VOICE OVER MARKETING

Your Efforts Add Up…But Only If You Make Them

My best friend and his wife visited this weekend to see my band Random Battles play and see our beautiful new house and of course Aria, and we had an in-depth conversation about reconnecting with our past selves as a way of moving forward in our lives. Highlighting the people we’ve met, the friends we’ve lost touch with along the way, and how everything seems to come down to willpower and our own efforts, be it in work or relationships or eating and brushing your teeth. As daunting and maybe unfair as it is, the truth is that after a certain age, everything really is completely up to you and your ability to put energy forth into the world.

A Voice Over Actor and Stay at Home Dad

I’m a stay at home dad now. A client referred to me as such recently during a nice, casual session over Source-Connect (which is very nice and I love every chance I get to use it since it means I don’t have to edit), another reminder of why my job is great and that I should appreciate that more. Nobody had really put it that way to me yet, and it sounded odd to me at first. In my head I was like, well, no, I’m a voice actor. So that means inherently that I mostly work from home… so, yeah, I AM a stay-at-home dad by definition, too. Huh.

Also, that home is owned by my wife and me, so, that’s another job. Beyond cooking and cleaning, there are structural and mechanical repairs that need to be made, improvements needed to increase value and survive this ludicrous amount of rain we’ve been getting, renovations to the loft I’ve started but not finished, stuff we knew about from the home reports and stupidly postponed. A lot of stuff we didn’t and needed to address immediately.

Doing Your Vo Work Daily Takes Discipline

It’s an incredible amount of work and mental energy to maintain a home. With a fresh, new baby in it which, turns out, needs like 60% of your life force on a daily basis (in a…good…way?). While also needing to force yourself to do every single job required to make your VO career work. I really took that time I had not fathering for granted, because I’m feeling the effects of the reduction of effort I’ve been applying to my career. I’m learning about feast and famine on a much longer term scale than I’ve ever had to deal with before. I’m seeing my competition -ahem- I mean other voiceover talent pulling up beside me, appearing in my immediate surroundings, becoming more numerous and skilled and well-marketed, and I don’t know how to feel about that. And most scarily of all, I know what I don’t know about my abilities as a one man business owner, performer, and engineer. Basically, I’m realizing that I cut corners early on and I need to rebuild again.

But there is always hope.

Marketing Efforts Work If You Put the Work In

I recently booked a job, coming through my site (10,000% the best way to hire me, if there’s any question about that, regardless of how you found me, btw) that had retained my information from an introductory marketing email. From 2014. Probably four months after I started, probably touting demos that were not…good, considering I never put much money into coaching and made them myself in a studio I built…myself. Look, I’m bad at asking for help and have always gotten by doing everything myself, and I’m trying to change that.

Anyway.

The email had VO in the subject head, she kept it, did a search and saw my newer, God-I-hope improved site, and booked me. Which felt really nice, knowing even my paltry, unanswered opening cold email was eventually read and did a lot more than I could expect it to without me doing anything but be the professional I am today.

So even though marketing can be a droll slog and auditioning is literally screaming into the void on a daily basis, you gotta do it. Consistently too. And keep learning. Keep figuring out tiny nuggets of information like how to incorporate and do your taxes properly and navigate the worlds of insurance, health care, industry banking, investments, home ownership, fatherhood, and the like. And when you realize you need help, ask for it. Hard work does pay off, and so does easy work. So do. It’s not…THAT hard, I guess. You do have a lifetime to figure it out, so there’s that.

Rex

Circlin’ The Wagons Back to Those Old Freelance Sites

VOICE OVER MARKETING

Fiverr. Upwork. Mandy. Guru. I’ve been revisiting my entire structure lately, figuring out how to make something more sustainable and consistent, and less reliant on commercial work. Which is fantastic, of course, but not the most…well, consistent. Or reliable.

And reliable is what I need now that I have a baby and I’m kinda freaking out all the time.

It’s wise to have a ‘diversified portfolio’ of sources for your VO work, as a wise person once told me. Commercial work is great in the places you can find it, but there’s direct marketing, P2P’s, building your own website/web presence…

…And those freelance sites you (I) may have frequented in the past, but have lately all but ignored (like me). Are they worth revisiting?

Let’s find out!

Using Fiverr For Voice Over: Is It Really Only Five Dollars?

Evidently you can charge whatever you want on Fiverr nowadays, debunked a common criticism of selling yourself for five dollars. I’ve heard enough hullabaloo around the internet about people making most of their VO income from tons of short ‘n’ sweet, low-paying gigs from Fiverr, and from looking at some of the profiles on there, it definitely looks to be working for some folk.

Back when the default rate was $5, I and most of my ilk and creed turned our collective nose up at Fiverr, but you know what? I have a daughter to feed now. I have a mortgage.

Plus you can charge whatever you want, effectively making it Whateverr (which I think is a better name anyway). So, it’s all fixed now?

Well not entirely. The possible reputation hit taken by being associated with Fiverr can still bite you in the butt in some situations. Plus, the ridiculous number of hoops needing to be jumped through just to make an honest product available is too much for me. There’s a weird science to making cheap looking VO rates, but padding them with tons of little add-ons in order to build it back up to a standard rate. It feels disingenuous.

Ultimately, I’ve decided to keep away for now.

Upwork Increases Its Support for Voice Over Actors

Upwork now has the ability to save much more specific service profiles than in the past, giving you the ability to make a Voice Over profile complete with samples, spaces for testimonials, a client list, certifications, and more, much like a LinkedIn or VDC profile.

It also displays an hourly rate, which is where Upwork hasn’t changed.

Quoting clients on Upwork feels a bit like cramming a round peg in a square hole. As my projects tend to be charged per finished minute, per word, or per project, only one of Upwork’s two rate models is really usable for VO actors, unless you make an agreement ahead of time what ‘hours’ really means. Currently I have a project where the finished minute, how I usually charge for e-Learning voice over work, is represented by an hour, for example. It’d be nice to see this aspect of Upwork expanded upon, but it’s still workable if you get a bit creative with it.

Mandy and Guru Profiles for Voice Over

I’ve honestly never seen any real leads come through either of these sources. I’ve had profiles up for as long as I’ve been in business, and for whatever reason, they’re both ghost towns in my experience. It’s very possible someone else’s experience has been different, but I did not find the activity available on other platforms here.

There’s a lot of potential out there, and it feels like the competition has really stepped up, so it’s time to recheck the ole game plan and fortify those marketing efforts.

That, and maybe I’m feeling a little ‘conscious incompetent’ and realizing the transition from that to competence is scary and hard. Hoo boy.

Did I mention I had a baby recently?

Hoo boy.

Rex

[update: this blog was updated on April 27, 2021.]

Tips on Where to Find Work, 2018 Edition

VOICE OVER ADVICE, VOICE OVER MARKETING, VOICE OVER RESOURCES

Boy howdy did the voiceover landscape change since I got started! Voicebank was swallowed whole by Voices.com, curated audio became all the rage, more and more (and more and more) P2P sites cropped up, and it seems like everyone and their brother wants to get in on the action. I recently started cutting proto demos with a couple of friends getting into the field, when the question on my mind all day every day popped up: “Where do you find work?”

It’s a complicated question, and frankly there are more qualified people out there you should be asking. But since you’re here, I’ll give you a few quick tips on things I did to establish myself. In fact, I shall give you three of them.

Internet Presence is Key

To get in the game, you need a website. And I don’t mean a profile on Voices.com masquerading as your “website”. Get a Squarespace account and build a real site. Then maybe get a professional to build you a real real site, once you know you’re in this to win it. Along with that, find every P2P that will let you have a free profile and make one. Google VO casting sites and have a ball. You’ll learn a lot about what’s expected of you across a broad spectrum of places, which range from….I’m not gonna lie to you, most casting sites out there look kinda crummy. Some don’t; I actually really like a couple systems out there, but they’re pretty few and far between. Not to say they’re not effective; I mean, the jury’s gonna be out on that regardless. But! Every site helps to grow your name, your demos’ presence, and your overall online searchability. So get your name there everywhere you can stick it.

Same goes for making content and posting it. Blogs, videos, podcasts, anything you can create within the purview of your brand, help boost your visibility. Also, social media yadda yadda yadda. You probably don’t need me to tell you how Twitter works. Hell, I don’t even have a Twitter account anymore. Maybe I’m a curmudgeonly old man, but operating pretty much any social media account as a business felt really forced for me. Maybe I’ll get back into it one day.

I suppose this falls more into letting work find you than you finding work, but to that effect, lemme tell ya…getting work to find you is far more preferable.

Anyway.

VO is a Hustle – Hit the Pavement

Beyond the P2P’s and the casting databases are the folks you’ll be working for. And the folks they work for. And sometimes, the folks they work for. There’s a pretty layered infrastructure out there, and a lot of your time will be spent navigating the various production houses, b2b marketing companies, advertising and marketing firms, and all the other various levels you can try to penetrate. Direct-to-client is the best, but a lot of work ends up coming my way via third party studios as well. Google around, poke through the internet, get numbers and email addresses, and suss out the truffles of leads that may or may not be there.

Word of Mouth Will Grow Your Business

The internet is great and all, but your community is the best place to build your business. Find friends, friends of friends, associates of friends of friends, anyone who has a position that may be need voiceover work, and hook up with them. Once your reputation grows and people know you for what you do, you’ll be off to the races.

Hope this helps!

Rex

Straight Talk About Voice Over as a Career

VOICE OVER ADVICE, VOICE OVER MARKETING

It’s a business. Do you know how to run a business? It’s hard. It’s a huge undertaking that consumes a large part of your identity. Make a website, make profiles on VO sites, market, get testimonials, maintain a blog, reach out to experts, market, get into conventions, perhaps start a podcast, MARKET, etc. Do it all, and then some, until you get results. Then keep doing it. But remember, this also means creating a legal entity, keeping books, building an invoice system, marketing your ass off, and paying taxes among many other responsibilities, should you be so lucky.

In Voice Over, You’re Selling You

You’re a salesman first and foremost, particularly if you’re selling yourself as a commercial voice. Your product is, of course, your voice. Learn all the necessary skills to make this product. Go to market with this product. This is your job. Recording a job in a booth is a benefit to this job. You also includes your gear, so also be prepared to get into audio gear, a lifelong obsession.

If your product sucks, it will fail. Your product (voice) should be good, meaning that it solves the casting agent’s/casting director’s/client’s problem. Figure out what that means and then deliver it. There are a million books and blogs on the subject. Read them. Practice. What is it, 40,000 hours before you’re really good at something? Get going on that.

Self-Awareness Brings Focus to Your Efforts

Knowing your limitations is great, but don’t limit your options. I do audiobooks, commercials, cartoons, podcasts, video games, industrials, corporate training videos, museum tours, corporate retreat openers, toys, medical simulations, wearable apps, documentaries, film trailers, and whatever else people start needing voiceover for (in addition to live and on-camera acting, singing, writing and performing music, audio engineering, and modeling).

Learn how to perform, study acting, and you can do any kind of voice over work. It helps to be a musician, perform theatre and improv; to record, edit, and mix audio like a professional is also pretty crucial.

Voice Over is Not a Side Gig

If you’re not full time or close to it in the beginning, you run the risk of progressing too slowly and losing interest or hope. It’s a lifestyle choice, not a job. You need to be able to commit to it.

There’s work out there, I know that much. You just have to find it, convince the client you’re the best one to do it, do the job, and get paid. Do that a ton for a long time for a lot of different people and you’ll be a voice actor.

Rex

Don’t Like Voices or Voice123? Check These Sites Out.

PAY TO PLAYS, VOICE OVER MARKETING

Pay to play sites are here to stay. Voices and Voice123 rule the roost for now, but they have some of the highest yearly fees and lowest quality gigs around. They’re the Wal-Mart of P2P’s; no gig turned away, no budget too small. Sure, there are more gigs than you could possibly ever audition for, but after being on Voices for about nine months now, I’m frustrated by the sheer number of postings with poorly written copy, or “sample” scripts that comprise entire 500-word plus projects, or hilariously microscopic budgets (I know I’m still a rookie, but I’m not doing a national TV spot for 100 dollars and neither should you). Voices has been a decent learning experience if nothing else, giving me access to tons of active copy that occasionally does lead to paid work. However, there are other sites out there that are definitely worth exploring and possibly investing in.

e-Learning Voices/Commercial Voices

These sites are run by VoiceOverXtra’s Rick Gordon. These sites target specific fields of VO, maintain small rosters of vetted talent, and encourage clients to select talent based off of their profiles and demos rather than have everyone compete through auditions.

Kingdom Voices

Having a niche is crucial for anyone’s business. Kingdom Voices deals only with faith-based voice projects. Again, they vet their talent and keep their rosters small, something I think all working VO artists would want in a site. While I don’t have personal experience with the site, their annual rate is much lower than Voices and the profiles allow for videos in addition to audio demos. Worth checking out if you want to work with faith-based communities.

[update]: Kingdom Voices is closed.

United Voice Talent

While it’s not the prettiest site in the world, I’m frequently invited to UVT auditions, all of which are well worth the time investment. Their pay structure is based on “talent hours”, which are reflective of current union rates. It’s audition based and you’re not allowed to contact the client on your own, but at least the rates are fair and you’re not inundated with hundreds of postings that aren’t worth your time. Talent, again, is pre-qualified and there is no yearly fee. If you’re in the VO game already, this one’s pretty much a no-brainer.

The Voice That Speaks Volumes

Ms. Tish, a great voice talent in her own right, recently got into the casting game with this site. It’s still very new, but being a talent herself, her approach takes the talent into consideration. With no fees, quality auditions, and personal email invites to pre-vetted talent (are we seeing a trend here?), Ms. Tish really seems to be moving in the right direction. I’ve already started seeing auditions for some great projects from Ms. Tish, and I look forward to seeing where she goes next.

[update] Also gone.

Voiver

Voiver is still in beta, but I’m very excited to see where this one goes. They’re handpicking talent and have some very promising features in the pipeline. Without giving too much away, they’re changing the way the talent interacts with the client. Usually these sites operate in relative anonymity. I rarely talk directly to a client with Voices, rather I just get a yay or nay dispensed through the booking agent.

A balanced approach utilizing all of these tools, as well as the traditional routes of casting agencies, mailing campaigns, cold calling, and good old fashioned word of mouth are all needed to be successful.

Rex

Every Job Feeds Into the Next

VOICE OVER ADVICE, VOICE OVER MARKETING

I was recently interviewed for a college survey project about my career as a voice actor. This is the first time I’ve given an interview because of my VO work. Throughout the interview, I noticed most of my answers had a bent toward marketing and advertising. I hope I didn’t bore my interviewer too much by making the magical world of VO sound like a business 101 lecture. But there was one point I happened to make to that I wanted to explore.

Before Voice Over

I haven’t been a voice actor for very long (I went “full-time” back in October). Before, I was a wedding DJ, maintenance, audio engineer, server, bartender, HUD appraisal manager, IT tech, and graphic artist. As you may imagine, none of these industries have a ton of crossover. But, I’ve taken the skills and tricks I’ve learned from each of these jobs and applied them to my current endeavors.

This is what constructs my unique business approach: You may have sat down to a Pro Tools session in a studio, but have you ever replaced the carpet and tiles in that room? Have you been the delivery guy who brought you lunch? You’ve been a wedding guest, but have you been the valet, server, maitre’d, bartender, and/or DJ? While this may not seem relevant to voiceover, these experiences have shaped my outlook and informed how I approach challenges. I’ve sold myself as a DJ to brides for years, which taught me all the ropes as far as selling yourself goes. Improv skills help in that realm just as much as behind the mic, by the way.

Your Experiences Make You Who You Are

I couldn’t have built my own home studio without having learned construction on-the-job. I wouldn’t have appreciated the freedom and empowerment running my own business is without having sat in many offices on many boring days. Those memories are the catalyst for building a successful business. And let me tell you, it’s a hell of a good one.

Just Get Up Every Day and Do It

As I progress in my business, now every job feeds into the next by way of word of mouth or repeat business. Even my side hustles align: I’m performing a school assembly, acting in a short film, and producing Meanwhile, at the Skullbase. In five years, who knows? Maybe I’ll be discerning between audiobook work and IVR. A guy can dream.

Rex

443.692.7260

voice@rexanderson.com

REX ANDERSON