Video voice overs are in high demand, and if you have a unique voice, you too may be the next voice over prospect. But how do you go about securing your first video voice over gig?

Let’s go through some of the steps of the process and how you can do so yourself. 

Build your home studio

The very first step to launching your voice over career is to build your home studio. Now this will take a small initial investment, of roughly $1000 to start out with. 

With this budget, you should be able to secure yourself a:

• Decent laptop

• Microphone and stand

• Audio interface 

• Recording software

• Soundproofing solutions

With this initial setup, you’ll be able to get to grips with the process of controlling your voice’s tone, projecting it and practising how to speak for different purposes. 

Gather your experience by freelancing

Now that you have an environment to practise accordingly, you need a few initial jobs to give you a headstart. 

For this, you’d need to register for a freelance site such as the likes of Freelancer, Fiverr or Upwork (to name a few), and they’ll typically provide you with clear briefings; Those on Freelance sites are also willing to accept less experienced professionals for lower prices. 

If you’re still a bit nervous about your performance and want to practise your delivery a bit more, you can always start recording with practice scripts until you’ve got your footing. 

When sourcing practice scripts, try to gather a variety, some “how to” examples, e-learning scripts, and some ad scripts, to see what resonates best with you and your goals. 

Once you’ve got your practice in, use a few example scripts to use as your initial portfolio, to be then replaced by your first freelance gigs. 

Types of video voice over projects

No two voice over projects are the same. Most things are the same when it comes to video voice overs. 

Types of video voice over projects include:

• How to videos

• Animation voice over

• Gaming voice over

• Corporate voice over

• Documentary voice over

• Trailer voice over

• Ad voice over

These are some of the most popular forms of video voice over out there. Depending on your preference, you could be doing anything from ads to simple corporate videos. 

What’s important to note is that while a voice is a voice, your type of voice to project for each project type (pun intended) will vary. Voice over for an ad will require more of a presenter-like approach, whereas a corporate voice over may require a simple, formal-yet-friendly voice. 

Trailer voice over gigs may require someone with a deeper, more resonant voice, and documentary narration may need someone with a bit of personality and an aesthetic tone to theirs. 

The key is to identify the type of voice you’re most comfortable with, and capitalise on the opportunities available from there onwards. 

How much can a voice over earn?

The salary of a voice over can vary depending on various factors, such as the type of project they undertake, the word count, length of text and whether or not there’s a buyout fee included in the price. 

According to Indeed USA, the average salary of a voice over is $117k per year! 

Starting salary is around $18k initially but once you start building your reputation, getting better versed around the microphone and recording more projects, it’ll only get easier. 

It will also be more efficient for you as an artist too - If you can record 10 projects a day there’s a lot of money in it for you, all in good timing…

Becoming a video voice over 

Becoming a video voice over isn’t rocket science. But that doesn’t mean it comes easy, either. 

If you follow the process, that is, setting up your studio, practising with sample scripts, freelancing for practical experience, and taking that elsewhere, you’ll be well on your way to success. 

With the voice over world, it’s all about working smarter not harder and perfecting the projection of your voice. 

 

Looking for more ways to make money?  How about these ways mums can make money from home!