How long have your friends and family encouraged you to use your voice for something? We've all been there. After nearly two years of receiving compliments, I finally woke up one morning and decided to take the plunge. It was both thrilling and intimidating, and it felt uncomfortable. Having a strong support system is essential while also quieting the doubting voice in your mind.
Conducting thorough research is essential in determining whether this path is right for you. Setting realistic expectations and understanding that this isn't an immediate solution to unemployment will be beneficial. This journey requires time, hard work, patience, and a lot of perseverance. Is it possible to achieve results quickly? Definitely! Many of our students secure work and agency representation just weeks after receiving their professional demos. However, you should be ready for the possibility that this process might take much longer. Drawing from my 35-year career and advice from talent agents nationwide, here are some crucial steps to launching a voiceover career...
Voiceover Coaching
Mastering the art of voice acting is the essential first step. Unfortunately, social media voiceover forums are crowded with newcomers focused solely on recording equipment. While purchasing a microphone is more exciting than investing in coaching, this isn't the right way to launch your VO career. Without developing the performance skills needed to book commercials, narrations, and character roles, your shiny new microphone will become an impressive decoration to show your friends. You genuinely want to highlight your ability to perform a commercial or narration script like a true professional. In a directed voiceover session, you'll need to modify your performance in real-time, and you can't gain this experience solely by reading a voiceover book or this blog.
Work with an experienced voiceover coach on script performance, marketing, and professional demos. Some naysayers will suggest that I am recommending this because I am a voiceover coach, but if you called 100 talent agents in the country, they would tell you the same thing. Trust me. You won't be able to survive in this business if you don't have the performance skills down!
Professional Demos
Professional demos are your calling cards. Your number one marketing tool. It's vital to have about 5-6 audio clips on a demo, and the demo needs to be around the 60-second mark. Variety is key. You can't have the same read on a demo for every clip. Agents and producers like working with talents who have a range in their delivery. Avoid doing your own demo unless you have a ton of experience in voice acting and audio engineering. Even if you do, it's still best to have a second set of ears listening to your reads and directing you.
Many emerging talents try to produce their own demos, and while that might work for some low-paying clients on Fiverr, it won't succeed if you are looking for representation from a talent agency. I strongly advise avoiding DIY demos at all costs. Talent agents will recognize that you produced it yourself within the first five seconds of listening to your demo. This isn't the best way to begin a professional relationship with an agent. Instead, consider having your demos produced by professionals.
Marketing
Once you have your demos, it's time to start sending them out. This means creating a solid spreadsheet of prospective clients, agents, and producers. Creativity is essential when reaching out to buyers. Consider all the emails and calls they receive each month from new voice talents. Your emails and phone calls need to stand out. When reaching out to potential clients, ask insightful questions about their business. Highlight something interesting you found on their website. Make the call or email centered around them! Your professional demos will represent your skills effectively. Each call or email is just the beginning of establishing what will hopefully be a positive rapport with the client. Even if they don't hire you right away, it's a significant achievement when the client is willing to engage in conversation with you. Every year, I get booked by clients for the first time after reaching out to them several years earlier!
You'll need a space to showcase your demos, so a professional website is also required. Something that is professional yet user-friendly, like a one-page layout. Clients never want to feel as though they've been dropped in the middle of an amusement park when they visit your website. If it takes them longer than 10 seconds to find your demo, they'll move on to the next talent. Therefore, make it easy for them by placing your demos above the fold on a one-page website. Be sure to include an opt-in form so clients can contact you.
Don't give up!
The voiceover industry is often labeled as overly competitive. Sound familiar? I've heard it countless times too, but it's simply not true, and here's why: Many newcomers enter the voiceover field for only about a month before giving up. Why? They disregard the advice of seasoned voice actors, coaches, and talent agents. Instead of getting proper coaching, they attempt to create their own demos and rely heavily on pay-to-play audition sites. After a month of limited success, they abandon the pursuit. So, consider this: these individuals were only your competitors for a brief period before they left. Therefore, the industry isn't as competitive as it appears!
My final advice is this: if you're truly passionate about a voiceover career, you need to commit for more than just a month. While some may find success quickly, others might take months or even years. Consider other industries and how long it usually takes to see results. Voice acting is no different, regardless of what some voiceover guides or online courses may imply. The rewards are incredible, but you must be prepared to invest time and effort without expecting instant results. Best of luck, and Happy 2025!
If you are interested in training with the UVT Coaches, please visit our voiceover training course page at https://www.uvtcoaching.com/voiceover-coaching-programs
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