I make a weekly podcast and run a small marketing studio from my kitchen table. I had hours of talking. Zero time to cut it. I needed help fast. So I hired a short form video editing agency called ReelsCraft. If you’re curious about every behind-the-scenes detail, check out my extended write-up I hired a short-form video editing agency—here’s what actually happened.
You know what? It felt weird to hand my face to strangers. But I did it anyway.
The setup (and the tiny panic)
We had a 20-minute call. I shared my brand kit, fonts, and a folder of raw Zoom files. They set up a Notion board for tasks. We used Frame.io for edits and comments. Slack for chat. Clean and simple. If you’ve never poked around their workspace, the Frame.io centralized platform demo is a quick tour.
They asked for a “hook bank.” That’s a list of first lines. I wrote 30 short hooks, like “Stop losing leads in the first five seconds.” It took me one hour. Worth it.
Turnaround was 72 hours for the first batch. Twelve clips from one 42-minute episode. All in 9:16 for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts. Captions burned in. Word by word. Big, bold, and easy to read.
Honestly, I was nervous. Would it feel like me?
Real examples from my clips
-
“Stop using one dull headline” (Instagram Reels)
They punched in on my face at second 0. Big yellow caption. A pop sound on the cut. It hit 132,000 views in 7 days. Saves were wild. 1,903 saves. I got 61 new email sign-ups that week. My normal week? Like 12. -
“Your CTA is too long” (TikTok)
They added my screen share as a tiny over-the-shoulder crop. Meme B-roll of a kid napping. It made me laugh. It got 48,000 views and 438 comments with “CHEAT.” I sent my free swipe file. Easy lead magnet win. -
“3 hooks in 15 seconds” (YouTube Shorts)
This one used punch-in zooms and big emoji arrows. I liked the pace. But the music was a bit loud near second 9. It still pulled 9,100 views in 48 hours. Not viral. Still solid.
Let me explain the edit style. They use jump cuts. Speed ramps. Sound hits. The first two seconds pull you in. No dead air. They swapped dull words for on-screen text. Think “Do this, not that,” but fast.
What I loved
- Speed: 72-hour first pass. 24-hour revisions.
- Captions: Clean, with smart highlights. Keywords in color.
- Hooks: They tested two openers for the same clip. A/B hooks, but simple.
- Safe zones: Text never hid behind TikTok buttons. That stuff matters.
- B-roll: Light and funny, not cringe.
- Thumbnails for Reels covers: Clear, bold, and on brand.
They also knew platform quirks. Shorts likes when you get right to the point. TikTok wanted a tiny beat before the hook that week. Reels loved crisp audio. They kept track. I didn’t have to.
What bugged me (and how we fixed it)
- The first batch leaned too cool in color grade. I looked tired. We warmed it up.
- Music ducking was off on two clips. Voice got buried. They fixed it fast.
- One Monday, they used a trending song that was not cleared for brands. We swapped the track. Scary for a minute.
- They clipped my chin once with a tight crop. Not cute. I asked for a face-safe overlay. No more chin chops.
- They love memes. I like memes. But one clip had three. It felt flashy. We set a “one meme max” rule.
Small note: they don’t work weekends. If you live on last-minute life, plan ahead.
My costs and what I got
I paid $1,500 per month for 12 clips. That’s $125 each. Add-ons:
- $200 extra for scheduling posts through Buffer
- $10 per Reels cover frame
- 2 rounds of edits included; a third round cost $40 per clip
Could I do this alone in CapCut or Premiere Pro? Sure. But it would take me hours. They saved me five to six hours each week. That time paid for itself with new clients.
Behind the curtain: how we worked
- I sent Zoom files and my mic track.
- They built a “style stack”: font sizes, motion rules, color for verbs, color for numbers, and rules for emojis.
- We made a weekly content map: 3 clips per week. Tue, Thu, Sat.
- They gave me SRT files too, just in case I ever want native captions.
- We kept a “Hook Bank” in Notion. We added winners. We flagged duds.
Side note: Adobe recently expanded the Frame.io collaboration platform beyond video, which means the same dashboard now works for our design proofs and static graphics too.
One tiny trick they taught me: record a 10-second “clean loop” at the end. It helps them find a neat cut. No awkward breaths. No “um.” It sounds silly, but it works.
Results after 6 weeks
- Reels: from 4,200 average views per week to 29,000
- TikTok: from 800 to 7,400 average views per week
- Email list: 1,312 to 1,679 subs
- Two new client retainers from DMs that said, “Saw your clips.”
You can see a raw-versus-edited side-by-side from my very first episode right here (quick case study).
Not movie magic. Just steady growth. And less stress for me.
Who should hire a short form shop
- Podcasters who sit on hours of gold
- Coaches and course folks with live calls
- SaaS founders with demos and webinars
- Local shops with before/after videos
If you hate editing or post less than twice a week, an agency helps. If you love edits and have time, keep it in-house. No shame either way.
A few tips if you try this
- Make a hook bank with 30 lines. Short and punchy.
- Set brand rules: colors, font sizes, SFX limits, meme limits.
- Share three clips you love from other creators. Say why.
- Ask for a safe-zone overlay for each app.
- Track saves and watch time, not just views.
Speaking of hooks—sometimes you’re looking to hook an audience, and sometimes you’re looking to hook up with new people. If the latter is on your mind, check out PlanCul for a no-strings-attached dating experience that quickly matches open-minded adults in your area and lets you skip the small talk so you can connect right away.
Prefer something closer to home? If you’re on the Western Slope of Colorado, the relaunched Backpage Grand Junction puts hyper-local personal ads at your fingertips, letting you browse nearby listings, post your own, and arrange meet-ups without scrolling through endless nationwide profiles.
And please label your files. “Episode-12_final_audio.wav” beats “finalfinal2.wav.” I’ve been there.
Final take
ReelsCraft did what they said they would do. Fast edits. Clean captions. Real care for the hook. A few bumps, sure. But they listened, and they adjusted.
Would I hire them again? Yes. I actually kept them for another two months. Could I nitpick? Always. But the work paid for itself, and I slept better.
Here’s the thing: short clips are simple, not easy. With the right team, they feel easy. And that’s worth a lot when your to-do list already screams.