Voice Over Blog

Those working in the realm of marketing are more than likely aware that a multimedia elements can prove valuable additions to just about any campaign. Though the audio/visual approach to marketing was honed on more traditional media such as television, the advent of the Internet has left us with even greater opportunities, including but certainly not limited to webinars, podcasts, and YouTube videos.

Any of these media or any combination thereof allow you valuable lines of communication, but you should never neglect to develop an effective, professionally done audio element to supplant visual or textual marketing. In addition to utilizing music and other contextual sonic elements, you may want to consider things like narration or a catchy slogan to accent your message.

Hiring a voice over artist will help you create a compelling and high-impact segment for your target market. No matter what type of advertising method you choose, any audio segments need to be developed with voice over talent; here are six reasons why:

1. Voice overs make your brand more memorable. Associating a unique, likable voice with your marketing is a great way to give your brand a more recognizable, human element. Since potential customers are exposed to so much faceless advertising each day, unique touches like the perfect voice can set you apart.

2. A high-quality voice over shows professionalism. When you’re speaking to a large potential audience, you’re going to want to ensure that you’re expressing your message in a manner that makes you look good. The right voice over talent will make your marketing seem polished and professional, and this will reflect on your organization as a whole.

3. Voice overs differentiate you from your competition. For marketers attempting to sell a product or service in an already-crowded market, the only way to position yourself as a leading member of your industry is to immediately evoke a unique, powerful presence. Professional voice overs are a great way to achieve this.

4. Voice overs help to create a high-impact message. While print and web-based media are some of the most sought-after advertising mediums available, voice overs can complement and enhance your marketing strategy. Podcasting, audio presentations, and even online commercials all require some form of narration; you can deliver your slogan or marketing message with voice overs strategically designed for high impact.

5.To drive up website hits. In the marketing world of today, it is becoming more and common for everything to point back to one’s online presence. In your marketing campaigns, it’s a great idea to incorporate messages that lead back to your website, and voice overs, whether contained in podcasts, webinars, or other, more traditional media, provide a great opportunity to do this.

6. To make the most of your marketing dollar. Television spots are great, but let’s face it: they’re expensive. Production costs can also be restrictive when it comes to creating online video. Investing in a voice of by a professional voice actor or actress can be a cost-effective way to increase the impact of your marketing.

About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Been Providing the Voice Talent for Dozens of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.

In marketing today, the perfect voice over can be the element that turns an advertising campaign that is simply good into a great one.  Picking a voice with which your target market will identify, you can forge a human connection with your audience and enjoy the resultant boost in sales.

If you’re considering adding a voice over element to your business’s marketing plan, here are some of the key industry terms, definitions, and terminology you’ll come across:  

Audition Tapes:  Along with their applications, potential vocal talent will send an audition tape containing a few brief examples of their work.  These are useful in keeping track of your prospects and comparing their individual skills and talents.

Demo Tapes:  As part of the interview process, you will want applicants to, in addition to submitting an audition tape, complete a demo tape recording of a sample script that you have picked out. If you choose the right sample script, these demo tapes can be a great help in picking the right actor or actress for the job.

Recording Studio:  In order to obtain a demo tape, audition tape, or other vocal performance, you’ll need a studio in which to records.  If your voice actor or actress has a recording studio setup in his or her, you may be able to save on renting a space for your project.

ISDN Voiceover:  Professional voice over talent will record most of their work in a home studio that makes use of ISDN technology. These recordings are sharper and more fine-tuned than the average recording studio.

Commercial Voice Overs:  These are primarily targeting customers with a direct sales approach, and will push a product or service as part of the script. Commercial voice overs are powerful marketing tools that can deliver a message with high impact.

Narrative Voice Overs:  These voice overs are not recorded for the express purpose of sales, but accompany some sort of video recording, complementing the story told by  the on-screen action. You should not, however, discount their worth in marketing projects, as they can complement video advertisements exceedingly well.

Impressions:  These are the types of voice overs that impersonate a famous person, celebrity, or imitate an historically famous personality.  Impressions are a great way to make your message stand apart from the competition, and you can find many royalty-free scripts with this distinguishing feature in mind.

Performers’ Unions:  Voice actors and actresses are often part of these professional organizations, which assist them in developing their craft and negotiate market rates. The Screen Artists Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) are the unions you will most frequently encounter in working with voice talent.

Actors:  Voice over professionals are often individuals who were trained in drama and gravitated to the field of voice work because of their marketable skills and talents. A skilled voice actor or actress is a huge asset to any marketing project.

Whether you’re working with actors, professional artists, or just sourcing for new talent, you’ll need a process to find the right match for your project.  Being comfortable with the terminology of the industry can help you work with professionals and find the right fit with ease.

About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Been Providing the Voice Talent for Dozens of Companies and Agencies Since 1991.

When you’re searching for the right match in voice over talent, there are a few key traits that set apart the good from the great. Hiring great voice over talent means you can count on professional services and enhance your advertising for maximum impact. Whether you’re creating slogans, delivering a narration, or just need a voice over artist to stage a mock conversation, finding the right fit is an important part of your marketing plan. Voice over talent agents can work with you to narrow down a few choices, but the final decision rests in your hands.  

These are a few of the characteristics that add up to an outstanding voice over artist:

1.He or she has  a believable voice.  Though there is certainly a place for exaggerated narration in the style of an announcer or newscaster, you’re generally going to want an actor or actress who can perform naturally in a wide range of vocal styles.

2.The voice over has the right pitch and tone. Voice over artists are constantly practicing different pitches and tones of their voice so that they can create their own ‘music.’ This ensures that their voice stands apart from the rest; take the time to listen for distinct characteristics that make them different from other actors and actresses.

3.High-quality demo tapes. The tapes you receive from potential voice actors and actresses will be a great asset to you once your face-to-face interviews are over. Take advantage of the snapshot of an actor or actress’s work that these tapes provide, and use this insight in making your final decision.

4.Versatility. This is fairly self-explanatory; a truly skilled voice over professional will have the skill and talent necessary to perform well in a wide variety of dissimilar projects. Whether authoritatively reading off facts and figures, or attempting to make listeners laugh, a true professional will shine.

5.He or she exhibits a good vocal flow. In everyday speech, most of us stop and start erratically, and do not have much control over our speed.  In the case of a professional voice over artist, this should not be so - a voice actor or actress should be able to speak in a fluid manner.

6.He or she can provide you with references. You should always ask for references from potential voice talent, and, furthermore, you should always take the few minutes necessary to look into them. Don’t underestimate the importance of this part of the interviewing process.

7.Energy, enthusiasm, and stamina. Those with experience in voice over know that it it is never a matter of simply reading a few lines and collecting a paycheck. Your voice actor or actress should be able to withstand the sometimes lengthy series of takes required to get it right, without becoming either mentally or vocally fatigued.

Interviewing potential voice talent may, at times, feel tedious, but in reality it is a key factor in the success of your project.  If you can find a voice actor or actress with all of the aforementioned traits during the interview process, you will save yourself a lot of time and trouble down the road.

Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Artist from Minneapolis, MN and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.

The sheer number of voice actors vying for jobs today can be a little overwhelming when you’re looking for the one perfect candidate to represent your project.  Take your search online can be a great way to streamline the process of finding the right voice actor for the job.

The internet offers many resource and options for putting together your multimedia project.  You can locate scripts from a database, or create a script of your own and find just the right tone and theme by reviewing samples of other companies in a few clicks.  The web allows you to view artist portfolios and samples with ease;  many professionals upload clips of previous projects as samples which saves you time during your hiring process, and can help you narrow down your search.  From reviewing resumes to conducting online interviews, the internet is making the voice over talent search much easier and effective.

Still, when you are trying to find the right match online, you’ll need a strategy and process that will maximize your efforts.  You can waste countless hours searching and sourcing candidates, only to find out that they won’t follow through on a project or even submit a quality sample.  Knowing what to look for and how to proceed online can make your interviews and auditions much more valuable.  Here are the steps involved when hiring a voice over artist over the web:

1.  After you you initially contact a potential hire, ask for a sample of their work.  If the person in question is the true professional they claim to be, they will have .mpeg samples on hand to send to you, or will direct you to a site where you can heir their work.  This first step goes a long way towards weeding out candidates who aren’t serious about getting the job.

2. Ask potential hires for a resume. Any serious voice actor or actress should be able to provide a formal resume, complete with his or her employment history and references.  Speaking of references, they’re there for a reason; you should make sure to contact two or more of the past employers listed in order to get a balanced assessment of the performance you can expect from a potential hire.

3. Ask the candidate for a preferred rate.  You should make sure you understand how much the actor would like to be paid, and when.  Actors may want to be compensated either per hour or per project, and though some do not mind being compensated on delivery, others may want a portion up front.

4. Interview candidates by telephone. Barring the possibility of meeting your prospect in person, speaking to him or her on the telephone is the best way to familiarize yourself with a potential voice actor or actress. In addition to discussing the candidates’ employment history and gauging their experience and professionalism, you can have him them demonstrate their abilities with a brief reading.

5. Ask if your voice talent is equipped to provide services digitally.  It is increasingly common for voice over artists to set up studios in their own homes.  If your actor or actress is able to record his or her performance from home and send it to you over the Internet, this means that you will save on the costs associated with travel and the shipping of tapes.

Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Artist from Minneapolis, MN and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Dozens of Companies and Agencies Since 1991.

Hiring a voice over actor or actress means that you must go through a process that involves scheduling interviews, listening to demos of the various applicants, and having potential hires read from a sample script.  The right sample script will help you to get more out of your interviews than you would otherwise; your applicants’ readings will serve as helpful examples of the kind of work they will produce if you ultimately choose to hire him or her.

It’s up to you how much time you give them to rehearse each piece, but most experienced individuals can complete their testing within a few hours.  Since they’ll be reading directly from paper, they will just need time to practice their lines, learn about the background or nature of the script, and proceed accordingly.  There are very few cases where a voice over script will need to be memorized word for word; since the recording will take place in a studio, your talent will have the script right in front of them.

Many companies struggle with determining what type of tone and style they are looking for.  The best way to start is to narrow down who you are marketing to .  Learning the demographics of the target market will help you narrow down the different types of voices that would be most appropriate for your advertising or other promotions.  This approach can also help eliminate most of the voice over talent applicants during the initial stages, making your hiring process much easier.

Regardless of exactly what it is that you’re marketing, you’re going to need several different scripts in order to judge the nature of a particular actor or actress’s talents.  Think about what your company is trying to produce.  Are you looking to create an informal, humorous advertisement, and therefore seeking a voice that will make your audience laugh?  Are you trying to create an air of journalistic integrity, necessitating a more authoritative-sounding voice?  The tone that you ultimately want in your finished product will serve as the basis for your sample script.

To find a suitable script, all you really need to do is log on to the Internet.  The databases available (often for free) online invaluable resources, and you can perform searches based on subject, theme, or keyword, to find exactly the script you need. With these resources at your fingertips, you’ll be able to find  a sample script that matches the tone and style of your marketing, as well as selections that will challenge your potential hires. Don’t discount the helpfulness of online resources if you have elected to write your own, original script; you’ll still find plenty of useful scripts that you can reference as you write.

The final step involves completing a demo script.  Demo scripts need to be recorded so you can review them side by side with the entire applicant pool; it’s important to capture at least two to three different scripts per applicant that demonstrate the talent’s ability to be flexible, and gauge their comfort level with various styles.  Demos can be recorded in your own recording studio, or requested as part of the initial application.

About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.