The Clip Factory Margin Curve: Why Volume Wins Before Voice Does

Automated clip and caption platforms have pushed the marginal cost of a vertical video close to zero, which means the agency margin is no longer in editing hours but in how fast a retainer can be filled with publishable assets. The strategic risk is that every agency buys the same automation, so differentiation shifts entirely to the human layer: hook selection, narrative sequencing, and brand voice. Adopt for volume, price the human layer separately, or watch a homogenized feed erode the retainer.