I earn £120,000 a year making social media videos go viral

Eknoor Singh has leveraged the simplicity of his mobile phone and a reliable internet connection to generate an impressive income exceeding £120,000 annually.

At just 22 years old, the London-based professional known as a "clipper" is engaged by various clients to create short, vertical videos for social media, with the aim of achieving viral success.

"The more views a clip receives, the more revenue I generate," he explains.

How clipping works

The typical process involves a client—which could belong to any sector, from fashion to entertainment—providing a longer video for the clipper to review.

The clipper then selects what they deem the most engaging segments and crafts these into 30 to 60-second clips, which are subsequently uploaded to platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Clippers, primarily aged between 16 and 25, are expected to possess a keen insight into trends and preferences that resonate with their demographic, thereby maximizing the viewership of the short videos.

Lucrative earnings

Clippers can earn as much as $3 (£2.30) for every 1,000 views across various platforms, making it a potentially rewarding venture, particularly when a clip proves popular.

Singh, recalling his introduction to the clipping world last year, noted a rewarding moment when he earned $300 from sharing a brief video of popstar Dua Lipa on Instagram.

"I realized, 'This is a substantial amount of money for just posting a video.' I quickly understood the financial potential of this work."

He now reports earnings of "at least £10,000 a month" and actively seeks out clips that are humorous, engaging, and quickly consumable. One notable example he produced involved a clip of Sabrina Carpenter reacting to the tails of her dress being stepped on at the Met Gala in New York, although he chose not to disclose the client involved.

For others, it's a side hustle

For 24-year-old clipper Ethan Weems from Wichita, Kansas, clipping has become a profitable side gig, complementing his primary video-making endeavors. He claims to earn "at least $1,000 a month" from this activity.

Weems creates short videos for YouTuber and podcaster Caleb Hammer, famed for hosting the program Financial Audit, which explores the personal finances of its guests.

His work in clipping allows him the flexibility to work from home, which he appreciates as it provides him more opportunities to spend quality time with his wife and one-year-old son. "I'm not interested in a traditional nine-to-five job that requires daily office attendance," he states.

Reality check: most make little

Despite the financial successes of some clippers, social media consultant Lia Haberman warns that they are relatively few in number. "This reflects a broader trend within the creator economy—most participants earn little to nothing," she remarks.

Additionally, Devin Nash, a streaming industry analyst, highlights the fallacy of underestimating the effort needed to achieve success in clipping. He emphasizes that successful clippers dedicate significant time to consuming and analyzing extensive content.

The intermediary platform ecosystem

A range of intermediary platforms helps connect clippers with potential clients, showcasing available video jobs.

These can be found on general online forums like Reddit and Discord, as well as on specialized clipping sites such as Clipping Culture, Vyro, Whop, and Kick.

The latter platforms charge a fee to companies seeking these services. Clipping Culture, for instance, boasts clients including Capital Records, Universal Music Group, and HBO Max.

For firms like these, engaging a young clipper working from home represents a cost-effective alternative to traditional social media advertisement expenditures, often resulting in higher engagement rates.

Brand adoption

Boxabl, a firm located in Las Vegas that manufactures modular homes, illustrates this trend. Founder Galiano Tiramani notes, "We have likely achieved around a billion views across our clips."

In the UK, Jimmy McLoughlin, a former Downing Street advisor and now the host of the Jimmy's Jobs of the Future podcast, has also capitalized on the utility of clipping.

He describes clips as "trailers" for their main content, indicating that a recent podcast episode featuring Prime Minister Andy Burnham garnered close to 50,000 long plays, with clips of the episode reaching millions of views.

Why short-form video dominates

Evan Stanfield, the founder of Clipping Culture, is just 21 years old and established the business last year after leaving the University of Kansas.

Stanfield mentions that his platform connects brands with over 340,000 clippers globally. He attributes the rise of short videos to a straightforward observation: "Attention spans are continually shrinking."

Moreover, he asserts that clip creation is predominantly a young person's domain due to the demographic being the primary consumers of short-form videos.

In London, Eknoor Singh articulates his commitment to clipping, noting, “I can clip non-stop, no matter where I am.”

"I could be anywhere. I could even be on holiday and still be making money."