By Sauce Media · Guides to hiring an editor
Write the job before you look for names
Use the list below to explain a normal month of work. Say what you will send and what the editor must decide. Finding a story in hours of video takes different work from cutting shots you have already picked. Share a budget or price range too. That helps both sides check the fit before a long call.
- Channel: who watches, what you make, and links to your usual videos.
- Files: raw video length, sound, scripts, images, and how the files are sorted.
- Final work: video length, videos per month, captions, graphics, thumbnails, and clips.
- Choices: what the editor can decide and when they must ask you.
- Terms: budget, due dates, changes, contact method, and final files.
Find good work and ask who made it
Ask channels you trust for names. You can also look in creator job lists or speak with an editing team. Look for skill with your kind of video. They do not have to cover your exact topic. Someone who edits talks may know how to shape a long chat. Someone who edits essays may know how to make a point clear.
Watch a full video, including the middle. Ask what the person edited and what they were given. Look for a clear start, smooth shifts between ideas, good sound, and correct captions. Note one part that makes you think they could fit your channel. Check that the person you could hire did that work.
Run a small test on your usual footage
Choose a normal recording, not your easiest or hardest one. Give each person the same brief, style examples, and due date. A brief is a set of notes about what to make. Keep the test small enough to respect their time. Agree on the fee and how you may use the edit before they start.
Mark each check below as “ready,” “needs help,” or “does not fit.” Add a time from the draft that shows why. This is a guide for your choice, not a proven scoring system. Decide what matters most before you watch the tests. Do not ask for a whole free video as a job tryout.
- Story: is the main idea clear, and does the order make sense?
- Voice: does the edit keep your meaning, jokes, and tone?
- Skill: are the sound, framing, captions, and graphics clear?
- Choices: can the editor explain a cut or flag a missing detail?
- Teamwork: did they ask useful questions and use your notes?
Ask about the choices in the test
Ask why they kept one part or cut another. Ask which note was unclear and what else they needed from you. You do not need to agree on every small choice. You do need a way to talk through changes. If you must explain every frame, the work may not fit the help you need.
Ask when they can start, how much other work they have, and how they handle changes. Find out how they warn you about a late draft. If you need to change the edit yourself later, agree on the software and project files. Also check who owns or can use any music and images.
Choose the working fit you need
One editor may suit a clear format where you give notes directly. A managed team may help when there are several types of work to plan each month. Check both the edit and the way you will work together. Make sure you know who owns the next step.
Each Sauce plan has a dedicated editor who learns your style. You also get storage and a board to track the work. Creators who qualify can ask for one free sample edit. No payment is needed, and it does not start a paid plan. Agree on what the sample covers before sending files. Use the same checks with us as with anyone else.
Score the same sample, not different portfolios
Give shortlisted editors the same representative footage and brief. Agree on whether the sample is paid, its length and how it can be used. Compare the finished work against the same criteria so you are not choosing based only on whoever had the most impressive previous client.
Use a five-point scale for story clarity, audio, visual judgement, instruction-following and communication. Write one concrete observation for each score. A candidate who handles feedback well may be a better recurring partner than someone whose first cut looks polished but ignores the brief.
- Ask how the editor stores files and handles project handover.
- Confirm capacity for your real publishing schedule.
- Ask who owns project files and any licensed assets when the relationship ends.