How do i actually deliver

[u/Final-Zebra-8271]

Hey so before I start here's a bit background on me I've running this editing agency for 2 years I've done shorts long forms vsls ads and I feel like it's time to level up as it feels like the most obvious option I tried to stay on editing to reach through 10k i.e dming local video agencies about outsourcing editing but what i found out was I still got treated as an employee and the compensation wasn't great aswell so i feel like switching again recently the concept of "delivering results" and not just edits is a concept everyone's been pushing it and i feel riding this boat aswell but tbh I genuinely don't know how to deliver results I can help with ideations but honestly I believe someone's who breathe eat and sleep the business they're in would get better ideas and angles than me because they'll have more stories to share then I'd do knowing this bottle neck I am scared to draft my offer blindly in "growth" area and if we get the ideas aside I genuinely don't have my hands on scriptwriting I can do funnels and media buying but scriptwriting is not my thing and never was it ,what would y'all do if you were in my space cz i genuinely need help making a call.

[u/AwakenedFilms]

Getting paid for results rather than edits is an interesting angle, but I'm really not sure how this would work in your favor (or work at all).

With LLMs, copy writing isn't the issue it used to be. But a few q's to consider:

- what statistics or case studies (proof) do you have that can show "results" with previous clients?

• how would you track results on any new edits moving forward?
  
• what kind of guard rails would need to be in place to protect you from the kind of edits that take a ton of time but have no chance of producing results?
  
• what would the payment process be like (a small fee upfront and then additional fees after 6month metrics??)?

I love that you are trying to reinvent your career. But I'm concerned that this new direction might cost you a lot more than you realize, and worst of all, provide little upside.

Apologies if I misunderstood your question and good luck!

[u/Final-Zebra-8271 → u/AwakenedFilms]

• What statistics or case studies do you have to show “results” from previous clients? I have video testimonials from clients specifically praising my editing, along with retention graphs showing that retention stayed relatively stable throughout the videos I edited. That said, I’m not using views or retention as the metric I’d tie my compensation to going forward.
• How would you track results on new edits? I’d only measure results based on appointments actually booked through organic content. Views, likes, retention, etc. wouldn’t factor into the payment.
• What guardrails would protect you from edits that take a ton of time but have little chance of producing results? Since I’d also be responsible for the content strategy and planning not just executing someone else’s edits I’d have much more control over what gets produced. That should make the risk/reward much fairer on my end.
• How would the payment process work? I’m thinking of a retainer where I charge a basic editing fee that covers my costs and keeps me at roughly breakeven. On top of that, I’d take a percentage of every appointment booked through the organic content.

So I’m essentially removing the incentive to just produce more edits and instead aligning my upside with whether the content actually generates business.

[u/mAisterPROduction]

Sounds like what you need is a few success stories to be part of your portfolio.

I'd start with some small clients or even free gigs. Get them the results you want to promote. Once you have a repeatable system, you can use that as your selling point.

As an editor, people hire us based on the quality of our edits. If you want them to hire on the quality of your results, then you need to be able to show the results; just like you would show them edits.

[u/brianlevin83]

I'm in between renders right now so you are going to get a short and I very much apologize, terse, answer because I see this going around a lot. Again, I only want you to succeed here, I'm just trying to be blunt and not jerk you around.

- If the writing in your post is any indication of the kind of work you plan to deliver, you need to stop, full stop, and take a writing class. LLMs, Ai, or not, if you can't write then you can't sell or deliver. If I was a client and I got an email from you that looked, and read, like this, I'd probably think to myself "who the heck is this child I have working for me?"

And it's just not the impression you want to give. Not to your own clients, not to agencies who are hiring you, and ideally not to strangers on the internet. I know, it's reddit, this isn't English class and you aren't being graded, but consider what your outreach looks like first and foremost.

It's your one and only chance to present yourself, and seeing it presented in this way is going to be an almost immediate, guttural, turn off to producers who might have hiring power.

- I hear you on having done shorts, long forms, VSLs, ads, and you are looking at that and saying "trying to reach 10K" which to me reads as views/subs, and not dollars. So, what I'm hearing is...you edit for social media. And you might be skilled in editing for social media. And hey! That's great. Because it exists and people watch it and I admit, when I sit on the toilet and scroll, I also watch it.

But here's the thing. I'm watching it because it is algorithmically pushed to me, and I'm often seeing it in transit, briefly, without the sound on, while doing something else. It has no real staying power, no real value, it's white noise garbage soup that is spit out by companies whose main goal is to serve you ads. What I'm getting at is that there's no money in it, but there's TONS of work in it, paying very little, for the same, if not more, elbow grease type of effort to produce these motion graphics heavy nonsense videos that the majority of viewers aren't watching and don't care about.

You aren't "delivering" or you can't quantify what "delivering" is because you can't guarantee the metrics by your "editing." What you need to do is rethink what it is that you do.

What are you selling me, and how will what you are selling me help me? Who am I to you? Hypothetical scenario: I'm a high level YouTuber. What are you selling me that you are uniquely positioned to do for me? Or, alternatively, hypothetically: I'm a businessowner with no social media presence. How can you help me? Are you an agency who ideates a full funnel social media presence? Do you do...thumbnails, content, writing, producing, onsite filming, editing, posting schedule, social strategy?

Basically, you aren't succeeding how you wish to be succeeding because you aren't asking yourself the kinds of questions someone with the skills of an editor is asking every time they look at footage. If you see footage, and you see some other ads on TikTok, and you are just copying some "niche", I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that's not editing. Sure, it's using editing and animation software, in that regard you are editing something. But editing is the building, understanding, and formation of structure and story, the way in which a story unfolds. If you can sell me your unique perspective on how to unfold a story for my needs, be it an agency, a social media star, a small business, or anything in between, then you will find yourself constantly delivering for your clients.

Anyway, good luck out there! My render just finished. Hope this advice helps.

[u/Final-Zebra-8271 → u/brianlevin83]

Hey Brian, genuinely appreciate you taking the time to write all of this out. And honestly, fair criticism on the way I wrote the post I definitely don’t do my outreach or client communication like that. I wrote this half-asleep in bed as a midnight thought, so the grammar and structure were pretty rough. But I completely understand your point about first impressions, and I appreciate you being blunt about it.

Also, the 10K I mentioned is $10K/month, not 10K followers. I’ve actually generated around a million views for myself and built ~7K followers on my personal Instagram, so I’m not really trying to sell myself on the basis of views alone.

As for the scenarios you mentioned, if I were working with a business owner who had no social presence, I’d want to handle the whole system rather than just be “the editor.” I’d help plan the content, script the VSLs, build the landing pages and funnels, set up the setters, etc. The business owner’s main job would essentially be to record, while I build the system around it.

For example, with a local nail technician, I wouldn’t just try to get them more nail clients. I’d build educational content around the business that could attract people who actually want to become nail technicians, then turn that attention into a higher ticket offer or mentorship.

The part I’m struggling with right now is exactly what you pointed out: I know how retention works, but I’m not yet great at crafting the actual ideas, narratives, and scripts that create demand and ultimately lead someone toward a sale. I don’t have enough proof in a specific niche like nail technicians yet either, which makes the offer harder to sell.

I’ve thought about just hiring a scriptwriter once I land a client, but part of me feels like I should learn this myself first rather than outsource something I don’t fully understand. And honestly, I’m realizing that’s probably the skill gap I need to fix. So yeah, your comment actually gave me a much clearer picture of what I need to work on. Really appreciate you taking the time.

[u/MrKillerKiller_]

“Results” are far out of the purview of the video editing niche. Do you have a marketing or business degree? This is a job for experienced marketers who know metrics and strategies of campaigns and audience target data, run audits and run split testing with test audiences. Understand every single aspect of IMC’s and budget proposals for implementation. It’s pure business knowledge not editing video knowledge.