When you’re thinking of starting a Youtube channel, or have several videos under your belt, you might be asking yourself: “Do I need to hire a video editor for my channel?”

I get this question a lot during coaching calls with my students and the short answer is: It depends!

Hiring a video editor for your Youtube channel

You want their expertise because you want a professional looking (aka pretty) video. Everyone has their zone of genius, so having a video editor in your corner might give you the confidence to share your Youtube videos more consistently with your audience.

And speaking of the zone of genius – you are probably looking for more ways to stay in your area of expertise. Hiring a video editor that will take things off your plate might be a good idea if you can’t (or don’t want to) find the time for it.

But most importantly, you should also have the funds to allocate and pay for an editor. If you have room in your budget, don’t have the energy for it, and want to stay in your zone of genius, go get yourself a video editor.

…but hold on a minute!

Here’s why you don’t need to hire a video editor

Even if you’ve checked off all those boxes, I highly recommend learning how to edit your own videos. I talk about this a lot with my students because not only do you get a better understanding of how to film your own videos, you’ll also see how your video (aka story) comes alive in the editing process.

You’ll realize…“Hey, I can do this myself!” 

If you put in some time to learn the basics, you’ll see that it’s not as complicated as it may seem! In fact, I’ve had several students tell me they didn’t need a video editor anymore because they learned everything they needed to know!

And remember, we’re not trying to win an Oscar for filmmaking over here 😉. Or at least I’m not. I film my videos in my office, edit them, and put them on Youtube!

Hiring a video editor is a personal decision and a lot of the big Youtubers out there still edit their own videos. They don’t want to give up the control of how their story gets told, and some only start outsourcing their video editing once they have a significantly larger audience.

You learn your own editing style

When you edit your own videos, you get to decide what stays in the video, what needs to get cut, and what things need to be added (music, graphics, logo, etc.). If you still want to hire a video editor after learning the basics, you’ll be so much better at communicating the style and feel of your videos. You’ll also have a much better understanding of what you like (and don’t like) and can share your vision with a video editor.

Do you need a video editor for your Youtube channel?

The bottom line? You don’t need to hire a video editor for your Youtube channel. Only hire one if you feel ready for it! Whatever you decide, don’t let video editing stand in the way of launching your Youtube channel or sharing your videos.

I hope this helped nudge you in the right direction, but if you still have questions, be sure to leave a comment below 👇🏼. Then, head on over to my Youtube channel and hit subscribe because I put out a brand new video every week!