Start a video clipping business

What you'll make

A plan for starting a video clipping business — which creators to target, how to reach them, what to charge, how to deliver clips consistently, and how to build a reputation that gets you referrals.

What you need

• Experience editing short-form video (even basic editing — cutting, adding captions, formatting for vertical)
• A few sample clips you've made (from public videos — for your portfolio, not for publishing)
• 25 minutes

Steps

1. Define what you offer and who you serve:

I want to start a video clipping business. Help me define my offer:

1. What platforms should I clip for? (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels — pick 2, not all 3)
2. What types of creators should I target? (be specific — not "any creator" but "podcast hosts with 5K–50K listeners", "Twitch streamers who don't have time to clip their own streams", "business coaches who post long-form on YouTube")
3. What's included in my service? Be specific:
   - Number of clips per week from each long-form video
   - Clip length range
   - Captions included? (yes/no)
   - Formatting (vertical, platform-specific)
   - Posting (do I post for them, or do I deliver files?)
4. What's NOT included? (thumbnail design, SEO optimisation, community management)
5. What should I charge? (per clip, per video, or monthly retainer — which makes sense for [target creator type]?)

2. Build a portfolio before reaching out:

I need to show creators I can clip before they'll pay me. Help me build a portfolio:

1. Where do I find long-form videos to clip? (public YouTube videos, podcasts, streams — I'll clip for practice, not publish)
2. How many sample clips should I make? (what's enough to prove my skill?)
3. How do I present them? (a simple Google Drive folder? A short reel? A one-page portfolio?)
4. How do I label them so they're clearly samples? (I don't want to imply these are published client work)
5. What should each clip demonstrate? (hook quality, pacing, caption timing, vertical formatting)

The portfolio should take me one weekend to build, not one month.

3. Write your outreach message to creators:

Write an outreach message I can send to [target creator type]. Rules:

- Under 70 words
- I've already clipped one of their videos as a free sample — I'm offering to show it to them
- I mention their content specifically (not "I love your videos")
- I state what I do in one sentence (cut long-form into short clips that get views on [platform])
- I don't mention pricing in the first message
- I end with: "Want to see the clip I made?"

Give me 2 variants:
- Variant A: email
- Variant B: Instagram or YouTube DM (whichever [target creator type] checks most)

4. Plan your delivery workflow:

Once I have a client, help me plan my weekly workflow:
1. How do I get the long-form video? (they send me the file, I download from their channel, I watch live?)
2. How long does it take to find and clip [number] clips from one long-form video?
3. How do I deliver the clips? (Google Drive, Dropbox, directly to their social media scheduler?)
4. What feedback loop do I set up? (how do they tell me which clips worked, which didn't?)
5. How do I track performance? (so I can show them the views my clips are getting — proof I'm worth retaining)

The workflow should be repeatable — I want to handle 3–5 clients without it becoming chaotic.

5. Price your service and plan for growth:

Help me price and plan growth:
1. Should I charge per clip, per video, or a monthly retainer? (which is best for [target creator type]?)
2. What should I charge for my first client vs my fifth? (I can charge more once I have results to show)
3. How do I ask for a testimonial after the first month?
4. How do I use that testimonial to get more clients? (where do I share it, what do I say?)
5. When should I raise my rates? (after how many clients, what results)

Set realistic expectations — if I need 10 outreach messages to get one client, tell me that.

Check your result

• You target a specific type of creator (not "anyone with a YouTube channel")
• Your portfolio has 5–10 sample clips that demonstrate hook quality, captions and vertical formatting
• Your outreach message includes a free sample clip and is under 70 words
• You have a weekly delivery workflow that's repeatable for multiple clients
• You know whether to charge per clip, per video or monthly — and what price to start at

The hardest part of a clipping business isn't the editing — it's finding creators who see the value. Most creators don't know they need a clipper until you show them what a good clip looks like. That's why the free sample in your outreach message matters more than anything else. One good clip they didn't have to make beats 100 words explaining what you do.