We hear it from our students all the time: “People keep telling me I have a great voice and that I should be on the radio.” It sounds like a neat opportunity too, to be that voice in a commercial or on a public service announcement. But how does a person get to be that voice on the radio or in a TV ad? We hear these voices talking about a given brand of toothpaste or telling you to call now. Those are voice over professionals hired by ad agencies and production studios. Right now, the demand for voice overs is booming.
Voice overs have been around for a long time. In the last ten years, though, the demand for quality voiceover talent has grown exponentially. At the same time, technology innovations have made it much easier for people to get started as professional voice over talents.
In this article, we will go through the broad strokes of getting into voice overs.
In the first place, getting into voice overs requires more than just having a great voice. Many people mistakenly believe that it’s a natural gift: you’ve either got it or you don’t. Usually, after a coaching session or two, people gain a genuine respect for the development of the skill. The nice thing about skills is that you can learn them with some supervision and practice. There is a science to doing good voice over work, but it’s not rocket science. Most people can learn this profession and develop the skills with proper guidance and training from a professional voice over coach.
If you have an accent, a lisp, or regional dialect, then these matters require specialized training. Accent-neutral voice over talents receive the most opportunities; however, there are plenty of successful voice over people with accents and regionalisms. Sometimes, the accent will prevent you from getting the voice over gig. Other times, it will contribute to getting you hired. It just depends on what clients are looking for in their projects.
Some of the most popular benefits of doing voice over work include working from home and doing something creative and fun for a living. Voice over work offers a flexible lifestyle, working on your turf and on your terms.
One common trait among voice over professionals is an authentic love for the work. People who get into the work for the money alone don’t typically do nearly as well as those who have a true passion for the work itself and the creative process involved.
Getting started in voice overs will require some minimal technical knowledge. You certainly don’t need to be a wizard with a computer, but you will need to be comfortable with using email, attaching files, running software, and using social media. If you can copy and paste with confidence, then you’re halfway there.
Then comes the big part, marketing. Regardless of how good your voice is or how impressive your demos sound, people still can’t do business with you unless they know you exist. Effectively getting the demos in front of the right set of ears is arguably the most daunting task to a beginning voice over professional. The good news is that the Internet has made marketing much easier and almost free.
High-quality professional voice over demos are very important for obtaining voice over work. The demos function a lot like your resume. They showcase your talent to the client. The demos are only going to be about a minute long, and you should have at least two of them. Since you don’t have a lot to show to a potential client, what you do show them has really got to count.
The demos should be strategically designed to showcase your voice well. Recording your demos under the close supervision of your coach will also contribute to their effectiveness. The content for your demos should represent your interests and passions and should showcase your best vocal sound quality. It’s ideal to try to match your demo content to the types of products, services, and messages that your sound accommodates. Older, more mature voices needn’t be heard speaking about diapers or sports cars. Younger voices shouldn’t be heard speaking about retirement plans.
Keep in mind that there is a product, market, and message for just about every kind of voice out there. The key to success in voice overs is to discover the market for which your sound is a fit. Many voice over artists make the mistake of attempting to be an appropriate voice for every potential voice over project rather than just discovering their forte. Once your demos and website are ready, you can begin to audition for voice over work. Of course, make certain you have your home studio set up so that you can produce the work when you get the gig. Always keep in mind that, if you are a Such A Voice student, then we are here to help you every step of the way.
