Editing success stories people actually finish watching

Over the last two years I've edited more than a hundred learner and customer stories. The raw interviews are usually honest and moving. The finished videos often aren't, because the edit follows the interview instead of the story.

Start with the change, not the introduction

Nobody waits through "Hi, my name is…". I open with the most emotional line from the interview, the moment of change, and only then go back to who the person is. The first three seconds decide whether the rest gets watched.

Use a simple three-act shape

• Before: where they were and what wasn't working.
• Turning point: the decision, the course, the product: the brand's moment, kept short.
• After: the result, in their own words, with proof on screen.

Show, then tell

Every claim gets a picture: the offer letter, the new office, the first salary message (blurred where needed). B-roll is what turns a talking head into a story.

Subtitles are not optional

Most people watch on mute. I set captions in the brand's type with two lines at most and highlight one key word per sentence. It reads faster and keeps the brand present without a logo in every frame.

If a sentence doesn't move the story forward, it goes, however nice it sounds.

One interview, many cuts

The long version lives on YouTube and the website. From the same timeline I cut a 60-second reel, a 15-second hook for ads and three quote cards for social. Planning those cuts while editing the long one saves days later.