10 Voice acting tips from successful voice over pros
Ask the pros – 10 voice acting tips from experienced voice actors, Pippa Vos and Erikka J. They’re sharing key insights and tips for voice acting which can boost your voice over career, whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve.
If you’re trying to learn how to become a voice actor, there’s much research and info on the voice over industry. But we thought you might like to learn from the pros themselves! Here’s 10 voice acting tips to get you started today!
Voice acting tips to help you start and succeed - Pippa Vos
1. Get Voice Over Training
Once you have learned how to use your voice, you will want to learn about the voice over industry as well as how to run a voice over business. My advice is to try Gravy for the Brain, which you pay a monthly membership for, so it is cost-effective.
2. Make professional voice over samples
This is vital to help you book voice over work. It’s equivalent to your resume. As your career progresses, keep samples of auditions that match clients’ requests. In the beginning, you don’t even need to add music to the audio; a straight voice over will do perfectly.
3. Get the right equipment and sound treatment
You want your audio to be able to compete with some of the best in the world. So, reach out to voice over professionals or get audio engineers to listen to the quality of your audio and create a special software rack based on your recording environment. Investing in software that helps with editing is also a lifesaver – like the one that removes clicks and mouth noises saves hours of work with just a click of a button.
4. Look for voice acting work everywhere and don't give up
Look for work everywhere and anywhere. If you are used to a 9-5 job then this business takes a little bit of getting used to. The first few years were stressful as I had no idea what I was doing. Most voice artists don’t like their own voice so it takes a while to get used to their voice. Besides that, most people don’t really know what a voice over artist is. So be prepared for everyone that is close to you, not to support you. But with a strong will and support from my husband who now works with me full time, I never gave up. Now, I only really have time to voice act.
5. Learn how to market and brand your business
Once you have made some money from freelancer sites, you will want to get a website to point your clients and leads to, with links to your work. Then I highly advise you to start calling production companies, animation, or any other type of business that requires audio around the world. If you are shy, start emailing first. It can be something short and sweet with a link to your site. I have emailed thousands of companies and called those who never got back to me.
Voice acting tips to help you start and succeed - Erikka J
6. Learn how to start and run a voice over business
Voice over work is super fun to do, However, if you want to build a long-term career, you must take the time to learn about voice over rates, usage of recordings, and how to run your business effectively.
7. Learn the tech side of things
At first, voice acting might seem like just talking into a microphone, until someone asks you about your signal chain, noise floor, and for a sample recording. So learning about and how to use the right voice over technology is a must.
8. Learn how to act
Again, voice actors don’t just talk into a microphone. they need to practice the art of acting. Take workshops, read books, and study other actors to learn how to make words and circumstances that aren’t real for you, sound like they are.
9. Watch and monitor market trends
As a voice actor, you work in the media industry. So you have to stay up to date with media trends in order to be successful. Watching TV and commercials is now part of your job description.
10. Remember to have fun
Your level of interest, engagement, and excitement in what you are reading will show up in your recording, so have fun with it. You’re way more likely to book the jobs where you actually enjoy reading the script!
FAQ's: Voice acting tips
- Get voice over training
- Make professional voice over samples
- Get the right equipment and sound treatment
- Look for voice acting work everywhere and don’t give up
- Market and brand your business
- Learn how to start and run a voice over business
- Know the tech side of things
- Learn how to act
- Watch and monitor market trends
- Remember to have fun
Spend time improving your voice overs, optimise your online presence, consider investing in coaching and professional equipment. Learn more in how to get better at voice acting.
