Staying Connected

You network. You audition. You gain clients. You create strategic relationships. All of these efforts are crucial to being successful in any field and yet are particularly important in the voice over industry. Staying connected can be a challenge, however, and the holiday season is an opportune time to reconnect.

Consider sending Happy Thanksgiving cards to your contacts in the United States with a simple message of appreciation. Contacts who reside outside of the United States may not celebrate Thanksgiving but will welcome a sentiment of appreciation too, so send them a letter of gratitude. Perhaps you prefer more of a Happy Holidays or Happy New Year approach. Go for it! Wish them the very best and abundant success in the coming year!

Everyone wants to feel important. Everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated. People like to be remembered. The point is to reconnect and the opportunities to do so are not limited to the holiday season or birthdays. So take a little time to show your sincere appreciation and to remember those who have brought value into your life and your voice over business. You may find this small gesture of gratitude not only lifts your spirits, but also yields unexpected benefits in return.

Popularity: 5%

Brand You!

You are the entire package!  You have the skills, the personality, the training, the equipment and home studio setup, the knowledge, dedication, and attention to detail.  You’re it!  But how will anyone know?

It’s all about your brand. Regardless of your voice over prowess you need to figure out your brand.  Your brand is your image, your reputation, how people come to know you and what you’re about!  Competition is fierce, and as a voice over talent, if you don’t know how to brand yourself, much less know your brand, you might as well step into oblivion.

The concept is simple really.  Assess your strengths and what makes you unique.  Think of how you want to be known and begin positioning yourself.  What do you need to do to make your vision of you a reality?  You definitely need to have the obvious business cards, web site, demo, and social media presence.  That’s a given.

Here’s where the pros differ from the amateurs. Consistency.  Frequency. Quality.  Value.  Exposure.  The consistency and the frequency, and the quality and the value of your exposure are critical components of your brand.  Look at your current exposure. Is it consistently portraying the level of quality you deliver?  Is it portraying the value of what you have to offer?  How often are the right people exposed to your brand?  Now take a look at the opportunities to improve in each of those areas and begin!

Branding takes time and effort, but it is time and effort well invested.  Your brand speaks for you when you are not present to speak for yourself.  The fact remains, whether you choose to brand yourself or not, you will be branded!  The pros are sought after not solely for their voice over skills, but because they branded themselves so their voice over skills would be sought after.  What’s your brand?

Popularity: 6%

Removing the Risk!

Risk is inherent in progress and growth and is an integral component of doing business.  Companies take risks, calculated risks, investing considerable time and money developing the products and services they offer and bringing them to the market.  As voice talents, we are sometimes part of the product (narration, animation, video games), part of the service (telephony, p.a. announcements), or part of the promotion of the product or service (commercials, radio imaging).  Regardless of our role, what we do is an instrumental element of their strategic plan.   So what’s your strategic value?  Are you worth the risk?   Of all voice talents vying for the job, why choose you?

Fair questions, all of them.

Effectively removing the risk of doing business with you requires a new vantage point, that of the client.  Simply put, if you were to hire a voice talent for a multi-million dollar investment, would you hire you or someone else?

Here are some points to ponder.

Your performance is paramount!  Preparation is key!  You must be able to deliver the script in such a way that the intended audience not only hears it, but takes it in and acts upon it.  The client is looking for a return on investment; give it to them with your delivery.

Demos are your resume and should showcase the versatility of your range. Make sure your demos are a professionally produced, current, and accurate representation of your abilities as a voice over talent.  The client wants to hire a professional and your demos should reflect your professionalism.

Image and reputation count.  Spending time developing both is crucial.  Post client testimonials on your website.  Network to increase your exposure as a voice over talent.  Contribute to charitable causes by donating your voice. Collaborate with other voice talents.  Share your knowledge and experience with others by blogging about information relevant to the industry.  Leverage the power of social media marketing.   Be a person of your word.  Become known as a person they need to know.

Listen and take direction well.  Then implement it!  This may require a sense of humor and some creativity, especially when the client’s direction is unclear or contradictory; however, your willingness to get it right and do the extra takes necessary, is a reflection of your commitment to the client.  Having a positive attitude and being easy to work with is important.  Make it easy for the client to do business with you!

You are the product.  You are the service.  You are the total package. Companies take a risk when choosing a voice over talent – eliminate the risk and get the job!

Popularity: 13%

Bringing Your A-Game

You are your business.  No you, no business.  So it makes perfect sense that taking care of you must be a top priority.  Yet amidst the to do lists, the daily challenges of running a business, putting out fires, auditioning, recording spots, and a sundry of life’s little curve balls thrown our way, it’s easy to get lost in the mix and slip out of the running.  It’s easy to become last on our priority list.

Last place.  Nobody likes last place!  We dread it.   It’s what we strive to avoid. Yet if we are last place on the priority list in our own lives, how can we be anything else in our professional lives?  As a voice talent, last place is not an option!  You either get the gig or you don’t.  Getting the gig requires bringing your A-Game!  You can’t bring your A-Game if you don’t have it to bring! Bringing your A-Game requires taking care of you, getting enough sleep, eating the right foods, exercising, and taking time for yourself.

A tired voice is not a hired voice!  Lack of sleep will show up in your vocal delivery and will affect your performance.  It will also affect your mental clarity.  Aim for 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night.

You are what you eat!   Eating clean and staying hydrated will provide your body with the proper nutrients, boost your immune system, boost your metabolism, and give you energy.  Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes, lean protein sources, and healthy fats.  Drink water, lots and lots of water and green tea to stay hydrated.  Sodas, energy drinks, and other caffeinated beverages will tighten the vocal chords and dehydrate you.

Exercise.  If the sight of the word makes you want to run away, go for it!  Getting at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity 5 to 6 days a week will severely boost your attitude, mental clarity, energy, and metabolism!

All work and no play makes for a dreaded life day by day.  Taking time for you is necessary, not selfish! You are only one person but you are still just that, a person!  You are a person with interests, friends, and family.  Take some time to enjoy these and you will be much easier to relate to and a lot less stressed!

When you make taking care of you a priority, the ironic thing is that others will too!  They will treat you with more respect because you treat yourself with more respect.  You will become a priority in their minds because you are a priority in your own mind.  You will bring your A-Game because it’s the only game you have to bring!

Popularity: 5%

The Truth About Voice Over Demos

Demos!  You’ve gotta have ‘em and they’ve gotta be awesome!  So what does it take to get an awesome demo?  First, understand what a demo is and what it isn’t.  A demo is a critical tool, and without it, you’re not in business.  It’s your calling card; it’s what gets you in the door!  A demo is not just a bunch of spots thrown together and it’s definitely not something to skimp on or cut corners in producing.  Your demo reflects your level of professionalism, your range, and the value you have to offer the client.  It should provide just enough of a sampling to whet their appetite, draw them in, and leave them wanting for more, and should showcase your range and versatility.

All of this takes proper preparation and training.  No amount of producing or background music will cover a talent’s inability to effectively deliver a variety of scripts.  Get proper training and coaching before you cut your demo!

Every spot on your demo should be unique with the goal of highlighting your range and vocal abilities.  Additionally, each spot should sound real, as if it were a paid gig.  Pay attention to detail in your takes, the client most certainly will! The goal should be to make them want you!

Keep your demos clean and keep them up to date.  Your demos need to be an accurate representation of you and your abilities.  If your demos are outdated, the perception is that you are too!  Be authentically you and be your best!

Invest in professionally produced demos!  Work with a coach and director who is also a voice talent and producer, who understands the importance of a proper demo, someone who will be brutally honest with you, who is reputable, and knows how to produce awesome demos!  You should be able to listen to samples of their previous demos.  Is the music appropriate?  Do the spots flow well?  Does it sound clean or over-produced?  Can you depict the versatility of the voice talent in the demo or is it just same voice, different background music?  Be critical!

Demo production is definitely an investment and much of the expense is due to production costs.  Licensed music can be very expensive.  The time to properly edit and mix the audio tracks of the demo and add the music is also quite time consuming.  Producers who are worth the price are also voice talents and coaches who have earned the ability to command a decent rate for their services, as the opportunity cost is that of paid gigs they could also be doing.  This also accounts for the wide range of prices for demo production.

Look for the value not just the price!  You get what you pay for and the most expensive is not always the best. This is an investment in your business that requires due diligence on your part.  Your demo speaks for you.  What is yours saying?

Popularity: 14%