How to choose the right voiceover artist
Choosing the right voiceover artist for your project is crucial for delivering the right message to your target audience. Choosing the wrong one could cause audiences to disengage, not take your brand or product seriously, and therefore make your voiceover completely ineffective.
There are several reasons why you may require a voiceover artist. You might have a documentary you need narrating, a radio commercial you need voicing, or an internal corporate video for employee training. The list goes on…
Whatever your voiceover needs, it is paramount that you choose not only a professional voiceover artist but one whose voice harbours the right tonality, pitch, age and accent for the job.
How do I know what voice would be best for my project?
I would start by asking yourself who your target audience is. If your target audience are teenage girls, you’re probably not going to ask a middle-aged man to voice your project. So, once you have worked out your target audience, that will help you to narrow down your search.
Next, you need to decide what message you’re wanting to get across. What is the story you want to tell? What energy are you going for? Do you want the voiceover to sound warm and friendly? Or perhaps a more firm and assertive voice would work better?
Gender, age and accent are probably the things you want to work out first. Once you understand this, you can start reviewing the reels of different voiceover artists. Have they voiced similar projects to yours? It doesn’t matter if they have or not, but if they have, then it will give you a good feel for how their voice might sound when they’re reading your script. I have had clients contact me and say “I really like what you did in the second voiceover on your commercial reel, it feels in keeping with the vibe we’re going for, so please can you do something similar with ours?”. Like I said, it doesn’t really matter if the voice over artist has voiced something similar before, but it can be a good starting point.
If you’re struggling to know what kind of tonal qualities will work best for your project, listen to lots of different voiceover artist reels. This will really aid you in working out what voices could work and what voices definitely will not! I like to think my voice can suit every project – my brain: “I’m an actor, I can adapt!” But the reality is that no voiceover artist in the world is perfect for every project and a professional voiceover artist will know that and know what suits their voice and what doesn’t.
Do your research!
During the pandemic, many people (mostly actors) decided to venture into the world of voiceover, hoping it would become a great way of earning money from the comfort of their homes. We saw a huge surge in purchases in voiceover equipment and booth-building materials during this time and a rise in lots of new profiles joining voiceover pay-to-play websites (Fiverr, Voices.com, Mandy.com etc.) These websites allow people to create profiles, advertise their services to potential employers, and audition for voiceover projects.
However, just because someone claims to have high-spec voiceover recording equipment and a high-spec recording booth, this does not make them a professional voiceover artist. Some of these people don’t even have very high-specification equipment. I’ve heard the recordings from some of these “make-shift home studios” and the quality is quite frankly, terrible. Even if their recording environment/quality is decent, it still doesn’t make someone automatically a professional voiceover artist. We are trained individuals. Of course, everyone has to start somewhere, but you don’t want to hire someone who doesn’t possess the skills required and doesn’t know what they’re doing, so DO YOUR RESEARCH!
How do I do this?
When hiring a professional voiceover artist, you want to pay attention to the following…
- Do their voicereels sound professionally made? Or do they sound slightly “homemade” and “makeshift”?
- Do they have a good range amongst their reels, or do they sound similar across their entire portfolio? A great voiceover artist will have range. They will vary their tone per each voiceover project.
- Aside from their reels, what’s their profile like? Whether it’s in the form of a website or a profile on a pay-to-play website, does what they have written about themselves sound professional? What have they written about their experience? Have they mentioned any previous clients they’ve worked with?
- Do they have good reviews/testimonials? It’s ok for a voiceover artist to not have any reviews yet, as they may just be starting out, but as long as they tick other boxes I’ve listed here, then you may want to be wary.
- Take a close look at the prices they are charging. If their rates are significantly lower than the standard, it’s likely too good to be true. As the saying goes, “Pay peanuts, get monkeys.” However, there is an exception to this rule: if the voiceover artist is just starting out. If they have impressive reels, a strong profile, and excellent communication skills, they might be charging less to gain experience and establish themselves in the industry before raising their rates. I did the same when I was starting out. It’s important that this is made clear to you; if it’s not, it could be a sign that they are not very skilled. They may be underbidding others to secure work, but the quality of their work may be subpar.
- Are they offering a demo before you place a booking? A professional will always offer clients a demo of a part of their script before booking. This is to ensure that you’re 100% happy that they are the voice you want before any contracts have been signed. This is also a good way for you to hear how their home studio sounds, as they will more than likely be recording their demo in their home studio.
I hope that the information above has been helpful to you in choosing the right voiceover artist for your project. When you book my voice, I genuinely believe that this article will assist you in making that great decision and that you’ll be thrilled with the final result. If you’re ready to take the next step, I’d love to discuss how I can bring your project to life. Feel free to reach out to me for a personalised consultation!
