Voice Over Teleseminar on Using Social Media

In this free teleseminar – Terry Daniel and Dave Courvoisier discuss how to use Social Media to promote your Voice Over services.

Dave Courvoisier is a voice actor and an Emmy award winning broadcaster who currently anchors the news at KLAS-TV in Las Vegas.  He recently teamed up with Terry Daniel at Voice 2010 in Los Angeles to deliver a keynote presentation on social networking and the voiceover industry.

Members login to view this content. (Not a member? Join today!)

Popularity: 17%

Don LaFontaine: The Voice

Remembering Don LaFontaine, who died a year ago today.

Popularity: 12%

The Different Types Of Voice Over Work

Here are some of the different types of opportunities available to voice talent today.

Commercial: Contrary to popular belief this form of voice over is mostly for voice actors as it generally requires playing a role of a character. Playing a character does not always mean a funny voice it more often than not means playing a role of what may seem as an everyday person, more importantly a believable character. As much as we still hear many commercials with one announcer reading a script in an in your face “buy now” style, the more affective form and most widely used form of commercial is through creative writing and role playing by the voice actor.

Television Promo: This is one form of voice over that many people believe is easy, my theory is that it only looks easy because the people doing it are so good at their job they make it look easy. Reading a TV Promo script can be one of the most challenging forms of voice over as it requires the voice talent to become part of the pre produced promo. What many seem to forget is that TV Promo voice over’s are also selling a product. Whether it is the Prime Time News, a Drama Series or the Late Night Movie the aim of the VO is to make it a “must see”. There is an art to it and out of the select few who have gone on to be the familiar voices we trust on our television sets there is still only a handful who have mastered the art.

Narration: There are so many possibilities that can fall under the banner of Narration. It could be a documentary, corporate or training video, an audio tour guide at a museum or even interactive training with a new software package. One of the wonderful plusses of this type of voice work is that more often than not the clients are looking for someone who can sound pleasant and real while being engaging and understandable. This is not necessarily an easy feat and I will go into more detail about sounding real a little later. Nonetheless there are so many different possibilities and opportunities for this type of work it can sometimes be a great starting point for people.

Audio Book: This is probably the fastest growing industry in the voice over world and there are many voice professionals making a lucrative career out of reading audio books. There is an art to it of course and it can also be dissected into numerous categories. There are people who specialize in reading character driven fiction and there are those who read information driven non fiction and each is an art in itself.

Podcast: Believe it or not many of the podcasts you tune into are presented by hired voices. Quite often the person who has a message to get across and especially those who have a product to promote and sell will hire a voice that will present better than themselves. Like narration this voice will need to be pleasant and real and more importantly they will need to sound like the information is coming directly from them, this is in fact a huge part of voice over and voice acting as a whole and we will go into more detail shortly.

Radio Imaging: We all have favorite radio stations and more often than not we become very familiar with the voices that come on between the music reminding us what station we are listening to… and why. Like TV promo this quite often seems easier than it actually is. Remembering that a large selection of the voices who do these sweepers and station id’s are also the producers of all the fancy effects that go along with them. Radio or voice imaging as it is widely known requires a voice that generally pierces through the music on our radios, sending a clear message without sounding offensive. One of the bonuses of this form of voice over is that there are a multitude of radio stations worldwide and quite often a collection of them are looking for a fresh new sound at one time. If you can become that sound then you can make a nice little income, well at least until the stations decide to reformat again.

Obviously this is not the whole voice over industry but rather it’s an overview of a large chunk of the available work for voice professionals.

Popularity: 1%

Am I Ready for the Voice Over Business?

These days, it seems as though everyone wants to start their own business. Seems easy enough doesn’t it? Come up with a good idea, and the dollars roll right in! …Or do they?

Most people understand that running a business requires business know-how, but most successful business owners also possess some additional skills and qualities that help make running a business easier.

Before you decide to start a business, you might want to think about the qualities you possess, what makes you tick and how that might help you be a more successful business owner. But before you make that big decision, ask yourself these questions:

Am I a self starter? When you have your own business, there’s no boss or manager to tell you what to do and when to do it. To get your business off and running you’ll have to motivate yourself to get things started.

Do I enjoy challenges? Businesses provide constant challenges. If you enjoy a good challenge, it will energize you. If you don’t, you may end up feeling as though you’re engaged in a constant uphill battle.

Am I a creative problem solver? Creative problem solving is a key skill for business owners to possess. One way to hone your creative problem solving skills is to challenge yourself to think “out of the box”. Don’t go for the obvious, think in a different direction than you’re used to, and inhibit standard responses.

What are my strengths and weaknesses? The ability to do this is also invaluable for the business owner. Recognizing what you’re good at and what you’re not will help you decide how to use your time, when to delegate, and when to call in experts or outside professionals for help when needed.

What interests, talents, and skills do I have that will assist me in running my new business? Business owners often have to juggle lots of hats. Inventory the abilities you already possess, and think about all the ways you can use them to grow your business will make the juggling easier.

What skills do I need to learn or brush up on to run my business effectively? Recognize which skills you need to develop in order to run your business most effectively. Identify the ones that are worth investing time into learning, and which ones you might be better off finding outside sources to perform.

Will I be doing work that is meaningful and really interests and excites me? Running a business is a lot of work and effort, and it’s often a long term commitment. It will be more fun and rewarding if it speaks to who you are and the things you hold dear. When we’re engaged in doing something rewarding it helps to motivate you to keep going even when things get tough. Start by getting back in touch with your values and see if there is a synergy between them and the things you’ll be doing in your business. If not, see how you can spin things so that there is.

Who is my competition? Learn everything you can about the others in your field who provide similar products or services to the same ideal customer. This information will be invaluable in learning how to “position” your own business.

What do I offer that the competition doesn’t — what makes my services or product unique? This is the basic premise of any USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and the case you’ll make to your prospective customers to buy your product or service. It’s essential to a compelling marketing plan.

Who are my ideal target customers? Every business needs customers. And the most successful businesses know exactly how to describe who their best customers are, what “pain” they’re feeling and what they need and desire. And don’t forget: one of the most important qualities of an ideal customer is whether they can afford your product or service.

Do I have effective marketing and sales plans? No business can survive without a constant supply of new customers. Develop a compelling USP, values proposition, sound-bite and marketing message; set-up a marketing schedule to get your message out there consistently; and learn how to close deals without using pressure to ensure you’ll have all the customers you need.

Have I established business goals? Setting goals is an important part of any business plan. But setting a goal is only part of the picture. Achieving them is even more important. Learn how to identify which goals are important enough to commit to, and systematically work towards them by breaking them down into steps, establishing timelines, identifying resources needed, and benchmarks for success.

Will I need capital to startup my business? If so, how much? Not all businesses require a lot of start-up money, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that you don’t need any. Be realistic about how much money you’ll need, and how much time it will take until you can draw a salary; so that you give your business idea enough time to grow and flourish.

Have I written a business plan? If I need to raise start-up capital, is my plan powerful enough to attract investors? Not all business plans are created equal. Make sure you include all of the sections that investors will look for. Also, make sure that the type of plan you’ve written is appropriate for the amount of money you’re looking for.

What are the things that my business will require that I cannot do myself? Will I have funds to pay for them? Don’t forget to add these important line items to your start-up cost spread sheet.

Popularity: 1%

Getting Voice Over Work Through Social Networking

Last week, I had the honor of being a guest on “Voice Over Experts”, a popular podcast featured on Voices.com. Check it out!

http://podcasts.voices.com/voiceoverexperts/2009/06/voice_over_experts_episode_91.html

Popularity: 1%

Getting Started

Click Here to Try Voice Over Club 3 Days for Only a Buck!

Popularity: 20%