So you’re off to the races! You’ve got your home studio setup, been consistently sending in auditions and have booked your first few voice-over jobs – congratulations, that’s no small benchmark! But from here, how do we keep this train (or this horse, if we’re sticking with the racing metaphor) going? How do we maintain momentum and have your name be the first one on a client’s brain when it comes to finding a voice for their next project?
Just like any independent business, creating and maintaining industry relationships is a key strategy to keeping up a steady stream of work and taking your voice-over journey to the next level as you’ve envisioned it.
Keep in mind: the suggestions below are merely a launching point to get you started! If you have a marketing tool or idea that you think would best serve your voice (and your business!), try it out! Take what works, and leave the rest.
Basic Etiquette and Politeness
I know, I know, this one kind of seems like a given, but trust me, in my experience on the casting and business side of voice-over, I’ve found that basic politeness sometimes takes a back seat amongst the more time-consuming aspects of the craft. I get it, sometimes we get busy, we lose awareness, and a job becomes a gig, but maintaining professionalism and decorum is number one in fostering any relationship.
Learning (and using!) people’s names: By remembering the name of someone on your project, you display a genuine connection to that person, who in turn, feels respected and seen. This also allows you to directly refer to different members of a client’s team, (instead of referring to your engineer as, well, “the engineer”.)
Please and Thank You: This needs little explanation, and goes for the in-person kind, as well as the follow up kind. With your best judgment, sending a thank you card or email (without any kind of “ask”) can go a long way in showing consideration and appreciation. People remember them!
Private contacts: Unless you are entirely certain that an email, address, phone number, or social media account is meant for business interactions, do not use it. Contacting someone through a personal account can be viewed as invasive or impolite.
Follow-ups and interest: Depending on the job, following up about an air date, usage, or a client’s reaction to your work, can bring attention to the fact that you see your relationship as more than just a job, it’s a collaborative partnership. This type of follow up is also a valid reason to reach back out to a client or contact, and keep you in their mind a little bit longer.
Digital Outreach
While we’d all love for a client to find us in the wild when the need calls for a fantastic voice, most of the time pounding the pavement and making an effort to engage directly with those we want to work with will produce greater results. A great and accessible place to start is with outreach by email.
Email Newsletters/Invites: Sending a newsletter, or occasional email update, allows you to show off your work and provide real examples of the kind of voice-over you can create. It’s an organic way to engage past or potential gatekeepers and can be the perfect setup to let people know you have a new demo, are seeking representation or have an event related to your work worth attending. Invites to live performances (screenings, plays, readings, etc.) are an excellent way in particular to engage and network with your targeted audience.
Networking
As I mentioned before, there’s often no one single gatekeeper on a project, with multiple members of a client’s team weighing in on a final casting decision. Referrals and recommendations can come from unexpected places, and opportunities can arise by merely taking note of the needs of those around you. The act of networking, or developing direct professional connections, can help to broaden your clientele base organically, as well as form trust and provide chances to engage with others in a meaningful way.
Some Opportunities to Network Might Include:
- Professional Groups
- Meet Up Groups
- Community Events
- Classes
Things to keep in mind while networking:
Be sure to maintain a level of politeness mentioned in “basic etiquette”. This is important for first impressions especially.
Read the room when it comes to pitching yourself. Know when there’s an opportunity to do so or when it might be best to wait.
Be present and aware of opportunities within groups of people you already know, but—don’t make a hard sell on friends! Sometimes just making your business known is enough to stick in a person’s head and return with an inquiry down the line.
Remember: Networking is a long game. When you tend to and foster a relationship in a meaningful way, your relationships will grow and create genuine opportunities. Forcing a connection or rushing a “payoff” will always come off as inorganic and lead to a dead end.
At the end of the day, there’s no one single way or method to maintain and grow your industry contacts. Different strategies will work for different people and sometimes opportunities will come from places you never thought to look, but when it comes down to the core of the intention, to foster relationships with others, nothing is more important than showing up as your authentic self and treating others how you’d like to be treated. In this simplicity you’ll find that your relationships will foster from a place of true connection and partnership.
Check out our free PDF with pro-tips from real working voice-over actors here!
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