Long-form YouTube editing, written down.
Hiring guides, retention engineering, case studies. Everything I've learned editing for creators from 9K to 12.4M subscribers — written so you can use it tomorrow.
What separates a $40 editor from a $400 one, the questions to ask, the rates to expect, and the red flags that quietly bleed your watch time.
11 min read · Read essay →Why the first 30 seconds decide 70% of your retention, the four hook patterns that actually work, and how to read your retention graph like an editor.
10 min read · Read essay →Shorts are discovery, long-form is the revenue engine. Why retention editing on long-form pays compounding returns the math actually rewards.
9 min read · Read essay →The real story behind a 1M-subscriber Roblox channel's six-month climb — how building a team and raising upload frequency did more than any single editing trick.
10 min read · Read case study →Roblox is its own genre. UI screens kill pacing, the audio is shrill, the audience is younger. Here's what a Roblox edit actually needs.
11 min read · Read guide →The three real pricing tiers ($40-120 cuts, $150-400 long-form, $400-1.2K retention-led), what you get in each, and the math that tells you when to pay more.
9 min read · Read guide →Premiere vs DaVinci Resolve vs Final Cut vs CapCut — what pros actually use for long-form, the trade-offs, and when to switch.
9 min read · Read guide →The brief structure I've used across 1000+ videos. Eight sections that preempt the revision rounds before they happen.
8 min read · Read template →What each dip means. The 30-second gate, the 4-minute slump, the 7-minute wall, the final-third drain — and how to edit against each.
9 min read · Read guide →Minecraft isn't Roblox. Flat color palette, repetitive blocks, creative vs survival pacing, and the "dirt house arc" problem every editor runs into.
10 min read · Read guide →The definitive resource. When to hire, where to find them, what to pay, how to brief, contracts, the first 30 days, long-term partnership, firing — everything in one place.
22 min read · Read pillar →30+ editing terms defined with examples. Hook, retention curve, AVD, B-roll, ducking, J-cut, L-cut, CPM, RPM — the working vocabulary of creator-editor conversations.
10 min read · Read glossary →Vague vs specific, written vs voice memo, when to schedule a call, revision-round etiquette. The unspoken rules of feedback that save editors.
10 min read · Read guide →The term gets thrown around. Here's the concrete definition: what it includes, what it excludes, when it matters, when it's marketing fluff.
11 min read · Read explainer →Async tools for daily feedback, project briefs, and archives. What works for solo creators, what for teams, what for legally binding stuff.
10 min read · Read guide →The fastest way to know if someone is right for your channel. Three metrics to evaluate after the trial, the decision framework, how to transition to retainer.
10 min read · Read guide →The honest guide to ending a creator-editor relationship. Signs it's time, the 14-day notice, the termination message template, how to handle the response.
10 min read · Read guide →