Professional voice overs sound effortless and impactful. Achieving this quality level requires extensive practice, patience, and focus to succeed in the competitive VO business.
Beauty Is In The Ear Of The Beholder
“Voice over is a craft before anything else,” states Jessica Schechter, Director of Education at The Voice Shop, a voice over coaching service. “The voice talent is an actor and incorporates an actor’s point of view. The vocal quality is a skill set that must be developed like other art forms such as dance or playing a musical instrument. When the voice over sounds effortless, this is accomplished by investing the time in preparation and training.”
Developing your VO craft and skills is critical to success in the highly competitive VO business.
The Business Of VO
Voice overs are important to brand reputation and bring the message to life. Several mediums are utilized to promote business offerings and awareness:
Commercials: One of the most common forms of voice overs are in television commercials. TV commercials are the most competitive and lucrative voice over projects. Nearly every commercial has a voice over to help carry the story the commercial is trying to tell. Often, commercial projects are difficult to get, and the voice talent will likely need to gain experience in other types of voice overs. Schechter elaborates, “You become the brand of a company. You have to find the sweet spot of tone, be consistent and stay on-message to be successful.”
TV commercial voice over examples
Radio Ads & Segments: Much like television commercials, radio ads and segments typically require a fair amount of voice over experience. Radio is still the most consumed form of media, and the ads have the potential to reach millions of listeners, depending on the station and market.
Narration: Whether for a documentary, or company training material, narration voice overs can be large or small projects. Local narration voice overs, for example, can be a great way to break through into the voice over industry and build a voice-acting resume.
“You have to love VO as an art form to compete in the VO business,” exclaims Schechter. “It is very competitive, and you are your own brand to promote, network, and pursue projects. It takes time and perseverance to be successful. You need to have an attitude where auditions are “practice” with a possible job opportunity.”
Schechter summarizes, “Find the area you love and focus on that. You cannot do everything well, and that is ok. Focus on the craft first, then pursue the business. You must have the skills to back it up.”
Let The Voice Shop prepare you for a lucrative career in Voice Over, a rapidly growing 15 Billion Dollar industry. The Voice Shop is a voice over coaching and education initiative. Our mission at The Voice Shop is to establish and develop the skills necessary for you to succeed as a voice over professional. Contact us at info@voiceshopcoaching.com
