Here are a few ideas on how to make that happen:

1. Have regularly scheduled meetings
   • Choose daily, weekly or even monthly, depending on your needs  (i.e. every Monday at 8am, or daily at 8am)
   • Consider the time zone each of you is working in and agree to a time that is likely not going to need to be rescheduled
   • Agree to a closing time for the meeting, so that the meeting doesn’t become cumbersome. Keeping meetings short and sweet will keep both parties focused and on task.
2. Set clear goals and break them into bite-sized pieces
   • Larger goals (i.e. “Become a prolific audiobook narrator”)
   • Medium-sized goals (i.e. “Narrate First audiobook”)
   • Smaller-sized goals (i.e. “Record chapters 1 through 3”)
3. Agree about what will be discussed during meetings
   • Larger goals – Typically discussed annually as part of a business plan meeting held at the beginning of each year
   • Medium-sized goals – Typically discussed monthly
   • Smaller-sized – Typically discussed weekly or daily
   • Obstacles – Troubleshoot how to move past them as they occur
   • Celebrations – Share accomplishment with your partner as they happen. After all, they play a key role in your success!
4. Track your progress: Tracking our progress is great way of keeping ourselves accountable. Just the act of writing a goal down increases our chances of success.
   • Use a shared cloud based system as a convenient way to stay organized and efficient. Ex: Google Docs or Evernote.
   • Check off the box next to each goal you set and achieve. Seeing our goals achieved in a visual way  can feel really satisfying.
   • Take note of how long a goal remains on your list. Seeing a goal sit on a list for a long length of time is a great reminder that it needs to become a priority.
5. Evaluate the accountability partnership regularly, by asking:
   • Does the working relationship inspire greater productivity?
   • Are both partners contributing to the process in an efficient and organized way?
   • Are both partners reliable when it comes to meeting at regularly scheduled times?
   • What could be changed in the structure of the working relationship to increase accountability and efficiency?

Each accountability partnership is unique, so don’t be afraid to make it your own. As long as your goals are being met at a steady pace and you two are making strides in your career, consider this relationship a success! Otherwise, make changes to the structure of how you are working with the goal of getting better results. For example, try changing the frequency or duration of meetings or make improvements how progress is being tracked. If all else fails, consider respectfully terminating the accountability partnership. Like any relationship, sometimes it’s just not a good fit. Chances are, that if it’s not working for you, it’s likely not working for your partner either. With an ocean of capable and inspiring people available, you are sure to find another fish out there that is perfect for you!  

PRO tip: A great way to find an accountability partner is to connect with other VO talents. 

                                           About the Author

Kelley Huston caught the acting bug at the ripe young age of 8 and has been at it ever since. After finishing college with a degree in Theater Arts, she stepped into a vocal booth and felt immediately at home. With over two decades of experience behind her, Kelley brings a sense of approachable confidence and a playful wit to her reads. She is skilled at a range of styles, but is known for her authentic and genuine delivery. Her commercial & narration clients include Adidas, Suburu, Lean Pockets, Fisher-Price, American Greeting Cards, Target, Aquafor and Dell Computers to name a few. She also voiced Catwoman in Sony Online Entertainment’s Playstation game, DC Universe Online and has enormous experience as a narrator for eLearning courses. Kelley also has 10 years of experience as a line producer in the commercial industry, giving her a unique perspective on voiceover within the field of advertising. A few of her production credits include major brands such as Lowe’s, Nike, Purina, Kellogg’s and Anheuser-Busch. She finds coaching to be incredibly rewarding. Being able to share her enthusiasm and experience with students is a real treat.

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Here are some things to look for in an accountability partner:

• Positivity – Sometimes, you need someone to cheer you on.
• Focus – Someone who doesn’t get off topic during discussions.
• Parallel point in their career – Finding someone that is overall at the same point in their career journey helps both parties feel like they have something to offer.
• Commonalities regarding work – Finding someone within your industry is very helpful because you can share information and mentor each other about familiar topics.
• Commonalities beyond work – Career roadblocks sometimes can come in the form of personal obligations, like family or health issues. Finding someone that you can relate to  often creates a deeper understanding of one another.
• Admiration –  It’s very important to find someone who you admire and respect on a professional level because they will be contributing to your career in some way. Watching how your partner successfully tackles challenges or handles difficult situations can be eye opening and inspirational. In addition, you are far more likely to hold yourself accountable to commitments if you respect the person you are collaborating with.
• Ambition – Having a partner with high expectations of themselves and their future is contagious. Find someone who sets the bar even higher than you do yourself.
• Smart – You may need to brainstorm ideas with your partner (i.e. marketing slogans, blog ideas, etc), so choosing someone who is witty and clever helps!

Now that we have put some thought into what qualities make for a great accountability partner, the next step is finding one. Here are a few ideas:

• Professional Conferences – A great place to get to know people that are in your industry!
• Industry Website Forums and Groups – Wonderful resource to get to know people that are working in your field and towards similar goals (i.e. Such A Voice VO Pro Membership Facebook Page)
• Workshops or Professional Development Seminars – It’s easy to get to know people who share the same interests and career goals when you spend an afternoon or weekend workshop with them.

Some people have asked me if they should choose a family member or friend to be an accountability partner. Personally, I think it’s best to focus on the qualities above before  anything else. If the person you think would be best happens to be a friend, so be it. However, being that the role of a partner is more formal in that the foundation is built off career oriented goals. Typically, staying away from choosing a friend or family member works best. That’s not to say that you won’t end up getting to be close friends as an added bonus!

Now that you’ve found someone to potentially work with, be sure to discuss expectations with them prior to beginning the work. For example, will you want to meet daily or weekly? How will updates be given? Will you be emailing goals and task lists, sharing a google document, or just verbally talking things through? I suggest also discussing doing a trial period to make sure that it’s a good fit and that both partners feel that the relationship is aiding their career, rather than acting as a distraction.

Next week, we will go over some tips on maximizing efficiency while working with an accountability partner, so that the relationship delivers amazing results for your career. Thanks for reading and watching!

Be sure to join the conversation on our Facebook page with other SAV program graduates! If you’re new to SAV, this is a perfect place to meet other VO talents. 

                                           About the Author

Kelley Huston caught the acting bug at the ripe young age of 8 and has been at it ever since. After finishing college with a degree in Theater Arts, she stepped into a vocal booth and felt immediately at home. With over two decades of experience behind her, Kelley brings a sense of approachable confidence and a playful wit to her reads. She is skilled at a range of styles, but is known for her authentic and genuine delivery. Her commercial & narration clients include Adidas, Suburu, Lean Pockets, Fisher-Price, American Greeting Cards, Target, Aquafor and Dell Computers to name a few. She also voiced Catwoman in Sony Online Entertainment’s Playstation game, DC Universe Online and has enormous experience as a narrator for eLearning courses. Kelley also has 10 years of experience as a line producer in the commercial industry, giving her a unique perspective on voiceover within the field of advertising. A few of her production credits include major brands such as Lowe’s, Nike, Purina, Kellogg’s and Anheuser-Busch. She finds coaching to be incredibly rewarding. Being able to share her enthusiasm and experience with students is a real treat

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Everything you thought you knew about networking at audiobook events is wrong and is easier than you think.

The audiobook community is a vibrant one. It’s a tight-knit group, but is always welcoming of those who are serious about the craft and the business. There are lots of audiobook events specifically for audiobook narrators.

What are some of these audiobook events? The Audio Publishers Association holds mixers all around the country at various times of the year. There’s one in LA, NYC, the Midwest, and Seattle. Plus, there’s The Audio Publishers Association Conference everywhere in NYC that is bookended with even more mixers and parties!

And success in the audiobook industry is linked directly to these events. Why? Because audiobook narration is not voice-over. It’s old-school New York publishing: Shake hands, buy a drink, and share a steak with conversation about the Yankees. Human interaction. So you really need to do these audiobook events and get to know the movers and shakers in the business.

But we’re also introverts. I consult with a lot of people who get sweaty palms thinking about networking and elevator pitches and not saying something stupid to the president of Penguin Random House. They freak out and they come up with some reason not to go or if they DO go, then they don’t get the full experience and value because they hung out in the back like a wallflower.


So here’s my advice to make these audiobook events much easier for someone who sits in a box all day talking to themselves. And some of it is NOT what you think:

• Bring business cards. But don’t hand them out. You’re not a business card vending machine. If someone asks for them, sure, hand them one. Be prepared for that, but don’t blindly hand them to everyone after you have 3 minutes of small talk about the weather. No one typically gets hired from a business card.

• Don’t network. I can hear you saying it now: “But Jeff, you idiot, these are networking events!” That’s true, but most of us are introverts and we freak out by the prospect of “networking.” You’re not there to network, you’re there to make friends. Knowing that changes the dynamic and changes what you talk about.

• Don’t talk about audiobooks. Okay, now I’ve totally freaked some of you out. It’s an audiobook event! Shouldn’t I talk about audiobooks? No. Because that’s what everyone else is talking about! Be the person who talks about something else. Everyone should read How to Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. You’ll learn that you should talk about things that are interesting to the other person. So know your audience and do a bit of research ahead of time on who you know is going to be there and what they are interested in. Know that the casting director of XYZ Publisher likes cats and tiny houses? Then research that ahead of time and talk to them about cats and tiny houses! How do you know they like cats and tiny houses? You’d be surprised at what people divulge on social media… Be the person who isn’t always talking about audiobooks. Be the person who is trying to make a real human connection. This is classic Carnegie: If you stand there for 10 minutes and the person you are talking to regales you with discussions about things THEY are interested in, you will walk away with them thinking you are a sparkling conversationalist. And your job is easier, because they are doing the talking!

• Don’t try to juggle too much. That’s not a euphemism for time management. That literally means don’t have too much stuff in your hand. Look, I get it. The crab cakes look amazing and they can only be washed down with a rum and coke. But these audiobook events tend be standing affairs and if you do that, then your hands will be full. Forego shoving free apps into your mouth and leave a hand free for shaking. Plus you won’t look like a pig. Speaking of which, these are appetizers, not your only meal after being let out of prison. If you’re hungry, eat beforehand.

• Dress nicely, but don’t overdo it. Unless you’re going to the Audies, business casual is fine. A suit and tie is rarely necessary, but feel free to iron that shirt of yours that’s been sitting in the bottom of the hamper. Remember, you’re not trying to impress, you’re trying to make friends.

• Don’t get drunk. Seriously, do I need to explain this? It’s not a fraternity party.

• Don’t make it a point to talk to casting directors. Okay, that was clickbait, sorry. Yes, you want to talk to casting directors, but don’t ONLY talk to them. You want to have as many friends in the business as you can and that means engineers, marketing people, and other narrators. Because everyone at some point is a casting director. If I’m not right for a title, then I can recommend someone who is. Who am I going to recommend? Someone I know and like and trust not to embarrass me.

• If it’s hosted, thank the host before you leave. I mean, after all, you didn’t HAVE to be invited.

Effective networking at audiobook events means doing less traditional networking and more just being yourself. Talk to everyone! Be a real human! It’s those kinds of connections that will eventually lead to more work and a more fulfilling career as a narrator.

Thanks for tuning into our content! There’s always VO conversations happening out there that are dying for a voice like yours to participate, so what are you waiting for? Join the conversation to see what voice talents are saying. 

  About the Author

Jeffrey Kafer is a full-time SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator and consultant. He has narrated over 500 books in almost every genre for such authors Clive Barker, Steve Alten, Maya Banks, Gregg Olsen and many others. He has 2 degrees in cinema and broadcasting and spent the first part of his career as a video game tester for Microsoft before following his true passion of acting. He’s been on stage since he was 13 (his mom still has the bellhop costume she made) and currently lives in Los Angeles with his family and dog. Visit him at http://audiobookmentor.com or checkout his audiobooks at http://audible.com/jeffreykafer

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You may have been told our

There are a couple of things that can propel you into the vast world of VO that many of our coaches (who are all voice actors and were once in your shoes) have suggested.

• Throw your ego out the door because there’s always room for improvement. Ok, keep your ego intact because you need it for your self-confidence (which is a must in the VO industry) but don’t assume because you’ve taken a few workshops that you have the chops now. You need to train and practice on a regular basis, just like an athlete, just like a musician, just like a professional chef. Beyonce didn’t make it to the top and then just stop and let the fruits of her labor work for her. She still practices, rehearses and continues perfecting it all. Laying down some cash for proper voice-over training with coaches may feel costly at the time, but you have to consider that those sessions will pay for themselves after you’ve had a few job offers, which ideally you will if you keep working on improving your skills. A voice coach will take you out of your comfort zone and help you to grow as a voice actor in ways that you wouldn’t otherwise on your own. The best part of working with a coach is that it’s fun!
• Make it happen, don’t wait for it to happen. Well, there’s some waiting involved after you submit auditions of course, but I’m talking about being proactive and sharing your enthusiasm for your new career endeavors with everyone. The more people who know you’re getting into voice acting, the more likely you are to find work. Networking is huge and although you may cringe at the idea of it, again, it’s a step outside your comfort zone which can potentially bring results. This can also mean getting your business cards made, launching your website, your business Facebook page, and your LinkedIn profile. It means cold calls and emailing prospective clients. Prepare yourself for rejection and take it with a grain of salt when it happens. Remember that a rejection doesn’t mean you don’t have talent, it means you didn’t fit the voice description of what the client had in mind.
• Setting realistic goals helps you with time management. It can feel overwhelming to embark on a voice acting career. If you’re anything like me when you feel overwhelmed you shut down and don’t accomplish anything except accumulating a YouTube history of funny cat videos. Now as entertaining as that is, it’s not going to bring you anything but guilt later on for not getting anything done. So, set goals for yourself and I’m talking realistic goals. Not goals like- Send auditions this week. No, that’s too broad and too vague. Get detailed with your goals and ask someone to hold you accountable. This could be the voice-over coach that you’ve invested in. Setting goals will ideally teach you how to organize your time as well. What helps me is to use my Google calendar as my guiding light. I write my goals into the time and day slots that I want to get them done. When I do that, I usually achieve said goals. If I just think it and assume I’ll get it done, it doesn’t happen. In that case, what gets done is more accumulation of cat videos. With setting goals and practical organization of your time, it can be helpful to create a routine for yourself so that you’re dedicating a set amount of hours each day to starting your voice acting career.
• A professional demo and high-quality equipment are key. I cannot stress enough how important a professional demo is. Imagine you’re interviewing someone for a job and they show up in ripped jeans with their hair askew. Would you hire that person based on your first impression? Unless it’s for a heavy metal music booking company, probably not. Your demo is your prospective client’s first impression of you. If there’s background noise or the sound is muffled or you’re popping your p’s too much, that’s going to reflect poorly on you and what the client assumes your capabilities are. Get into a studio with a producer and director so that you can take advantage of their expertise. Don’t forget that we can help you with that too!

If after reading this article, you’re still feeling apprehensive and not jazzed enough, here are some books that I recommend to get you off your tush and into the world of voice acting!

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

You’re a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero

We always enjoy hearing your feedback, so join the conversation and see what’s trending about Such A Voice!

We also provide more tips about how to get started with your voice acting career on our YouTube channel. We even have a video for this post, so you can hear the blog author, Bekka Burton, in action. Check it out below: 

                                                                                                   About the Author

Bekka Burton is a copywriter, scriptwriter and copy editor at Such A Voice. She’s also an English Language teacher forcing fun grammar activities onto unsuspecting students in Barcelona, Spain. She’s currently studying an online Diploma course for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Trinity College in London and will be pursuing a Master’s in Linguistics in Fall 2018. When she’s not studying, writing, editing or teaching, she’s sure to be found hiking mountains, reading books, and eating her way through many European cities.

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Most of the time, auditions land you the job. But, where do you find these auditions?

While there are many avenues, here are some of the bigger ones:

• Your agent/manager
• Pay-to-play casting websites (just for acting, but may be specifically focused on VO)
• Freelance websites (not necessarily focused on hiring actors)
• Your network

Let’s focus on that last bullet point: your network.

It might be the most overlooked, underutilized weapon in your marketing arsenal. It’s also the most powerful tool you have at your disposal.

In the absence of an agent, membership on any of the pay-to-play sites, or any other casting resource out there, your network is a wonderful way to share your talents with the world and search for VO opportunities.

Networking is about building and strengthening relationships. And it is everywhere.

Think about your day job. How many of you got your current (or past) job because of a personal connection? According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 30% of all hires in 2016 came via a referral.

We want to work with people we know, like, and trust. The best way to do that: hire someone our people already know.

Instead of telling you how to network and how to get voice work, I want to share real life examples of how networking has helped your fellow VO actors land agents and opportunities. I encourage you to incorporate these lessons into your own marketing efforts.

Networking is how many of us landed our agents, including me. None of my agents came to me through a cold call. In fact, my first round of reaching out to agents in Los Angeles was a bust. Out of 20+ mailings and e-mails, I got zero responses! A few months later, one of my friends from a VO class offered to introduce me to his agent. We all met for lunch and friendly conversation, and then several weeks later, I was invited to sign with that agency.

Networking is how many of us discover how to get voice work. Alex Weitzman’s day job as a Virtual Assistant ended up landing him a voice-over gig without even having to audition. One of his colleagues tipped him off to an opportunity. He then sent his demo and subsequently got cast in the project. Weitzman said, “The networking itself became the method of booking.”

Your next job might come from your last job. Kalina Kitten McCreery sent a thank you note to a production crew after working with them on a short film. The first Assistant Director had a VO project and ended up hiring her to work on it.

Networking can be the bridge from turning a cold call into a real working relationship.  Michael Montes reached out to a voice coach to inquire about his courses, and ended up having a conversation about his experiences. Michael sent the coach his demo and a brief summary of his training. The voice coach also turned out to also be a casting director and ended up sending Michael auditions that turned into work.

Networking helps us help others. Networking isn’t about what you can take from a relationship; it’s really about what you can give. Tamara Lilly saw a post in a VO-focused Facebook group looking for an actor with a specific regional accent for an e-Learning project, and knew someone who fit the bill. She introduced him to the company and he booked the gig. He also suggested she submit her work to that company for future reference.

Networking has karma. In a great postscript to Tamara’s story, she said, “Three months later they gave me a gig and have turned into my best repeat client.”

Results from networking may take time. Be patient. LA-based voice actor Tracey Rooney has a great story from her on-camera work. She said, “I sent a postcard to the casting director for One Life to Live. She had seen me perform, but hadn’t brought me in to audition. After sending a postcard, she booked me without an audition for an under-five role that recurred and recurred. When I walked into her office, my postcard was still on her desk. Tons of people could’ve played that role but I was the one that sent the postcard that day that reminded her I existed.” Networking can payoff in unexpected ways and in its own time.

Networking is really shorthand for relationship building. Connections are made via events or social media, but relationships grow over time through repeated authentic contact, and a willingness to help and be of service. Most of the actors I spoke to said they reached out to their network anywhere from once a month to once per quarter. However you choose to do it, be consistent. If you need help creating a system, I wrote an article about Staying on Top of Staying in Touch.

Time to write your own success story! Take a second and think about your world and the people and groups you interact with on a regular basis. Here are a few ideas, just to help get you started:

• Your 9-to-5 job
• Classes you’ve taken
• Alumni associations
• Your friends and family
• Social media groups

From those groups, can you come up with a list of at least 10 people you can reach out to about your VO work? Craft a brief note, make a call, or send a postcard and get the process started. I would love to hear what results YOU get!

We’re also on YouTube. Check out the full video for “How To Get Voice Work: Network to Kickstart Your Voice-Over Career:”

Did you enjoy “How to Get Voice Work: Network to Kickstart Your Voice-Over Career?” If so, we’d love to to hear more of your feedback!

About the Author

As a voice actor, Ratana’s voice can be heard in numerous commercials (Vail Resorts, Fantastic Sam’s and others), video games (Skylanders: Giants), animation (Daddy, I’m a Zombie, Mummy, I’m a Zombie), as well as many industrial narration projects. A self professed “nerd,” she’s also a lifetime learner who constantly seeks new resources to keep her skills sharp. In addition to performing as a voice actor, Ratana coaches VO for Such A Voice. You can find her professional voice-over work at: ratana.net.

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1. Give yourself permission to talk about your work. Ultimately, even though you’re talking about you, this isn’t about you. This is about how your voice adds value to someone else’s project. So, let’s ditch the idea that talking about ourselves is bad. Let’s instead look at it from this perspective: if you don’t tell people how to view your work, they will either a) ignore you or b) come up with their own point of view (which might not jive with your own).

Next, we need to make time to do this work. For many of us, marketing and branding is not second nature and we’d rather get a root canal than do this. Let’s change that! Remind yourself that marketing helps you to invite opportunities to do what you love: perform VO! Everytime you share what you do in a clear and effective way with the people who are in a position to hire you, the more opportunities you will have to audition. That will only mean more opportunities for you to book work, which means…cha ching! Yay!

2.  Make the time for marketing your voice-over skills. Literally schedule time into your calendar. If you’re just getting started, it’s going to take a little more time to ramp up. I’d recommend an hour a day for the first month. As you gain more experience and confidence, you might only need a few hours a week. Soon, you’ll be able to do this in as little as an hour (or less) per week! This takes time, so be patient. Schedule marketing into your calendar so you know you have carved out the time to do the work.

3.  Define what success looks like and track your progress. This can be a specific list of outcomes you post somewhere visible. It can be a spreadsheet you update daily, weekly, or monthly. It needs to be measurable and specific.

These first three steps allow you to develop a mindset and framework that will help you get off the couch and get comfortable marketing your VO work.

4. Get clear on what your brand is. Just like your VO training has taught you to dissect scripts and figure out who you’re talking to, what point you’re getting across, and how you’re doing it, you need to figure this out for your brand. If you need some tips and tricks on this, read through Cultivating Your Brand as a Voice Over Artist or 5 Steps to Discovering Your Personal Brand as an Actor. For many of you, this takes some time, introspection, and research. Give yourself the time to process this (but also give yourself a deadline to get it done).

Once you know your brand, it’s time to start networking. It can be in-person or via email, social media, etc. That’s why it’s important to do the following:

5. Connect with people. This is where the rubber meets the road and where most VO actors start to get uncomfortable. Networking is gross and icky, right? WRONG! Networking is the opportunity to connect with people, share your goals, and share how your voice-over skills add value to the projects you want to audition for and ultimately book. Networking is about building relationships and communicating with others. The best person to tell the world about what you do best is YOU. The only way to let them know is to tell them.

6. Don’t be afraid to ask for and/or hire help. Graphic design is not my specialty so I hired people who can do that part for me. You might be amazing at graphic design, but you may really need a push when it comes to articulating your brand in words. Maybe you need to find a copywriter to help you clarify things verbally. When you’re first starting out, you may not have a big budget to work with, but trying to do everything (especially when you just have no love or skill for certain tasks) is a recipe for getting overwhelmed and procrastinating. Carve out a budget for marketing (the same way you do with your VO training), so that you can hire help on a regular basis. You can also consider trading services with someone. Create a team to help you delegate these tasks and allow yourself to focus on what you do best.

7. Find a buddy. Accountability partners are great for keeping us on track towards accomplishing our goals, whether it’s working out or booking more VO gigs. (Scientifically proven, people.)   It’s helpful to have another person encourage and push you to get a task done. Need help finding a buddy? Maybe start with a classmate from that SAV Master Class you took or a VO buddy you met in a workshop.

8. Check in regularly with yourself. Remember where you wrote your goals down? Once a week, check in and see how you’re progressing towards those outcomes. Ask yourself:

• What went well?
• What did I accomplish this week? Any wins (big or small)?
• What could I have done better? How can I fix that for next week?
• What do I need to complete next week so that I stay on track?

Checking in with yourself or your accountability partner gives you a moment to digest the work you’re doing and make adjustments so you can be even more nimble in the future.

9. Celebrate! When you hit those milestones you’ve defined as your markers of success, take a moment to celebrate that win. It doesn’t have to be a blow out party, just something that allows you to draw energy and momentum from your success so you can move onto the final step.

10. Lather, Rinse & Repeat to put that nose of yours back to the grindstone and keep at it. Marketing your voice-over skills effectively takes time and practice. It gets easier with time, as you start to learn what works and what doesn’t work for you and your VO biz.

You might be wondering, “How long does all this take? This feels like work.” It is, but it’s also fun, liberating, and amazing when you start to see the results of your hard work gaining traction. You can set this process up in 4-6 weeks if you are disciplined. I recommend keeping marketing and outreach an ongoing part of your business process. As you gain experience and confidence, you’ll be able to execute on your marketing in a few hours a week and revisit your strategies on an annual or semi-annual basis.

When you decided to start taking VO classes, you most likely were starting from zero. It was challenging, maybe even scary. Eventually, you got comfortable and started growing your voice-over skills. Getting cozy with the business side of your VO business is much the same. Embrace the challenge and get off that couch, my friends! You got this.

Now I want to hear from you: How will you use these ten steps to kickstart marketing your voice-over skills in 2018? Comment below or share your thoughts with me on twitter @diamondsong.

Also, check out our VO Pro Membership and the Such A Voice blog for more tips about how to perfect your voice-over skills!

About the Author

As a voice actor, Ratana’s voice can be heard in numerous commercials (Vail Resorts, Fantastic Sam’s and others), video games (Skylanders: Giants), animation (Daddy, I’m a Zombie, Mummy, I’m a Zombie), as well as many industrial narration projects. A self professed “nerd,” she’s also a lifetime learner who constantly seeks new resources to keep her skills sharp. In addition to performing as a voice actor, Ratana coaches VO for Such A Voice. You can find her professional voice-over work at: ratana.net.

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Voice-over marketing is really the poor stepchild of voice-over. I don’t know anyone who enjoys the process. Yet, if you have two people in the industry – and one is super talented but does very little marketing of themselves – and the other is so-so, but markets the heck out of themselves – who do you think will be successful?

If you look at your time each day as a pie cut into quarters, the theory goes that one quarter should go to auditioning on pay- to play- sites, one to seeking out auditions in other publications like Variety and Backstage (there are many others – even Craig’s List),  one to cold-calling companies, and the last to contacting studios and advertising agencies. If you do this, you will need to develop an efficient record-keeping system!

Where most people lose steam is when they don’t get immediate pay-back from their efforts. It can seem like you are doing all this work for nothing – when you don’t hear anything back, or worse, you hear “no.” So what’s the answer?

First, understand that you have no idea what’s really happening with those auditions you’ve sent out to pay- to-play sites like Voices.com. I can’t tell you how many times I finally booked a gig months after I initially auditioned. There is so much going on behind the scenes; these agency folks are extremely busy, and you are not the only thing on their minds. There are late copy changes and other projects that are consuming their time. Also, it gets very confusing listening to hundreds of folks, and it takes time to weed people out (that’s why I preach about taking risks in auditions and standing out from the crowd).

The principle behind following the “pie” chart is kind of like scattering seeds. You are literally throwing thousands out in the form of auditions, cold-calls, emails and letters each year… and there’s no way to tell which will bloom into a gig for you. Patience and faith is key.

I still get calls for voice-over work from “seeds” I scattered years ago.

For years I have described my voice-over career as coming at me “out of left field.” But really, it’s been a result of the “planting” and energy I’ve put in all this time!

In addition to using the “pie” model as a marketing tool, try incorporating creative marketing you really enjoy! It’s amazing the serendipitous ways we can find voice-over work. Here are some ideas:

Look for v/o opportunities at your current survival job. Almost all companies today, big and small, produce corporate videos and need voices for their websites. Yet very few voice-over folks think to ask their workplaces for the opportunity to voice their projects.

Take acting and improv classes. Not only is this imperative to keep your voice-acting skills honed, but it’s necessary to get out there and network! You’ll make friends, and, you will keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the business.

Get involved with associations. Almost every industry has an association that serves it. There is World Voices (WoVo), for the voice-actor, Audio Publishers Association (if you are interested in doing audiobooks), various unions (like SAG/AFTRA) tied to the voice-over industry, and even the Library Book Association! You just never know what opportunities will come your way when you spend your time around folks associated to your business.

Create your own opportunities.

Podcast listenership is growing by leaps and bounds; write about something you are passionate about and record a snappy podcast each week!

Web Series production is booming. Many folks are being “discovered” on web series! In fact, networks are now assigning some of their staff to hunt for talent on YouTube and other venues!

Technological advances have created opportunities for almost everyone to pursue their acting dreams. Find the way you enjoy! There’s no reason you can’t be seen and heard, in today’s marketplace.

Find this useful? Check out our VIP Membership!

Nancy Wilson is a Producer and Coach. She will be directing the SAG/AFTRA Radio Players in the upcoming performance of the old time radio broadcast of The Whistler, at The Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles.

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When I first got into this business, I envisioned those voice over conventions as being around hundreds of strangers, with my demo in hand and a fake smile on my face; aimlessly walking around, looking at other voice over people doing the exact same thing.  But before I get into “perception vs. reality,” I think it’s important to understand why most of us voice folks would rather get a tooth pulled than network.

Countless studies have been done on people who fall into the “creative” category. As it turns out, most of us are introverts.  Check out the earmarks of  an introvert below, and see how many apply to you (excerpt, taken from the book: “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World that Can’t Stop Talking”, by Susan Cain):

1. I prefer one-on-one conversation to group activities
2. I enjoy solitude
3. I seem to care less than my peers about wealth, fame and status
4. I dislike small talk, but enjoy in depth conversations about things that matter to me
5. People tell me that I’m a good listener
6. I enjoy work that allows me to “dive in” with few interruptions
7. I do my best work on my own
8. I often let calls go through to voicemail
9. I can concentrate easily

Many of the qualities of the introvert would seem to be perfect for artists:

• Thinking deeply
• Happy working alone for long periods
• Capable of sustained concentration
• Sensitive to the world around us
• Persistence
• Self-motivation

Do you see yourself in any of these qualities? It’s important to understand who we are first, and why we may have an aversion to something, before we try to tackle it.  Said another way, if you force yourself to go to a voice over convention, not knowing why you don’t want to go and feeling uncomfortable the whole time, the experience will be a waste of time and money.

Perception vs. Reality

My first voice over convention turned out to be an epiphany!  I was like a kid in a candy store – running from one Sennheiser  display  to another, trying out microphones, filling my bag with pamphlets on mixers and portable booths. There were star-studded VO panels and break-out sessions. Best of all, I found my tribe: hundreds of folks who, just like me, would rather be home creating their vocal masterpieces!

Our thoughts about things are seldom the reality. Networking is not about convincing strangers to hire us for voice over jobs; it’s sharing, learning and relationship building.  When we do these things, we are automatically “seen.” Try not to put the cart before the horse.

Don’t think: I’ve got to go to this convention to get voice work. Instead try, I’m going to have fun; see new studio products, learn about trends in my business and make friends. When you approach networking like this, the rest will take care of itself.

This strategy goes for all other networking opportunities as well!  Consider joining your local Chamber of Commerce, and philanthropic organizations like Rotary Club, or sponsor your local little league team.

Diversify!

Don’t expect offers for voice over work to come streaming in right away. Have patience. Relationship building takes time.  I can pretty well guarantee you the first time your friends at the Chamber or Rotary need a voice actor, you are the one they will think of hiring!

By nature artists are sensitive souls; preferring to practice our craft and spend our time reflecting. And that’s okay – in fact it’s awesome! It’s what gives us the ability to create characters and give emotion to even the most stilted of copy. By looking at networking as a way to get to know people and build relationships, the whole process might seem more agreeable to you!

Websites like voiceovertimes.com is an excellent resource for all kinds of voice over conventions! Happy networking!

Nancy Wilson is a busy voice-over actor in Los Angeles and has trained with the legendary comedy group ‘The Groundlings’. She will be directing SAG/AFTRA’s Old Time Radio show, Gunsmoke. You can find her on Facebook and on her website: www.nancywilsonvo.com.

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