What does a video editor do?
A video editor's job is to go through raw footage, find the most suitable clips for your video marketing needs and put them together in engaging video ads. They help you tell your brand story and spread the word about your business.
Their job is also to enhance the visual effect of your video content. This may include creating special effects for your videos, adding transitions, or enhancing the colors in the video.
Unless you have a designated sound engineer, your freelance video editor is also responsible for the audio material in your video content. This may include mixing the audio to make it more suitable for the video's goal or creating and adding sound effects.
Editors must also keep in touch with their clients and be ready to adapt the material to their client's needs. This means creating at least one rough cut and then making further changes to it to get to the final cut.
As a business owner, you may also rely on your video editor for tips on creating video material's creative and storytelling aspects. If you're creative, this might not be necessary, but a good editor must be able to help you with this part of the job.
How will a video editor freelancer help your business?
Video advertising has become increasingly important lately. Prospects see a ton of ads every day and often ignore them. Video ads will help you stand out from the crowd, and they also allow you to tell your story in a more engaging way.
73% of marketers claim that Facebook video ads, for example, are at least somewhat effective. This proves the effectiveness of this type of ad.
Hiring an experienced video editor is a must if you want to use the maximum potential of this ad format. You might have great video ad ideas, but you need a professional to turn your ideas into reality. Video editing requires a particular set of skills, and you might not have enough time or willpower to learn them properly.
Hiring a video editing professional can make or break your video ad campaign. They can help you create high-quality videos that captivate potential users' attention and spark an interest in your business. This means you can get a better CTR and ROI, so hiring a high-class freelance editor is worth every penny.
Six skills successful video editors need to have
Freelance video editors must be well-rounded when it comes to their skill sets. However, some skills are an absolute must for a truly great editor. Let's check out what they are.
1. Creativity and a knack for storytelling
Having a creative vision and a good understanding of storytelling is an essential factor to separates an average editor from a great one. Since your editor is in charge of an important piece of your visual presentation, you want them to be able to materialize your vision.
A passion and talent for storytelling are super important if you're trying to introduce your brand to your target audience. An editor with a good feeling for visual storytelling is necessary if you want to tell your brand story quickly, efficiently, and captivatingly.
2. Technical skills
A creative vision alone is not enough to translate your vision into quality marketing content. Professional video editors must be adept at a wide variety of video editing software if they're to put their creativity to good use.
Some of the most important programs for video editing are:
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Adobe After Effects
- Avid Media Composer
- Final Cut Pro X
- Apple iMovie
3. Lots of patience
There are two main reasons why patience is a crucial character trait for a video editor. The job requires lots of dedication, attention, and many hours spent in front of the computer. This ensures that the video submitted to the client is perfectly polished and fits the client's needs.
It's also vital to have patience with the client's requests and demands. Some clients can be quite demanding, and working with them may be challenging. However, a great editor can adapt to this and strive to produce the best possible content.
4. Communication
Communication skills tie into the previous skills. Video editing is the last stage of creating a video, and the editor must communicate well with the client and everybody else involved in the project. This enables them to fully understand the idea behind the project and tie all the aspects together. It's impossible to do this without good teamwork, and good teamwork relies on good communication.
5. Problem-solving and multitasking
Similarly to most other jobs, freelance video editors must be ready for all kinds of problems and able to solve them quickly and efficiently. This requires sharp wit and the ability to analyze a problem and find a solution quickly.
Multitasking skills go hand in hand with problem-solving. An editor must often perform multiple tasks simultaneously to meet deadlines and ensure that every aspect of the job flows smoothly.
6. Experience creating the type of videos you need
It's one thing to edit music videos and it's a completely different thing to create business videos (like educational video content, training videos, or product videos, for example.). Make sure you know what you need, so you know who to hire. The skillset required to create very artistic videos is not always the same as the one required for business videos or eCommerce videos.
How to hire video editors
There are many ways to find the right freelancer for your video editing needs. Let's see where you can look for the perfect match.
Freelance websites
Freelance websites such as Upwork, Toptal, or Fiverr have no shortage of talented video editors. It's not difficult to find someone who matches your requirements regarding talent, expertise, and budget. However, one big drawback is that you must spend a lot of time browsing and interviewing people, which can get tedious.
Job boards
Job boards like LinkedIn, Google for Jobs, or Indeed are always good places to look for talent. You can always post your job posts or look for freelancers on those websites and find someone with some luck.
Similar to freelance websites, it can be challenging to find the right person in a pinch, and the process can be tedious. Another drawback is that it may be difficult to find someone if you're in an unusual niche.
Social media
Social media (and even video-specific Slack groups) can be a good way to find a freelancer. It's quite easy to create an ad with your job post and display it on Instagram, Facebook, or another platform, and hope that a freelance editor approaches you.
There are also lots of freelancers looking for potential clients on social media. Some of them might message you directly to see if you need help, or you can message them and ask if they're looking for work.
Mayple
If you need an editor and don't feel like digging through endless lists of potential freelancers, you should team up with Mayple. Mayple is the ultimate way to connect to the most suitable freelancer. We can match you with hundreds of agencies and freelancers who can take care of your video editing and motion graphics needs while you lie back and let Mayple do the heavy lifting.
Join now and get your business to the next level with a professional from Mayple!
How to write a video editing job post
Writing a video editing job post is not much different from writing most other job posts. You should be straightforward about your requirements and the kind of person you're looking for. The most important things you should mention are:
- Educational requirements
- Technical requirements
- Working hours
- Exact duties and tasks you need them to perform
- Duration of the project
- Salary range
- Previous experience you require
Phrasing your job ad strikingly or humorously is great. But you should always prioritize being direct because you don't want to waste potential freelancers' time. If you share your job post on social media and have a graphic designer on your team, you might ask them to spice up the job post with killer visuals.
Questions to ask a video editor when hiring them
Video editing is a crucial component of your marketing efforts. That's why it's important to ensure you're hiring the ideal candidate. You should carefully pick your interview questions to see if that's the case. Here are some things you should ask your freelance editor in the interview.
- What video editing experience do you have?
- What tools do you use for video editing?
- How do you stay up-to-date with the latest developments and trends in the field?
- What are the most important projects you've worked on? What was the result of those projects, and how did your editing skills contribute to them?
- How do you react if a client doesn't like your work?
- Describe a situation in which you had to overcome a technical problem. How did you deal with it, and how do you generally deal with technical issues?
- How well do you work as a part of a team? How well do you deal with communication problems?
- What is a successful project, in your opinion? How do you know a project has been completed?
- 9. Tell us about your experience in working with short deadlines? How do you deal with time management?
- What are some of the most common video editing tasks you run on a daily basis?
- What is your experience with video production for ads?
- What is the first thing you do when you receive raw video footage?
- What are some of the video projects you are most proud of?
- Can you tell us of an instance when your problem-solving skills were showcased?
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