Voice over jobs are one of the many work from home opportunities that most of us know very little about. You see the listings from time to time, but you aren’t really sure if you qualify or how the rates break down. Is it a lucrative gig?
I recently reached out to several voice over artists working from a home office. Three lovely ladies are stopping by today to share the inside scoop of what the job entails, how to get started and what you can earn. You will find the full interviews with each posted in their entirety below.
Meet Fiona Hughes
What was your motivation to become a voice-over artist?
As a kid, I immensely enjoyed being read to and reading aloud to my stuffed animals. Then as a teen I would spend hours in the bathroom reading the back of shampoo bottles in different accents, styles and intonations, so I guess my interest formed early!
Clearly, there’s been an explosion of voice-over work in the past two decades, and we hear voice-artists’ work dozens of times a day – all of which has been provided by someone – so why not you? From audiobooks, webinars and podcasts, to voice-prompts reminding us to scan our club card at the grocery store, or ‘mind the gap’ on the subway, recorded voices daily lead us through training courseware, describe our museum exhibits or tourist attractions, or simply request we “press 5 to speak with accounting.”
What is required to get started in this field?
With all these audio opportunities that abound, there are needs for every type of voice, ethnicity, age and style, which opens up a wonderful world for those interested in pursuing a voice-over career.
A nice thing about this industry is being able to work from home, set your own hours and build your business incrementally as you become more successful and have more money to invest in better equipment.
To begin with, I recommend you get an evaluation of your voice by a pro or voice coach who can determine your potential, and give pointers on areas of strength and weakness. You will need training by a trusted coach though, and you should plan to continue learning daily about becoming a voice over actor.
It sounds clichéd, but attitude is everything! You need to be open, curious, learn new things, and not let rejection get to you. Often you never find out why you didn’t get an audition (or who even did), and to a degree it’s a numbers game, with many voice-over artists vying for the same gig.
In setting out, along with developing your voice talents, you’ll need to:
- learn some recording and editing basics;
- buy the best quality recording equipment you can get within your initial budget;
- learn what makes a project or script worth your time and efforts, how to give your best performance, and sell your talents;
- to network, and be generous with referrals (as in every business, good karma yields wonderful results!)
Where did you find your first clients?
While working in marketing in Silicon Valley, I was asked by several business owners if I’d record their company phone messages in my native British accent, which became my first voice-over ‘gigs’.
That led to exploring whether there may be a niche market for a British female accent and where my voice might be marketable. After researching the opportunities, taking some coaching and voice-over classes and learning lots from other v/o professionals, I signed up with an online casting agency and ‘hung out my shingle’!
Success didn’t come fast, and the first year was an especially big learning curve – but I loved every aspect of it, and when it ‘doesn’t feel like work’ you know you’re onto a good thing! In any given day, I get to voice queens and evil witch characters for video games, be engagingly instructive in e-learning modules, or make complex medical or technical scripts sound appealing and conversational!
How much can voice-over artist expect to earn? When and how are payments collected?
Like most things, along with how good you are, it greatly depends on the energy and hours you put into it! If you’re submitting a dozen auditions a day, your hit ratio and income is going to be higher. However, although there are six-figure incomes to be made from voice-work, I, and most of my peers, don’t make enough money from voice-over work solely, and need the support of a second source of income.
There are several pay-to-play casting websites where you can receive script and audition invitations applicable for your voice talents, and to which you can record and submit an audition online. Usually, you’re one of dozens to submit auditions, which the voice-seeker will receive, and evaluate. If you’re selected, you get direction sometimes, deliverables timeframe, and then record the project and submit it, again online. In my experience, the annual fee for the online casting site (approx. $400) is repaid in the first few months.
I’ve found that payment per project is usually made promptly (you deal directly with the voice-seeker, and not through the casting site), and is often paid by PayPal for jobs that pay a couple of hundred dollars, and by company check for more complex projects that may pay several thousand dollars.
What tips do you have for those hoping to get started in the industry?
If, like me, you’ve yearned to become a voice-over artist, my advice is to just get out there and give it a try! You’ll make mistakes that you’ll learn from, probably find it takes longer to get off the ground than you hoped, and will perhaps discover a genre or market need for your particular vocal style. I discovered that mine is mature, somewhat authoritative, enunciated, which works well for the healthcare and IT industries, explainer videos, and selling to corporate decision makers. Having said that, I also do character voices for movie roles and video games – which makes an enjoyable balance to my day!
In this digital age with access to online casting, the rise in demand as well as the increase in amateur voice-over artists globally has resulted in a bidding war, with lots of voice-over amateurs vying for ridiculously low-paying jobs. You need to keep your standards and your quality high, know your value, and have the confidence in quoting what you’re worth.
Any must-have business tools you recommend?
Training – then practice, practice, practice! There are wonderful sites like Edgestudio.com, with weekly competitions and peer feedback to your auditions, from which you can learn a lot!
To get started initially, you’ll need a quiet place to record, a decent, but inexpensive mic and to develop some quality demos of your work. As you make money to re-invest in your business you can work up to improving your recording equipment and studio.
Prepare well, get many auditions out, network, extend yourself beyond your comfort zone, eradicate fear of failure — and try out different genres so you develop confidence in your style, audience or demographic.
Develop a relentless work ethic – be able to keep finding new business, some of which turns into repeat business, but you have to assume it won’t. Unless you’re marketing yourself constantly you’ll find your leads dry up instantly.
Market through many channels – Expect to send out hundreds of auditions to pay-to-play sites you’ve subscribed to, without perhaps any being selected. These sites should be a small percentage of where you spend your time and money. Balance these with relationship-building outreach, social media, and participating in industry and voice-over community networks.
Evaluate your ROI – see where your marketing dollars are working and where they’re not, so you can pivot accordingly.
Meet Colleen Kirk
What was your motivation to become a voice-over artist?
When I first signed with my talent agency they suggested I audition for voice projects. I didn’t know anything about the voiceover world at the time. Now, it’s become something I really enjoy doing. I love being a part of a commercial, film, or radio project. I love seeing the finished product knowing I helped bring it to life. The creative industry makes my heart race.
What is required to get started in this field?
Well first off, you must have a good voice. You must also be able to sustain your voice for a long period of time. I would suggest getting an agent. An agent does the job sourcing on your behalf. Then you submit an audition based on the project your agent finds for you. If the client likes your submission, they book you. Once you’re booked you go into a studio with the client and record your voice.
Where did you find your first clients?
My agency has been great at finding jobs for me to audition for. There are also pay to play websites that allow you to set up a voice profile. These casting sites are devoted to posting voiceover auditions from across the country and around the world for a variety of productions.
How much can voice-over artist expect to earn? When and how are payments collected?
A voiceover can earn anywhere from twenty dollars an hour to several hundred dollars an hour. It depends on the length and budget for the project. As far as payment goes, if you’re working through an agency, they send the client the invoice and the talent picks up their check once it’s received. It can take as long as ninety days to receive payment.
What tips do you have for those hoping to get started in the industry?
Practice, practice, practice. Read aloud. Get feedback from friends on the sound of your voice. Try to find a niche based on the sound and tone of your voice. Then seek out representation. If you’re wanting to work without an agent, sign up on voice websites where you can search for auditions. You pay a monthly subscription to most of these sites, but with one booking it could pay for itself. Suggestions for at home equipment set-up can be found anywhere online. The basic items you’ll need consist of a laptop computer, recording software such as Audacity or Logic Pro, a microphone, and a good pair of headphones.
Any must-have business tools you recommend?
A book I suggest reading is “There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is” by Elaine A. Clark. It gives a lot of information surrounding one’s potential in voiceover. Also, try to seek out other voice over professionals in your area. Take them to lunch and pick their brain. I’ve found that passionate people are willing to share information if you ask in a respectful way. And lastly, try to find workshops in your area to help hone in on your strengths and weaknesses. It will set you on the right track and empower you to succeed.
Meet Cynthia White
What was your motivation to become a voice-over artist?
As an Actor you’re always aware there are roles you’ll never be cast in because you don’t match the physical description or age of the character. In voiceovers, those limitations are gone. If you can bring the character to life vocally and emotionally, you can book the role. It opens up all sorts of creative possibilities which fire my imagination.
What is required to get started in this field?
You must know how to break down a script or commercial copy quickly and effectively so you can play the part, so that requires working with a voice acting coach until you have that mastered. Many people who want to break into this industry take classes that focus on speech and diction, but that’s not the place to start. The voiceover market today is really about authentic, “real people” voices and the quality of the performance. You can have any type of voice: quirky, authoritative, sexy, smooth, goofy or be a character voice actor. The least amount of work in this field, today is for the classic announcer voice, especially if you’re female. That voice type has fallen out of style unless it’s part of a comedic spot.
Of course, you will want to have some training in breath control, voice modulation and diction but that should complement and enhance your acting training rather than be your sole focus.
The next requirement is having a home studio set up, which doesn’t have to take up a great deal of space. I live and work in my small, New York City apartment so anyone can find the space if I can! Some VO jobs are recorded in professional studios, but you’ll be creating audition demos and doing a large percentage of your recordings for hire in your personal home studio. The basic equipment required is a computer with a professional audio program like Pro Tools, Audacity, Reaper or Twisted Wave to record and edit your voice work; a condenser microphone with an acoustic isolation shield (sometimes called a mud guard), shock mount, pop filter and mic stand; an audio interface (also called a pre-amp) and studio quality headphones. These are the basics. Some spaces require additional acoustic shields to isolate the voice and block outside sounds and echoes. There are so many different options for equipment (at so many price points) that you can always find something that will work for any space and budget. If you’re going to do longer form narration or audio books, a tablet or iPad is really a required item for managing the voice over copy while recording because you don’t want to be shuffling papers while monitoring the computer with a hot mic.
My home studio set up (not counting the cost of my laptop and iPad) was under $700 for an all the equipment and the Twisted Wave program. I also bought a 1T external hard drive so I could store all my recordings and not crash my ancient MacBook.
Where did you find your first clients?
I started doing voiceovers in my senior year of high school when a radio producer heard my voice and hired me to do a series of radio commercials for a department store. That gave me material to create a voiceover reel that I submitted to talent agents, casting directors and advertising agencies. Today, I teach voiceover acting as well as do it so if my agent isn’t getting me auditions and bookings, I’m connecting my coaching clients to work. I still get a lot of work when people hear me speak in person or on radio or podcasts and ask me to be a part of their project or refer me to producers. In the world of VO, you can get work anywhere!
How much can voice-over artist expect to earn?
When and how are payments collected? There are two different pay scales in professional voiceovers: union and non-union work. Union pay is determined by the SAG-AFTRA contract rates (you can find them on their website) and may include residual or royalty payments for future replays of the spot or be what is known a buyout, meaning you get paid more but just once, no matter how long or often the spot is run.
Nonunion work is highly negotiable and usually dependent on the type of job, i.e.: TV/radio commercial and animation projects pay well (thousands of dollars), narration for documentaries and industrials tends to be in the middle of the pay scale (hundreds to very low thousands), doing the voices in a video game is a crap shoot – sometimes you get paid well, sometimes not, etc. The range can be as low as $75 or tens of thousands of dollars for the entire project. An example: for a 20 second, union commercial voiceover that played on TV and radio I was paid $475 per hour with a three hour minimum for the recording session. It took less than a half hour to record multiple takes of the spot that the producer loved and then I got to leave knowing I would be paid for three hours as it was my minimum. On the flip side, I once helped out a young video game creator and recorded a character voice that took hours to do for $75, a pizza lunch and cab fare to and from the studio. Two years later he debuted the game at a gamer’s event, it became an underground hit and was eventually purchased by a bigger gaming company and sold all over the world for years and years. I was never paid another penny for my work or even given a copy of the game for myself.
In audiobook work, the rate is determined by the finished hour and ranges from a royalty share only to $400 per finished hour. $100-200 pfh is where most of the paid work falls and that is before taxes. Keep in mind that a finished hour means the recording is fully edited and mastered. An actor may put in two or three hours of time to get one finished hour of billable work. Or, an actor may hire an audio engineer/producer to do the editing and mastering and pay that professional out of the money earned for the recording. The work is prorated by the minute, too.
Payment comes after the recording work is completed and the voice actor is usually asked to submit an invoice for payment. That means you can wait weeks, sometimes longer, to be paid. If you’re doing nonunion work, there’s always the chance you could get stiffed. This isn’t really a concern if you’re hired by an advertising agency, reputable video game maker, radio station or production company, but you can still wait for months to get paid from these groups. People doing audiobooks through Audible’s Audio Creation Exchange (ACX) have no recourse other than small claims or civil court to get paid if an author ends up not paying as agreed. This can be a big problem if you and the author don’t live in the same city or state and suing is not a viable option. Audible’s ACX is merely a platform (like AirBnB) for connecting authors and voice actors/producers. Authors have been known to not respond to invoices and not honor royalty payment agreements. It’s kind of the dirty secret of ACX work that they never talk about.
What tips do you have for those hoping to get started in the industry?
- Get great coaching so you can create a standout demo and learn how to breakdown copy and bring your unique voice(s) and emotional authenticity to the work. That will get you the furthest in this industry – it’s what the casting directors and writers look for in a voice. Plus, you need to know how to make adjustments in your readings and incorporate direction from producers and copywriters. Without great coaching/training, all the diction practice in the world won’t keep you from getting released from the job if you can’t make the adjustments or vary your reading and vocal quality if asked by the producer, writer or engineer.
- Don’t be scared at the thought of putting together a home studio or learning the audio software. It really is something anyone can learn with a little assistance. If you purchase equipment through a reputable brick and mortar music/audio store, even if you place the order over the phone and have it shipped to you – the sales people will help you make the right choices for your technical level and budget. Knowledgeable sales people are a great resource when creating your home studio.
- Start local. If you can record commercials or phone trees, etc. for a local business or narrate a student film or webisode – even if you do it for free the first time – you’ll be able to get your feet wet and have something to put on a demo reel to send off for other jobs or professional representation.
Any must-have business tools you recommend?
I’d love to toot my own horn here and recommend a book I offer on my website titled The Big Book of Voiceover Copy. It has 300 pieces of actual voiceover copy from all genres of the industry that can be used for training, practice and recording so voice actors can create a professional quality demo. That will be listened to by talent agents and casting directors. The book includes chapters on how to assemble a demo reel, where to send it to get work or representation, what types of material are appropriate for different areas of the voiceover industry and pitfalls to avoid. I also offer a digital library of background music and sound effects that can be used for creating a demo reel. You can by the book and audio library separately or as a package. They’re really effective tools for anyone launching a career in the voiceover industry.
- Get more:
- How to get paid to narrate audiobooks
- 10 ways to make money without working for someone else
Have you done voice over work from home? Please share your experiences and tips in the comments.
Julie Myers says
I have recently been told that I have a really nice voice, and that it would be perfect for voice-over. This hadn’t ever occurred to me before, but I would like to learn more about the option. After reading what you learned from these three ladies that you interviewed, it definitely sounds like a tempting option. Since it is done from home and doesn’t take tons of time, it would be really nice. All I would need to do is get a good voice coach and learn a bit about recording. I will be sure to practice often so that I can hopefully do well with this!
Angie Nelson says
Best of luck!
Vicki says
I have been involved in broadcasting for several years, and have spoken with those who have done voice overs. It is almost like being a successful actor — of all those that go into the field there are only a small percentage that “make it.” I would hate to think that by reading the write-ups on these three ladies, that one would think they could easily become a success at it. I have done TV voice overs and recorded and produced radio spots for quite a few years. I have discovered that 1) Ad agencies, radio and TV stations, and production houses use their “regulars” and are reluctant to try new voices. 2) Many actors who cannot find work on stage and in films, supplement their income by doing voice overs — they are already trained and know how to look for work 3) It is rare that you make good money from it… in fact over recent years, the pay has gone drastically downhill for this type of work. I hate to be such a “downer” on this, but this is flip side of the industry. However, you never know … so if it is something you really want to purse, best of luck to you!
Andrew says
I had the same thought when SoundSoap 4 came out a few months ago and contacted the developer. SoundSoap plugins don’t work with Screenflow but you don’t need them. Purchase the standalone version. It’s great. It has a de-clipper to prevent distortion, an enhancer to add a little ‘zing’ to the de-noised clip AND a bulk processor. Just create your settings once, then drag your entire audio folder to this app.
Angie Nelson says
Thanks for the tip, Andrew.
Andrew says
you very welcome Angie.