YouTube editing pricing — transparent and honest

Honest TL;DR — all our pricing tiers

Below is every service we offer, priced. If nothing fits your budget or scope, email kevin@umbrellacreators.com and we'll design a custom package.

• Per-video long-form editing: $300–500 (8–30 min, full production, 48–72h turnaround)
• Monthly retainer: $1.2K–1.8K for 2–3 videos (priority scheduling, 48h turnaround, analytics review)
• Channel audit: $300 (retention analysis, editing recommendations, custom brief template)
• Hook engineering: $100–200 per video, or $500 one-time project (re-cut first 15–30s to fix retention dips)
• Thumbnail design: $40–80 per video (custom design, A/B testing variants, style guidelines)
• Channel management: $3K–6K/month (editing, strategy, uploads, thumbnails, analytics, growth planning)
• Retention strategy consultation: $500 one-time (deep-dive analytics, 90-day editing roadmap, custom recommendations)

Why we don't have a fixed menu

A YouTube creator's editing needs depend on channel size, upload cadence, content type, current retention performance, and growth stage. A 50K subscriber gaming channel needs different optimization than a 1M subscriber education channel. A channel with 15% drop-off in the first 30 seconds needs different work than one with even retention but poor mid-video engagement.

We custom-quote because we only succeed if your editing investment moves your retention graphs and watch-time metrics. That means understanding your specific retention patterns first, then building a pricing structure that aligns with your growth goals. Generic pricing doesn't account for that.

Book a discovery call (free, 15 minutes) and we'll send a custom quote the same day. No sales pressure, no upsell sequence.

Per-video long-form editing ($300–500)

Who it's for: Creators testing whether retention-focused editing improves their growth, or those uploading 1–2 times per month with irregular scheduling.

What you get:

• Full retention analysis (pull your last 5 retention graphs, identify drop-off patterns)
• Rough cut assembly and pacing optimization
• Color grading (scene-by-scene consistency and contrast)
• Sound design (dialogue EQ, music bed, ambient layers)
• Hook engineering (first 30s recut until retention holds)
• Text overlays, lower thirds, chapter markers
• Two revision rounds
• Final export in your preferred format (ProRes, H.264, etc.)
• Turnaround: 48–72 hours. Expedited 24-hour available for +$75.
• Price breakdown: $300 for 8–15 min, $400 for 15–22 min, $500 for 22–30 min.

Choose this tier if you want to measure whether retention engineering impacts your growth. If it does, move to a retainer to lock in savings.

Monthly retainer ($1.2K–1.8K)

Who it's for: Creators committed to consistent long-form uploads (2–3 videos/month) and willing to invest in scalable growth.

What you get:

• 2–3 full long-form edits per month (savings: 20–30% vs. per-video pricing)
• Priority scheduling — your videos get the first available slot
• 48-hour turnaround guaranteed (vs. 48–72h standard)
• Pre-edit retention analysis on every video
• Hook iteration testing (3–5 hook variations, you pick the strongest)
• Post-publish retention review (within 72 hours of your upload, we analyze performance and adjust next video's editing approach)
• Monthly strategy call (30 minutes) to review analytics and plan the next month
• A/B testing on editing decisions (pacing, color, sound design variants)
• Price: $1.2K (conservative pace), $1.5K (standard pace), $1.8K (aggressive pace with extras)

Retainers align our success with yours. We get paid to keep improving your retention month over month, not just to deliver edits on time.

Channel audit ($300)

Who it's for: Creators wanting a baseline diagnosis before committing to editing, or those unsure whether editing is the limiting factor in their growth.

What you get:

• Pull and analyze your last 10 published videos' full retention graphs
• Identify specific drop-off patterns (early-video loss, mid-video fatigue, end-screen failures, etc.)
• Compare your retention to channel-type benchmarks (gaming vs. education vs. commentary)
• Editing recommendations (what to change, why, and how to prioritize)
• Custom brief template (8-section checklist for your next editor to use, or for us if you hire later)
• Scope estimate for full editing engagement
• Turnaround: 48 hours. You get a written report (PDF) + optional 30-minute call to review.

Start here if you're unsure. Often, a $300 audit saves you from hiring an editor who won't move the needle. Or it confirms editing is your growth lever, and we give you a clear roadmap to improve.

Hook engineering ($100–200 add-on, or $500 one-time)

Who it's for: Creators with a retention dip in the first 15–30 seconds, even if the rest of the video holds well.

What it is: A focused re-cut of just the opening hook. We analyze what's causing the early drop-off (slow start, weak visual entry, unclear premise, boring sound design, etc.) and redesign it.

Two ways to buy it:

• Add-on to a full edit: +$100–200 if you're already booking us for the full video. We prioritize hook testing and deliver 3–5 iterations.
• One-time project: $500 to re-engineer the hook on an already-published video. We pull the original footage, re-cut, and deliver a new export (and advice on how to optimize the video as-is in YouTube Studio if re-upload isn't ideal).

When you need this: Your YouTube Studio analytics show >30% drop-off by the 30-second mark, or you consistently lose 40%+ viewers in the first 15 seconds. Hook engineering is the fix.

Thumbnail design ($40–80 per video)

Who it's for: Creators on a retainer who want custom thumbnails, or those batch-ordering thumbnails for upcoming uploads.

What you get (per thumbnail):

• Custom design (no templates, no stock images, branded to your channel style)
• A/B variant (we design 2 thumbnail options; you test both, we collect data on CTR)
• PNG + JPEG export, optimized for YouTube's preview display
• Style guide consistency (fonts, colors, contrast, readability on mobile)
• Pricing: $40–80 per thumbnail depending on complexity and A/B variants

Thumbnails compound editing. A great edit with a weak thumbnail leaves 30–40% click-through potential on the table. We design thumbnails to match the hook and energy of the edit.

Channel management ($3K–6K/month)

Who it's for: Creators serious about YouTube growth who want a partner handling editing, strategy, uploads, and optimization end-to-end.

What's included:

• All long-form editing (unlimited videos if you're uploading regularly, or 4+ per month)
• Retention analysis and hook engineering
• Thumbnail design (custom per video)
• Video optimization (title, description, tags, timestamps, CTA placement for YouTube Studio)
• Upload scheduling and premiere coordination
• Weekly analytics review (retention graphs, watch time trends, audience demographics)
• Monthly strategy call (60 minutes) on growth levers and next quarter planning
• Competitor analysis and content positioning
• Price: $3K/month (minimal involvement, we handle editing + uploads), up to $6K/month (strategic partnership with growth planning, A/B testing, format experimentation)

This is for creators who've proven product-market fit and want to scale predictably. We become your editing + growth ops team. Minimum 3-month commitment.

Retention strategy consultation ($500)

Who it's for: Creators not ready for ongoing editing but wanting a deep-dive diagnostic and custom roadmap.

What you get:

• 90-minute deep-dive call reviewing your last 15 videos' analytics
• Custom editing playbook (genre-specific pacing, hook templates, sound design rules for your content type)
• Retention improvement roadmap (prioritized list of 5 edits to make on next 10 videos, with reasoning)
• Software/tools recommendations (editing suite, plugins, thumbnailing tools based on your workflow)
• Written summary document (8–12 pages, includes case examples from your channel and competitors)

Think of it as a retention audit with actionable strategy. You can self-implement or use our recommendations to brief your own editor.

Payment methods & terms

We accept:

• Wise (international bank transfers, best rates for non-USD)
• PayPal (Friends & Family recommended to avoid fees, or invoice)
• USDC (stablecoin, on Ethereum or Polygon; no fees)
• Bank wire (USD, EUR, COP, or other currencies; SWIFT codes provided)
• Stripe (credit card, +2.9% processing fee; or ACH bank draft in US)

Payment structure:

• Per-video: 50% upfront to book the slot, 50% on delivery
• Retainers: 100% monthly upfront on the 1st of the month (or weekly/bi-weekly if you prefer)
• One-time services (audits, consultation): 100% upfront
• Net-30 invoicing: Available for retainers of $3K+ (net-30 terms)

Currency: All prices listed in USD. We invoice in your preferred currency (EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, COP, etc.) and handle conversion via Wise to minimize fees. No hidden currency markups.

Discovery call & custom quote process

If nothing above matches your exact needs, or you want to explore a custom package:

1. Email kevin@umbrellacreators.com with: (a) your channel link, (b) typical video length, (c) upload cadence, (d) current retention challenges, (e) monthly budget range.
2. We respond within 24 hours with a custom quote, scope, and 3 client references from a similar channel you can talk to.
3. Optional 30-minute discovery call to align on expectations and methodology.
4. If you're ready, you book and we schedule your first video/project.
5. If not, no pressure. We've given you a free audit and recommendation framework.

When NOT to hire us

• You're editing YouTube Shorts or vertical TikTok content. We specialize in long-form YouTube (8–30 min). Shorts have different optimization rules; ask us for short recommendations instead.
• You're on a $50 per video budget. We're not the cheapest editor, and that's intentional. You get retention optimization, not assembly. If you need a $50 edit, hire a Fiverr editor and we'll advise you on how to brief them better.
• You don't have retention data or don't care about watch time. Our methodology is built on analyzing retention graphs. If your goal is "just get videos published" rather than "grow watch time," we're overkill.
• You're looking for unlimited edits for a flat fee. We quote based on scope and channel specificity. Unlimited edits at any price leads to assembly-line editing, not optimization.
• You need a quick turnaround and can't brief us clearly. Good briefs save us 30% time. Vague briefs delay everything. We need specificity to deliver fast and right.

Frequently asked pricing questions

Can you edit partially finished videos from my assistant?

Yes. If your assistant cuts a rough edit, we refine it, grade it, sound-design it, and optimize it for retention. Turnaround is faster (48h vs. 72h) because we're not starting from raw footage. That's a $250–400 engagement (discounted from the $300–500 standard rate).

What if I need the edit in 24 hours?

Possible for videos under 15 minutes if you brief clearly. Add $75 to the standard price. We'll have it done overnight. For longer videos, 36–48h is our minimum to ensure quality.

Do you work with raw footage or do I need to supply B-roll cuts already?

Both. Raw footage takes longer (72h vs. 48h) because we're building the rough cut ourselves. If you've pre-cut footage and supplied selects, turnaround is 48h. We're fast either way.

What happens if the video doesn't improve retention?

You don't pay for the next edit. We only succeed if your retention moves. That's the deal. In practice, 95% of creators see immediate 8–25% retention improvement. If you're in the 5% where edit methodology isn't the limiting factor, we tell you (usually retention is actually fine, engagement is the issue, or the audience isn't right for the content).

Can I downgrade from a retainer to per-video?

Yes. Give us 7 days' notice and we'll switch you to per-video pricing the following month. No penalty.

Do you do unlimited revisions?

Two revision rounds are included. Major re-edits after that are billed separately. We define revision as "adjustment within the same cut structure" (adjust color, remix audio, tweak pacing slightly) vs. re-edit (restructure the story, change hook approach, cut different sections entirely).

What if I'm not happy with the edited file format you delivered?

We re-export at no cost. We deliver in ProRes 422, H.264, DNxHD, or whatever you need. If you need Premiere XML or FCPX timelines instead of flat video, that's +$50.

Do you offer annual prepay discounts?

For retainers of $3K+, paying 3 months upfront gives you a 10% discount; 12 months upfront gets 15% off. For per-video projects, we offer bundle pricing on 5+ videos booked at once (15% discount).