- Editors get paid based on commission. This is often used for compilation channels, where the editor receives 50% of all revenue.
- Editors receive a small flat fee with a commission on top. This bonus pay could be based on channel performance or video performance. For example, you can give an editor 10% of a video's revenue for the first 6 months after upload. Alternatively, you can provide the editor with 10% of revenue for the first 6 months after upload once a certain amount of money has been earned. For instance, the editor only gets 10% of revenue after the video has already made $2,000. This is a model that I've personally applied to some editors, and it works well.
- Editors receive a bonus based on other factors, such as the number of revisions. This rewards editors for needing to do fewer revisions. It benefits both the creator and the editor, as there is less work that needs to be done. Creators need to focus on creating content, not spending countless hours editing and revising their work.
4.Intangibles
Not everything is about pay. Often, you can offer lower pay in exchange for things that may seem to have obscure value. This can include visual credits, appearance opportunities, trips, and even spending time learning from the creator. One intangible that I've seen successfully implemented in a team is arranging meetings with consultants to help the editor grow. Yes, this benefits the creator, but it also benefits the editor. The creator's product improves, and the editor's skills and value increase over time.
Part 3: Price Ranges
This is the part that most have been waiting for and what we've been leading up to. I also wanted a long build-up with context to show that it's not as easy as a simple number. However, I'm going to give some numbers that are subject to change and not limited to the range. This mainly applies on a per-edit basis.
This list is based on what I've seen in the industry.
Here's a general breakdown:
Short-form edit: $30 - $150 per edit
These are shorts between 0-3 minutes that often don't require heavy editing.
Long-form edit: $70 - $1,000 per edit (*)
These are videos around the typical 8-20 minute range.
The long-form range does requires a little bit of a breakdown:
- $70-150 for a bare edit without visual effects and limited to no music
- $100-250 for a standard edit without too many visual effects and limited music
- $200-500 for a standard edit with slightly more visual effects and attention to music
- $350-700 for a standard edit where b-roll and animation become more prominent
- $500-1,000 for a standard edit where the visualization may become rather complex
- $1,000+ for any edit that has exceptional needs that may require additional effort and skills to finish
(*) Pricing here can increase drastically based on the amount of footage. This pricing is based on videos where the video is decently scripted. For example, if you're looking at an 8-hour recording without director's notes or anything, you could easily exceed that $1,000 or even $2,000 per video mark when the quality expectations are very high.
Another disclaimer: This post isn't created to set the pricing for the industry. Just as much as you'll find editors willing to work for a lot less than what is stated here, you'll find editors who aren't willing to take less than $5,000 for an edit. There are too many factors involved to set a single price, but this post aims to create transparency based on what I've been seeing in the industry.
Lastly, All of this pricing is also subject to change, and some of the numbers may become outdated extremely fast. If it came down to me, I'd want every editor to get paid $10,000+ per month and every creator to find an editor that works for free. But that's not realistic, so let's stick with this for now.
