Here are the steps you need to know about how to market yourself to a voice-over production company:
Find out who and where they are. The internet is your best friend. Google “production companies near me” or “production companies in [your state].” Because we are not limited by geography, you can search “production companies in [whatever geographical location you wish].” You can also search companies on LinkedIn to find out more information about them. Make sure that your LinkedIn profile is on point and up to date if that’s how you choose to contact them.
Do your research on each production company you want to contact. Click on each website link that appears on your Google search and see if they have any available work for a voice-over actor. Find something in their portfolio that you really connect with, maybe it’s a project they produced that you really like. If you don’t like what they do, don’t feel like you have to contact them – life’s too short to work with clients that you don’t really want to work with!
Contact the owner or creative director. Either one of these people may be in charge of hiring voice-over talent. You can call or email them (if you’re lucky, you’ll sometimes be able to get a direct email address on their website). When you contact them, tell them who you are and what you do. Tell them that you really liked the work they did on a specific project. This way they know you’ve done some research on them. Mention that you like to work with companies that put out quality work and that you’d like to offer your voice as a resource for them for future projects. You can send them your demos as soon as possible so they can see if your voice fits their needs.
Follow up. It isn’t enough to contact a company once. Don’t be afraid to be persistent and put yourself out there. It’s helpful to create a follow-up schedule so you know when to reach out to production companies again and give them enough time to process each email you send their way. You can find some tips in my previous blog about how to follow up with voice-over clients and agencies.
Production companies need voice-over actors, it might as well be you! The best thing you can do is to research the production company you are contacting and get to know more about them. It shows that you’re genuinely interested in working with them. A little work on the front end will set you apart from the myriad voice-over actors that send out form cover letters trying to get business. I hope these steps will help you get closer to adding some production companies to your client list!
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About the Author
Jillian Nielsen is an expressive voice talent with over 14 years of experience in radio and television commercial and promotional voice-overs.
