Step 3 of 3
Going pro (agency)
How agencies price short-form video packages in 2026
Per clip, monthly retainer, or per recording — with a cost example built from Clipflow’s per-brand price and one labelled assumption, and margin as formulas you can reuse.
What this guide covers
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The three pricing models agencies actually use
There are three ways to price short-form work, and every package you have seen is one of them with a name on it. Pick by what the client can predict, not by what is easiest to invoice.
Per clip
The client pays a fixed amount for each delivered clip. Easy to explain, easy to compare — and it punishes you for every clip the client rejects, because the cut happened whether or not it was approved. It fits one-off projects and clients testing you. It does not fit a client who wants "as many as are good"; you end up arguing about what counts.
Monthly retainer per client
A flat fee per month for a defined scope: so many recordings in, up to so many clips out, one revision round per batch, posting included or not. The client gets a predictable line item; you get predictable revenue and the freedom to spend more time on the clip that deserves it. The risk is scope creep, which is why the include/exclude list below matters more here than anywhere.
Per recording
A fixed price for each long-form recording you process, whatever it yields. Fits podcasts and webinar series with a steady cadence: the client thinks in episodes, so you charge in episodes. The finder proposes 3 to 8 clips per pass, so the yield varies — price the recording, promise a minimum, and treat extra clips as your margin, not theirs.
A worked cost example: one client, one month
Price follows cost, so build the cost line first. One input is real (the tooling price, read from Clipflow’s plan table) and the rest are assumptions — each is labelled, and you should replace them with your own numbers before quoting anyone.
Tooling — the per-brand price
Clipflow prices agencies per client brand: $50 a month on Agency Flex, or $40 a month per brand billed yearly, at any number of brands. Each brand carries 30 video imports, 450 posts and 90 clip renders a month, with transcription and captions included. For the example: one client, one brand, $50 a month.
Volume — what the month produces (assumption)
Assumption: 4 recordings a month and 6 clips kept per recording — 24 clips a month, well inside the 90 renders the brand carries. Keep the "kept" number honest: the finder proposes more than you will send, and the ones you drop still cost editor minutes to look at.
People — editor hours (assumption)
Assumption: 20 minutes of human time per clip — choosing, trimming, caption check, QA at phone size. 24 clips × 20 minutes = 8 hours. Assumption: a loaded editor cost of $40 an hour (salary or freelance rate plus overhead — put yours here). 8 hours × $40 = $320.
The cost line
Tooling $50 + people $320 = $370 a month for this client — $15.42 per clip, or $92.50 per recording. Add posting and reporting time the same way if you include them (see the include/exclude section).
Margin math as formulas
Write these on the wall. The numbers change per client; the formulas do not.
Margin = (price − cost) ÷ price. Markup = (price − cost) ÷ cost. They are not the same thing: a 50 % markup is a 33 % margin. Decide which one you mean before you compare packages.
Price at a target margin = cost ÷ (1 − margin). On the example cost of $370, a 60 % margin needs cost ÷ 0.4 = $925 a month. Per clip that is $38.54; per recording $231.25. Those are the example’s numbers, not a recommendation — they move with the assumptions above.
Break-even clips per month = fixed cost ÷ (price per clip − variable cost per clip). Tooling is your fixed cost per brand; editor time is your variable cost per clip. If a per-clip package does not clear break-even at the volume the client actually sends, quote a retainer instead.
Sanity check before you quote
Cost per client this month, including account time. Price at the target margin. Hours that price buys at your rate. If the hours are fewer than the work needs, the price is wrong — not the work.
Copying a competitor’s package price without knowing their cost line. Their margin is not yours.
What to include and what to leave out
The package is the list of what is in it. Anything not on the list gets asked for anyway, so decide now what the answer is.
- A stated number of recordings in and clips out per month
- One revision round per batch, with a deadline (see the approval SOP)
- Captions, a format per platform, the client’s Brand Kit applied
- The review link and a named approver on their side
- A monthly one-line summary of what posted
- Posting to channels you do not have access to — connect them at onboarding or leave posting out
- Reporting beyond what posted — an analytics package is its own line
- Additional revision rounds — next batch, or extra work at a stated rate
- New recordings mid-batch — that is the next batch
- Rebrands, new formats, paid-ad versions
Posting deserves its own decision. If the client’s channels are connected in Clipflow, approving on the review link can post directly and posting costs you no extra hours — include it. If they will not connect channels, posting becomes manual work on your side: price it, or exclude it and say so.
Which model for which client
Match the model to how the client already counts their content, then check it against your break-even.
Per clip for a first project, or for a client who wants to compare you against someone else on a like-for-like number. Per recording for a podcast or a show with a fixed cadence — they already count in episodes. A retainer for anyone who wants one number on the invoice and a standing slot on your calendar; it is also the model that rewards you for getting faster.
The pricing checklist
Before you send a quote
- Cost line built: tooling per brand + hours × rate for editing, account time and revisions
- Assumptions written next to the numbers, with a date
- Model chosen for how the client counts (clips, episodes, months)
- Margin target set; price computed as cost ÷ (1 − margin)
- Break-even volume checked against what the client actually sends
- Include / exclude list attached to the quote
- Revision cap and approval SLA stated
- Posting: included with connected channels, or priced separately
Revisit the cost line every quarter. The tooling number rarely moves; the hours do, in your favour, as the workflow settles — and that is the moment to keep the price and take the margin.
Frequently asked questions
Should an agency price short-form video per clip or as a retainer?
Per clip for a first project or a like-for-like comparison; a retainer once the client sends material on a cadence. Per clip charges you for rejected clips, because the cut happened either way. A retainer with a stated scope — recordings in, clips out, one revision round — gives the client one number and gives you the margin for getting faster.
How do I calculate the margin on a short-form video package?
Margin = (price − cost) ÷ price, where cost is tooling per client brand plus hours × your loaded rate for editing, account time and revisions. To price at a target margin, divide cost by (1 − margin). Check break-even too: fixed cost ÷ (price per clip − variable cost per clip) is how many clips a month the package needs.
How much does Clipflow cost per client for an agency?
Agency Flex is $50 a month per client brand, or $40 a month per brand billed yearly, at any number of brands — each with 30 video imports, 450 posts and 90 clip renders a month and captions included. Bundles start at $199 a month for up to 5 brands. The pricing page is the reference.
Should posting be included in a short-form video package?
Include it when the client connects their channels to your workspace: the client’s approval on the review link can then post directly, so posting costs you no extra hours. If they will not connect channels, posting is manual work on your side — price it as hours, or leave it out and say so in the include/exclude list.
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