Here are 5 tips to ensure your voiceover business becomes productive & continues to GROW!

So, you’ve been thinking about your own business for some time now and you’ve finally decided to take the ‘bull by the horns’ throw caution to the wind and start up your own service-based business…

“ Hey guess what everyone? I’ve decided I’m becoming a voiceover talent!”

(Cue raucous applause and cheers from the whole family)

After all, Aunty Gladys has always loved your voice and says you’ll be fabulous! So, how hard can it be, right..?

…Just hold it there Ace!

Voiceover can be lots of fun, after some dedicated practice, coaching and learning to use your audio equipment, it can be a great way to make money and of course, there’s nothing nicer than being able to help others build their own businesses by using your great vocal talents to produce training videos, narrations, phone messages and the like… However, as in any ‘start up’ business, there are a few things that need to be addressed early in your venture, so as not to waste your time and most importantly, your hard-earned money.

You can set up a reasonable ‘recording booth’ for as little as a couple of hundred dollars or so if you are thrifty, well advised and do your homework.

Given the subject of ‘business success’ could fill lots and lots of books, I’ve decided to pull together 5 essential tips to ponder and I’d suggest, you get them sorted out before you commence, in order to be off to a great start and on your way to a robust, profitable and highly enjoyable voiceover business.

So, of our five points, what’s most important? Well, hard to say, as they are all important, So, let’s consider what really needs to come first.

1. Your recording space.

Of all the points listed, Your recording area is probably most important, as you can have the best microphone in the world which will sound really ordinary in a poorly treated recording space.

In saying that, you need to find a ‘quiet space’ in your home which could be a walk-in robe, a basement, a corner of a bedroom, etc that you can treat with moving blankets, acoustic foam, pillows, etc, Anything that will help to stop ‘refraction’ or sound waves bouncing off walls and windows. It’s relatively easy to do once you’ve read up on a few pointers and the web is ‘awash’ with various ways to set up a suitable recording space. Keep in mind, this space doesn’t have to be completely soundproof as there will always be lawnmowers and airplanes that can disturb your recording and sometimes you may have to schedule your sessions around your neighbors.   

2. The right equipment.

Once you have a well-treated recording space, Your Equipment or ‘sound chain’ is next. This includes:

• A Condenser or Shotgun microphone

• A DAW or (digital audio workstation software) which turns your Microphone’s analog signal into a digital waveform that can be accepted and recorded by your computer.
• A Pre-Amp to connect your Microphone to your Laptop or PC so your voiceover can be recorded into an MP3 or WAV file for editing and for sending onto your clients.
• A set of reasonable quality headphones to monitor and edit your voiceover work.
• Software Plug-ins or Hardware filters and noise gates to process and filter your recordings such as equalization, noise reduction, de-essers, de-breathers, and compression. 

3. Booking work is EVERYTHING

I’ve always said if your business isn’t growing, it’s dying… How does it grow? by the number of auditions done, networking opportunities utilized, and demo files and showreels you can place under as many potential ‘noses’ as possible…

Consistency is paramount if you are to grow your voice business and though most voiceover talents have their own ways and processes, the common practices are emailing, cold calling businesses, getting demos and showreels onto voiceover websites, and developing these systems as your business grows. 

4. Voiceover coaching.

Why would I need coaching? Aunty Gladys says I’ve got a great voice for voiceover..?

Aunty Gladys may be impressed, but a business owner and potential client that needs a measured, engaging performance from you might not be as impressed… As you are just ‘starting out’ you couldn’t possibly be expected to ‘just know’ how to speak off-axis? Or give an authoritative or verbose and domineering performance? Or possibly pull off a convincing British accent?… These are techniques that are learned, and a voiceover coach is a great place to start.

It’s also a good idea to have your studio sound assessed, just to ensure it has a low noise floor, is clean, quiet, your audio has been edited well and it’s also within acceptable audio quality standards. 

5. Business Systems as with any business, is very important.

Well, here we are at point number five…

We did touch on ‘systems’ earlier when we were talking about booking work in point three, but emailing clients, cold calling, auditioning, being on voiceover websites, etc are all important components of ‘business systems’ for a voiceover artist in order to build a successful business and we need to focus upon these system processes consistently, so we can build and grow a productive, successful, voiceover business.

Need further help in putting together a robust and easy-to-follow business system for your voiceover business?

Just get in touch via the contact details below and I’ll assist in helping you put together a profitable voiceover business that even Aunty Edna will be proud of…

You’re gonna be great! Just look at you Go!!

To your very own voiceover success,

Anthony Pica,

Voice talent, Coach, Mentor, and Audio Producer.

- A VO’s Journey.