By Sauce Media · Guides to hiring an editor
Share how you make choices
Start with one kind of video you make often. If each video is new to you, write down how you choose its shape. Share a finished video you like. Add notes on the start, pace, jokes, music, and end. You can also share a style you want to avoid. Explain why it does not fit.
Tell the editor which choices they can make on their own. They may be free to cut a take you gave up on. They may need to ask before cutting part of a sensitive answer. Clear rules help the editor know when to act and when to check with you.
Use a short brief for each video
A brief is a set of notes that tells the editor what to make. Keep it next to the video files. Change it when your plan changes. If you share another video as a guide, name the part you like. The outline below is a quick start. Use our full editing brief template when you need more detail.
- Viewer: this is for ___. They should learn or feel ___.
- Story: start with ___. The main points are ___. End with ___.
- Files: use this folder ___. The best takes are ___. These files are missing ___.
- Keep or avoid: key facts, sponsor lines, and style rules are ___.
- Final work: length ___. Captions ___. Images ___. Thumbnails or clips ___.
- Review: this person has the final say ___. First draft date ___. Post date ___.
Make the files easy to use
Keep each project in its own folder. Give video, sound, and image files clear names. Keep approved files apart from old ones. Open the upload to check that all the files arrived. Ask the editor to check access too. Keep the raw files so you can check a detail against the source.
If you also want short clips, agree who will choose them. You might mark the best moments, or ask the editor to find them. State how much footage they will review, how many clips you need, and where the clips will go. A clip must make sense outside the full video.
- Check that the full video and sound files open.
- Make sure the editor can read the brief and open all key files.
- Name the person who will approve the work.
- Agree which draft or changes the next due date covers.
Give notes that show what needs to change
Send one set of notes from the whole team. Name the draft and the time of each change. For example: “At 02:14, cut the repeated setup so we reach the example sooner.” That tells the editor what to change and why. “Make it punchier” does not show whether you mean the story, sound, or pace.
Fix the main story and facts before small visual changes. If the order is wrong, sort that out before tweaking how words move on screen. When a choice works well, add it to your style notes. That makes it easier to use again. Keep one person in charge of the final yes.
Build a routine in the first month
Use this as a sample work plan. It is not a promise about how fast an edit will arrive. Start with a normal video and leave time to review it. Note which questions come up at each step. Use those notes to make the next brief clearer.
- First handoff: check the files, brief, roles, and due dates.
- First review: check the story and facts, then the look and sound.
- Next video: reuse what worked and watch for notes that repeat.
- End of the month: check your review time, changes, and missed dates.
Check if the help is working
Track your own time before and after the handoff. Count file prep, questions, review, and chasing late work. If the same errors keep coming back, improve the brief or talk about the fit. If filming is late, fix that part too. An editor needs the files before the edit can start.
Our plans include a dedicated editor who learns your style. You also get storage and a board to track each project. Creators who qualify can ask for one free sample edit. No payment is needed, and it does not start a paid plan. Send a normal recording and a clear brief to help us test the fit.
Use a handoff that an editor can act on
Create one project folder for the recording and its brief. Keep original camera files together, separate music and brand assets, and put references in the brief rather than scattering them across chat. Tell the editor which file is the main audio source if you recorded several tracks.
Your first review should be one consolidated set of notes. “02:14 — keep the reaction, shorten the pause before it” is useful. “Make it pop” is not a decision the editor can reliably reproduce in the next video.
- Include the working title and the viewer the video is for.
- Mark must-keep moments, sponsor wording and material that cannot be used.
- Name the person who approves the cut and the time they need to review it.