So your company is creating a new video. The project has already been shot and edited, but there’s one thing you need before it can finally be published: a great voice-over. But how do you go about figuring out how to choose the right voice-over talent for your needs? It can feel like there are seemingly endless options of voices out there. Don’t worry, it’s not as overwhelming as you might think.
Consider Your Audience
The audience to which you are speaking is going to inform the type of talent you should book. Is your product a luxury product? In that case you will want to find a sophisticated voice that matches the luxury of your items. Sometimes a regional accent may be a good option for your voice-over, depending on the area of distribution. If it’s a health related product, think of the voice that would make you feel confident in a doctor’s skills – a calm, confident, and kind voice will help your prospective customers feel at home with your product. What about a commercial for children’s toys? You probably want a voice with fun energy that grabs attention. If you are making a video for a women’s wellness convention, a female voice will most likely be a good place to start. Some projects will demand an authoritative voice, and some a more conversational tone depending upon to whom you’re marketing.
Be Prepared
So that you can be prepared to provide the information the voice-over talent needs, before you contact them, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
- What is the length of voice-over you will need
- What is the rate or rate range you have budgeted for this job
- What is the deadline for the project
- Where and how will the recording be used: whether it’s a national, regional, or local commercial, internal training video for your company, YouTube video, educational cartoon, social media campaign, etc.
- Format of file needed
Review Demo Reels
Now that you know the type of voice you’re looking for and the requirements for them, comes the fun part. Often voice-over talent will have a demo reel of what their voice sounds like for you to review. Note that many people will have several styles of voice, and even accents, that they can do. So you will want to listen to their options to make sure they can do what you’re looking for. Sometimes, you might even hear something you wouldn’t have thought to ask for, but that fits perfectly with your project!
Request and Review the Auditions
Depending on the project and time frame, you may select a voice from their demos, or you may wish to request auditions from potential voice-over talent. Once you send the talent a small portion of your script, and optionally, let them know the direction you’re looking for, talent can send you a recording of that snippet.
Once you receive all of the auditions from your pool of potential talent, you simply need to pick your favorite one and hire them!
Time Saving Tip
If your company has the need for ongoing videos, especially of a similar type, it’s a good idea to save that talent’s contact information so that you can make use of them again in the future and save a step.
Now that you know the steps of choosing voice-over talent you should feel confident and capable of making sure that you get the best voice for your project needs. As always don’t be afraid to contact us if you have any questions!
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