Have you always wanted to make money with your voice, being a voiceover actor? Well, that is possible as long as you are willing to learn and be patient.
Building a career as a voiceover actor requires a lot of hard work and tenacity.
Having a good and attractive voice is excellent, but you need to be an ambitious person who wants to convert their passion into a profitable business.
Before we delve into how to make money as a voice-over actor, it is essential to understand who a voice-over actor is and what they do.
Who is a voice-over actor?
A voice-over actor is a person who entertains, narrates, educates, or markets products using their voice.
Usually, these actors are not seen on the screen. Their voices are generally in the background, accompanied by some graphics or video illustrating the information that they are conveying.
Your vocal skills should be on point, and you must know how to act as well so that you bring out the intended message in the right way.
As a voice-over actor, you will therefore be reading copies or scripts in a vocal booth.
Most projects will require you to alter your tone and express various emotions such as happiness, anger, excitement as you read out the lines.
Your voice can be used in cartoons, animations, audiobooks, commercials, and narrations, among other places.
Essential skills and equipment to be a voice-over actor
Some of the crucial skills you need to have include;
- Voice acting and recording; you need to learn how to act using your voice and record it.
Being in a quiet and soundproofed room can help you capture your voice excellently.
- Audio editing; after recording your voice, you need to know how to edit it. Editing helps to remove errors and also improves the quality of the audio.
- Business and marketing skills; if you want to create a profitable business and dependable income source from voice-over acting, you must approach it in a business sense.
Presenting yourself as a professional and applying effective marketing strategies will help you land clients and build a broad customer base.
- Consistency; you must be consistent in learning about voice-over acting and delivering quality work.
You will need audio recording equipment like a computer, headphones, microphone, and soundproofing materials.
You also need editing software like Sony Sound Forge Pro, Audacity, and Garageband.
How To Become A Voiceover Actor
With voiceover acting skills, you can make money by working from anywhere around the world.
But before that, you need to know precisely how you can become one. Here are excellent guidelines to help you start your career in this field.
1) Take a voice acting class or course
You need to gather voice acting skills so that you can build a successful career.
It is essential to understand that being a voiceover is more than using your voice- you need to know how to act.
Taking a voice acting class is very important as you will get to know what is required of you and what to do to land voice acting jobs.
You can find fantastic voice-over acting courses here to help you get started.
Get Paid To Do Voice-Overs is a free online voice-over acting course that can help you kick your career in this field.
2) Get a coach
A professional voice-over coach who has lots of experience would come in handy to help you hone your skills.
They would teach you how to read outlines as you use the correct punctuations, tone, and breathing techniques.
You would also learn how to deliver the intended messages through your voice. A coach would also help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your voice.
The coach you chose to hire should show you some of the projects that they have done before and the success that they have achieved over time.
3) Listen to professional voice-over actors
A great way to learn how to become a voice-over actor and improve on your skills is by listening to voice-over actors.
Actively watch and listen to animations and commercials
Even better, search through the industry and identify the people who perform excellently well and are highly sort after.
Then actively follow them on their online platforms to learn more about this career. You could find some exciting and eye-opening insights about voice-over acting.
You can find a list of some of the best voice-over actors in the world here.
4) Practice by recording demos
To land a job, you will need to show potential employers samples of your work to gauge if you are the right fit for the job.
As such, you must keep on practicing by recording demos. You can have a simple studio in your home and record yourself.
While at it, you will learn a lot, and by evaluating your performance, you will know the areas you need to improve on.
Practicing also helps you acquire voice-over acting technical aspects, which mainly entail editing your audio records.
You need editing software, and learning how to go about editing your work can help you save lots of money as you will not need to hire someone else to do that for you.
5) Audition for jobs
An excellent way to know your performance level as a voice-over actor is by auditioning for jobs.
To avoid being disappointed, audition for jobs that you are well suited for.
Every project has different requirements and expected deliverables. Look at all this information before auditioning.
Once you learn what is expected of you, record your voice in a composed manner and with confidence.
You can find calls for auditions on the internet or on websites dedicated to voice-over acting like this one.
You might not always be lucky to pass the audition. However, the feedback you will get can help you identify the areas you need to work on.
6) Market your services
Once you have gathered the basic skills, you will need to market your skills.
Remember, you also need to make money as well and build a profitable business. Marketing is critical as it will enable you to reach people who would be interested in your voice.
There are several ways that you can use to market yourself as a voice-over actor. You can come up with your podcast, use social media platforms and start a blog.
Also, make it a habit to approach individuals and companies who you think might need voice-acting services.
7) Network
Voice-over-acting jobs and opportunities do not come easily. You, therefore, need to connect with people in this industry.
Build relationships with people who have already established themselves and even those starting just like you.
Such a social network would enable you to acquire lots of knowledge about this career. You would also find jobs through recommendations.
8) Keep on learning and perfecting your skills
Trends in this industry keep on changing. You need to be up to date with any recent changes and trends.
Keep on learning by reading free materials on the internet and taking courses. Engage relevant people in your network to guide you and give you feedback about your skills.
Keep on practicing and being consistent, and soon enough, you will be among the best voice actors.
10) Know that your voice is everything
In voice-over acting, your voice is the greatest asset. As you record, details about your appearance are not required; what is needed is your voice.
You, therefore, need to take care of your voice. Avoid activities that could cause vocal strain or interfere with the smoothness of your voice.
Smoking and drinking acidic beverages before recording could damage your voice.
How To Get Voice Acting Work
Now that you know exactly what to do to become a voice-over actor, you might be wondering where you can get work.
Among the best places to get voice-over work is online freelance marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr.
On these platforms, clients post jobs, and you have to bid to be assigned the work.
Voices have also created a community of voice-over actors. You need to be a member to access available job postings.
Other areas where you can find voice-over acting jobs and opportunities include Bunny Studio, Voice123, Voice Crafters, and Snap Recordings.
As you search for work, always aim at working with popular and notable brands. These companies have a lot of budgets, and you can get paid well.
Such projects also help you in building a portfolio and assuring new clients that you can deliver.
As a beginner, you can accept minimum rates for your work as you are still in the process of learning.
However, as you progress and gather more knowledge and skills, you can increase your rates gradually.
Most importantly, aim at delivering quality work so that companies can hire you often. Excellent job will also increase referrals to your business and good reviews.
As is with any career, being a voice-over artist comes with some advantages and disadvantages, as discussed below.
Pros Of Becoming A Voice-over Actor
1) You can work from home
One of the benefits of being a voice-over actor is that you can work from home. All you would need to do is set up a home studio and record your voice-over projects.
Working from home is fantastic because you get to save lots of money and time commuting to work.
2) You can set a flexible working schedule
Another great thing about voice acting is that you can decide to work either full-time or part-time.
If you are a beginner and do not have sufficient finances, you can work part-time and rely on your day job to fund and grow your voice-over acting business.
Once you have become a professional in this field, you can work full-time and increase your income.
3) You can set your rates
As a beginner, you are still establishing yourself in the industry and thus might not be able to choose the kind of projects to do.
However, as you advance, you will have the freedom and ability to choose the projects you want to do based on the project's remuneration and personal goals.
Cons Of Becoming A Voice-over Actor
1) A lot of competition
Today, there are several voice-over actors, and you will need to work hard to land financially lucrative projects.
Most voice-over actors are freelancers and are readily available. You, therefore, need to create a competitive edge and market yourself intensively.
3) Setting up your workspace can be expensive
Before being hired as a voice-over actor, you need to show samples of your work. You can do this by recording your voice and sending the clip to the hiring companies.
A studio is very important, but it can be quite expensive to set it up. You need to have a soundproof booth, software, and quality recording equipment.
4) Voice-over acting can be hard on your voice
Being that you rely on your voice to make money, you need to take care of it.
Voice acting can cause vocal strain, and when this happens, you might not be able to use your voice effectively.
4) Voice-over work is not steady
Finding consistent jobs as a voice-over actor can be difficult. There are several actors in this field, and you can be easily replaced.
Moreover, some companies need voice-over recordings occasionally. You, therefore to consistently be on the lookout for jobs.
Retaining clients can also help you land consistent jobs.
Conclusion
Voice-over acting can be a rewarding and exciting career. But you will have to put in the work and invest in learning.
With voice acting skills, you can work anywhere in the world. This career gives you so much flexibility, you get to handle exciting projects, and most importantly, you make good money.
Starting can be pretty scary, but you can build a very profitable business around voice-over acting with consistent practice.
Use the tips above, and you will be a step further in this journey!