Voice over is a very promising career and a very lucrative one. With the right training and guidance, you can embark on this exciting journey. In this article, we will explore the essential steps to kick-start your voice over career and ensure your success in the industry.
Get Expert Training for Voice Over
The first step is to get the right training from an expert in the field who can guide you on this path. The right training will give you the knowledge of your voice’s strengths and weaknesses, how you can get the most out of your voice, working on yourself to reach a World-Class level in this field.
Additionally, the perfect training for you will be the one that teaches you how to set-up your own studio, or how to find the right studio in your area, and how to differentiate high quality studios from low quality ones that could spoil your work, making clients angry from your work’s quality. Another very important element in the training that you seek is to teach you how to maintain your voice.
Learn to Market Your Voice
Another crucial aspect of your training should focus on marketing your voice and attracting clients. Understanding how to effectively promote your voice and connect with potential clients is essential for a thriving voice over career.
Determine Competitive Rates
Setting the right rates for your voice over services is vital for your success in this competitive field. It requires extensive experience and knowledge to offer a fair rate that is attractive to clients while allowing you to cover studio costs, transportation, and other expenses.
Determining appropriate rates for different types of voice over projects is a skill that develops over time. In the beginning, consider accepting reasonable rates for your initial projects to gain experience, apply your training, and establish your reputation. As you accumulate more projects, you will be able to refine your rates, gain further experience, and take on more challenging assignments.
But, how can I determine the right rate for every project?
Actually, this needs a wide range of experience in the voice over field, so that you can offer a suitable rate for your work, which is not so high that could shock the customer. Also, it should not be so low, so that you can at least afford to cover the cost of studio, transportation and so on.
My advice to whoever wants to start his/her voice over career is as follows:
- Obtain training from a reputable voice over company with a proven track record in the industry.
- Create a professional voice over demo reel in a high-quality studio, showcasing different types of voice over work. This reel will serve as a valuable tool to impress potential clients and can be shared on your website or portfolio.
- Reach out to voice over companies and clients by submitting your studio-recorded samples, along with your CV and competitive rates for each sample.
- When getting a project, be careful to calculate your rate well before confirming it to the customer. It is better to know the budget from them first, so that you can decide if it is good for you or not. My advice is to accept any reasonable rate for your first projects, so that you can gain more experience and enhance the practical aspects, applying the training you received, and make your first steps in your career. After taking on a few projects, you will be able to set your own rates, gain more experience and handle more projects.
- When you have workload, you should decide which project to accept and which one to postpone, if possible, or reject; do not ever accept a project where you can not honor its deadline, or give the best performance and quality.
- Consider specializing in one or two types of voice over work to focus your efforts and accelerate your growth in those areas. Specialization allows you to develop expertise and become a sought-after professional in your chosen field.
Remember, the voice over industry is vast, and there is always room for growth and improvement. Stay tuned for future articles where we delve deeper into various aspects of this exciting career.
By: Hossam Ash-Sharqawy
Chairman
Al-Andalus Group LTD
