Do you frequently take videos with your camcorder and then edit them yourself to post on YouTube?
And after editing some videos, you find yourself being somewhat skilful in editing videos now.
In case you need some additional income, you can offer your video editing services online.
It is easy to offer video editing services online through freelancer platforms and internet marketing forums.
Here are 9 tips on how you can get started in a freelance video editor career.
In this article:
Freelance video editing as a side job
It is best to do freelance video editing job as a side job when you are just starting.
In the meantime, you will want to keep your day time job where you get your primary income.
You can work as a video editor for a full time until sometime later when you have a build a steady client base and receive a stable income to replace your primary income.
Make use of your time
As a freelance video editor, you can work anywhere at any time. So try to make use of your time to finish your video editing job.
For example, when you need to stop by a restaurant to eat, you can take out your laptop and work on the project while eating at the same time.
If you need to travel to another place to see a friend, you can also bring your laptop and complete the project while staying at his house.
Invest in basic video editing equipment
It only takes basic equipment like video editor software, laptop, and a headphone to get started.
There are lots of free video editing software you can use for editing videos, including web-based and desktop based.
However, since you are providing a paid service, you should not be using a free version as they usually put a watermark or have restrictions on the features.
Instead, you should invest in a paid video editor software.
The video editor you buy must not only be equipped with basic video editing tools, but it also must give you the ability to compress a video to MP4 or other formats.
Your client will have a special request, for example, ask you to convert the final video to a specific resolution or video format so your video editor must have this feature.
Besides, you should also have a good laptop. The laptop must have enough hard disk space for you to store the client’s videos projects that need editing.
The computer should also have a fast enough processor and RAM to run the video editing software.
You may also want to invest in additional equipment like bigger monitors, mouse, and speaker if you feel it is necessary.
Prepare a freelance portfolio
You need to prepare a portfolio so that people can see your video editing work quality.
The portfolio should be uploaded to a public place like YouTube, or Twitter, where people can view it.
You can volunteer to do video editing work for free for someone with large social media following.
Then, you can ask him to give a free link to your listing page on social media to get lots of referrals.
You can post a thread on the internet marketing forum offering your services free for the first few projects.
In return, you ask them to provide feedback on your services. You can ask for their permission to post their feedback on your website.
Providing a couple of solid editing samples will help you to get new clients.
Setup a file sharing account
You should prepare a file sharing service so that your client can conveniently send you the footage that needs editing.
They can’t email the footage since email inbox has put a limit on the size of the attachment.
You can use free storage services like Google Drive, and Box.com.
Your clients may also opt to send you a hard drive that contains the footage. Just in case, you should backup your video editing work on a backup drive like an external hard drive.
Provide a fast turnaround
If you want to earn a decent income, you have to provide a quick turnaround for the client’s project.
If you are fast and deliver the project on time, you will keep getting repeated business.
You can outsource the project to another freelancer if you are not confident you can deliver the project on time.
You can outsource small tasks while you work on the more complicated tasks in the video editing assignment.
Use a timer to determine the amount of time spent on projects
You can either charge your clients by project or by hourly basis.
If you charge by the project, the cost will depend on the type of editing work you need to do to complete the project.
If you charge your client by an hourly basis, make sure you keep track of how much time you spend working on the project.
You can do this by starting the timer app every time you start working on the project.
Use project management software to manage your clients
When you have lots of clients, you will start getting an influx of assignments.
This is the time when you need to download project management software to manage them.
In the software, you can add your clients’ names and the projects that are tasked to you.
This ensures that you remember all your clients’ projects and their instructions.
The project management software also makes it easy for you to divide the work among your team.
Use invoicing software to bill your clients
You also have to decide how you will be billing your clients. Since it is business, you should be issuing an invoice to customers so that they will pay back as soon as possible.
You need to have a payment system to issue an invoice, for example, PayPal and QuickBooks.
The payment system you choose must be easy for your client to make.
In the invoice, be sure to describe the jobs clearly so that your client knows the invoice come from you. You also have to indicate the due date.
To encourage your client to make payment fast, you could give them a discount.