An experienced video editor will charge anywhere from $30 to $150 per hour depending on the complexity of the editing project. Let’s take a look at a number of factors that affect pricing!

Maturally, if you’re a beginner in the YouTube editing space, your hourly rate will be MUCH lower than that. So, how do you figure out how much your work is worth? 

Let’s see…

How Much Do YouTube Video Editors Make?

To be honest, it depends. Not the best answer, I know…

According to Ziprecruiter, the average hourly rate of a YouTube video editor is $23 per hour. That makes the average salary roughly $43 000 per year in 2021. 

Source: ziprecruiter

The thing is, we live in the gig economy where independent contractors get to choose what their time is worth. (If you haven’t read The Gig Economy by Diane Mulcahy yet, I highly recommend it.)

Professional video editors who took the freelance route have the freedom to decide their own rates depending on project complexity and their level of expertise. 

On top of that, a more experienced videographer is likely to put the price on the value of the finished product rather than on their time.

With that in mind, it’s difficult to put an exact price on an hour of video editing.

At the end of the day, the hourly rate depends on the skills and years of experience you have as a YouTube video editing professional. It also depends on the quality of content you’re able to produce and the type of video editing software you’re using. 

Would you pay the same rate for a freelance video editor who uses Adobe Premiere Pro (or Final Cut Pro) and one who uses the Windows Movie Maker? 

Probably not. 

If you want to increase your rate from the average $30 per hour to well above $100 per hour, you’ll need to step up the quality of your work.

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How Much do Beginner YouTube Video Editor Make

The answer is between $15 and $30 per hour.

Some even accept rates lower than that, which is NOT GOOD but, if it works for them, we can’t blame them. 

If you’re absolutely new to freelance video editing, don’t expect to start making big bucks right off the bat. It’s going to take some time to build rapport and develop your skills well enough to be confident about raising your rates.

However, that shouldn’t discourage you! Quite the opposite.

Look at this as a game with multiple levels—the more work you put into it, the faster you level up.

Take a look at what pops up when you search Upwork for a YouTube video editor:

The freelancer on the left side has a five star rating but charges only $20 per hour. The video editor on the right side, however, charges $100 per hour, even though they have a slightly lower rating. The secret is in the number of video editing projects they completed.

The more projects you’ve got behind you, the higher hourly rate you can charge (at least that’s the case on freelancing sites such as Upwork, Fiverr, or People Per Hour). 

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Advice for YouTube Video Editors Bidding for Work

If you’re looking for ways to increase your hourly rate yet still maintain a consistent amount of work, here are some tips to keep in mind. 

Elevate your skills to be able to elevate your standard.

Whether this means watching hours of video editing tutorials or turning into a full time video editing geek, do whatever it takes to elevate the quality of content you produce. 

Showcase your best video material in a professional portfolio.

Put together a professional portfolio to show off some of your best work during job interviews. Get creative and build a portfolio website or make a video compiling your most impressive work samples.

Learn everything you can about video marketing.

If you want to charge top-notch hourly rates, your skill set should include way more than just your ability to edit YouTube videos and vlogs. Expand your skills to include video marketing, voice over recording, and specialized visual effects, transitions, and video animations.

Treat your video editing work as a small business.

As a freelancer, you’re the owner of your own small business where you play all the relevant roles. Treat your work as a business and spend some time learning how to market your services at the right price. Don’t forget to use social media or even your own YouTube channel to get your work seen. 

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High Price Doesn’t Always Mean High Quality

I wanted to wrap this up with one important lesson.

Just because something costs more money, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s higher quality.

This might seem like a contradiction to everything I’ve said above but hear me out…

This video by Faze Rug perfectly illustrates my point. A video editor who charges an average rate can easily beat the more expensive video editor if his editing style is more suitable for the job. 

In other words, it’s all a matter of perception. Let that be your motivation on your way to getting paid the top rates for video editing!

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