There are many steps that go into having a successful VO career:

Drive. Imagination. Confidence.

But is there anything more powerful in a voice actor’s arsenal than gratitude?

This Working Wednesday, we are going to discuss the importance of gratitude on a daily basis. 

So much of our lives as artists is out of our control, but when we take time to “count our blessings” and reframe our days from a place of thanks rather than need, it makes a world of difference

Before you audition, when you wake up, take some time to list three things you are grateful for. Every day could be a different list or a consistent trio of things you are grateful for.

I hope this list changes but I wanted to provide three points of gratitude for you to consider daily. From one artist to another, this journey is long but so worth the trek. Take every opportunity you can to celebrate the gift it is to act. 

1. Recognize how lucky you are to be able to pursue your dreams. 

The fact that you have the courage to pursue your dreams and the talent to compete is an incredible gift. Recognize this daily, and thank yourself for taking the leap of faith. 

2. Be grateful for every opportunity to audition.

For 30 seconds or three minutes, that audition is YOUR chance to shine, and for that window of time you get to play the part to your fullest. You can’t control booking it but you can control giving it your all as an artist and that’s something to be grateful for every day.

3. Be grateful to those who have supported and encouraged you.

Whether it’s an agent or a manager, a producer or a partner, every opportunity you get to act has been supported by a long line of folks who believe in you. Take the time to thank those people even if you don’t book the job. Gigs are a matter of timing, but support and friendship is timeless.  

Here’s hoping that during this season of thanks and celebration, that you’ll take some time to celebrate your own VO journey and be grateful for every opportunity you get to act and audition.

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We all know success is better achieved with set goals. However, it can be difficult to figure out the process that works perfectly for you. Organizing my voice-over goals and making to-do lists are just a few of the things that I do to keep myself on track with my voice-over career.

Here’s my process:

Do a Brain Dump

We carry a lot around in our brain. If you try to organize your voice-over goals entirely using your memory, you’re just asking to feel overwhelmed. Write down every single thing you have to do. Include the tiny stuff like buy eggs and the big stuff like sign with a voice-over agent. Break each of these down into manageable tasks. Buying eggs is pretty simple and includes little prep work. Signing with a voice-over agent is going to require a bunch of prior action items.

Organize Your Lists

Separate your tasks into different days. Make categories like Today, Tomorrow, This Week, This Month, This Year, etc. I recommend keeping these lists on your phone using an app like Wunderlist. That way, your list is in your pocket at all times. Organize your Brain Dump items into these categories. Every day you’ll check your lists and move items around accordingly. If you think of any new tasks, just plug them into the appropriate list. This method is expanded on in one of my favorite books, Push by Chalene Johnson.

Must-Dos vs Want-Tos

There are always going to be things we have to do to reach success that aren’t fun. It’s just the reality. These are called the Must-Dos. Must-Dos are like business finances or collecting leads. Want-Tos are the things that still need to get done, but are much more enjoyable, like recording a new commercial for a client or working on a monologue for an acting class. Condense the Must-Do tasks into a couple of hours during your day. Stay focused, put your phone on airplane mode, and get to work. This will get those less desirable tasks out of the way quickly so you can work on the stuff you really want to.

Here are a few personal book recommendations to help you achieve your goals:

Push by Chalene Johnson

You Are A Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

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One of the most frequent questions I hear from other professionals pursuing a voice acting career is, “How much should I charge a client for [insert voice-over project here]?” It’s imperative for voice-over artists to do their due diligence in researching current industry standard rates for various projects, as well as speak with other professionals in the industry about voice-over rates.

At SAV, we’re lucky to have a built-in community of other voice-over actors, mentors, teachers, engineers, and peers. The power of communication regarding ever-changing voice-over rates in the industry is really important and there are various guidelines to consider:

Know Your Worth!

When asked by someone outside of the industry how much I’m compensated for a commercial voice-over, I can see their eyes grow large with excitement. It may sound like a large number for two or three hours of studio time, but what is not understood is the investment in time, money and education that it takes to begin and sustain a voice acting career. As voice-over professionals, we need to remember (especially if we are setting our own rates) that the time we have spent in classes, coaching sessions, and our booth add up to our expertise in this field. When setting your own voice-over rates, or negotiating those set by producers and/or clients, you need to not only consider your session fee (the time spent in the booth recording the specific copy), but also all the training you’ve acquired and the investment in your home studio (which helps make your client’s job much easier).

Usage

Another factor to consider is how the project is being used and in which medium. If you record a commercial that’s airing nationally on television, then that is a larger rate than a regional television commercial specific to a certain market. The voice-over spot you worked on is being seen by more viewers nationally as opposed to regionally, which warrants more compensation. You should not only consider your session fee, but also get the specifics on how the voice-over is being used. My personal opinion is to avoid “in perpetuity” usage because as your career develops, something which was not a conflict in the past could be in the future. If the spot you had conflicts with another brand in which you are auditioning, this could become a conflict that was unforeseen when you initially booked and recorded the job.

Research

Always update yourself on industry standard rates. I recommend reviewing the union rates set forth by SAG-AFTRA.  Voices.com also offers a rate card as well Voice-Over Resource Guide. Upon viewing these rates you may find, based on your current experience, you fall a little lower or higher than said rates. Maybe you have a great deal of experience in the commercial voice-over world, but now you’re branching out into narration, e-learning or audiobooks, so your voice-over rates may be a bit lower for that genre as you find your footing. The most important thing is that you have a baseline rate for yourself and you’re comfortable and confident stating this rate to a client. It’s beneficial to first ask your client’s budget and proceed from there. While stating your rate, also take into consideration edits and pick-ups. It’s customary to include one free round of edits in your rate, but any edits or pick-ups past that incur a fee.

Community

One of my favorite things about being a voice-over actor is the incredibly supportive community. Use your community to communicate with other voice-over actors regarding rates and best business practices. I have rarely found anyone who is secretive or not willing to share their past experiences. By being a generous and communicative community, we are stronger as voice actors and can advocate for ourselves to get paid appropriately. If you are operating from a home studio and all communication is between yourself and the client (versus an agent as the intermediary) it’s usually your responsibility to invoice after sending your VO files. I always include a polite 30-day payment term at the bottom of my invoice. In certain states (for example, New York) there is a “Freelancing isn’t Free Act”, in which you can politely mention to be paid in a timely manner.

Keep it Professional

Always keep it professional. A client may not have a budget that works within your rates presently, but one day they may have a project with a much larger budget and think of you as the talent to circle back to! It never hurts to politely decline when a project has too low of a rate and exclaim, “I would love to work with you in the future when our rates align!”

At the end of the day, we all need to have a baseline of what is an acceptable pay rate and what you may need to walk away from politely. This is a competitive market and when you have put in the training, financial investment, technical education in perfecting your studio sound, and countless hours practicing in the booth you must advocate for yourself and know your worth! If you have any questions, reach out to the SAV community. We’re here to be stronger together as you move through your voice acting career!

Check out our YouTube channel to see more content like this! The video for this post can be viewed here.

Also, don’t forget to join in the conversation and share your positive experiences about Such A Voice!

                                                                                                       About the Author

Megan MacPhee is a voice-over artist, singer, actor, dancer, content creator, and teaching artist based out of NYC. A member of Actors Equity Association, credits include national tours, regional theatre, Radio City Music Hall, and The Metropolitan Opera. Her work as a voice-over artist includes national television commercials, social media spots for various brands, voicing the role of EMMA/GHOST GAL in the animated series “YU-GI-OH! VRAINS,” as well as e-Learning, demos, promos, and audiobooks. She has a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from CUA and Contemporary/Classical training from London Dramatic Academy. To view more of Megan’s work visit www.meganmacphee.com or check out her web series, www.unbalancedwebseries.com

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SAV:

Macphee: I’m excited to be a part of the Such A Voice team! I got my real start in the voice-over industry five years ago, but funnily enough my first VO audition ever was when I was a teenager for the babysitter role in The Incredibles movie! No pressure, haha! I then went on to pursue musical theater in undergrad and found my way back into the voice-over world afterwards. I truly love it!

SAV: What kind of voice-over projects have you done so far?

Macphee: I have a lot of experience in commercial voice-over. Right now, you may hear my voice in a television commercial for Lay’s Poppables, or if you stream TV – Smirnoff. Other clients include Fisher-Price, Birchbox, Nina Ricci Fragrance, Our Health California, and others. I am excited to be working on my first animated television series on Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains as Emma/Ghost Gal which is recording now.

SAV: Tell us more about your role here as a voice-over coach at Such A Voice. How would you describe your voice-over coaching techniques?

Macphee: Such A Voice has such a wonderful curriculum which reflects back to a lot of the training I have had as an actor. Like many of the talented coaches here, I like to also bring my training and style to the curriculum as well. At Such A Voice, we discuss the importance of warming up your body as well as your voice to prepare yourself for the work. I love this  technique that involves reading through the script as flat as possible with no inflection to get the words in your muscle memory and not getting attached to any particular read or inflection. I have tips and tricks to using my body in a way that changes the sound of my read (ie. shrug of the shoulders for a more conversational read, actually pointing to emphasize something in a copy, etc.) We discuss script analysis and ask questions like, “Who am I talking to? What am I really saying? What am I reacting to?” This makes a read sound much more authentic and conversational which is absolutely desired in the industry right now.

SAV: As a coach, what advice do you have for newcomers to the voice-over industry?

Macphee: Persistence and authenticity. I think those are my two words of advice. As with any industry, the work you put in is what you are going to get out of it and you need to be at the top of your game. Even as a professional, you always have to be practicing and keeping your tools sharp, taking classes and coaching sessions, practicing copy, and consistently getting in the booth. I’m having so much fun exploring other aspects of this industry that I am not as familiar with and I’m constantly seeking out growth opportunities. It’s also important to be authentic and find your true voice and niche of where you fit into the industry. I really believe success finds people when they are being true to themselves and allowing their unique light to shine. Clients want to work with the person who knows who they are and what amazing quality they can bring to their project.

SAV: Who is your role model in the voice-over industry?

Macphee: Gosh, so many! My coach Doriane Elliott is an amazing strong lady whom I’ve learned so much from. Darren Dunstan, the director of Yu-Gi-Oh, is also a voice actor. He is a genuine, wonderful person and a great director. As I get to know the wonderful women on staff at Such A Voice, they become great mentors. The list grows throughout your lifetime!

SAV: Who is your favorite superhero?

Macphee: Wonder Woman. That movie was so great and to finally see a strong woman saving the world – nothing beats that!

SAV: What are some of your favorite summer activities?

Macphee: I love eating at a great Mexican restaurant with a margarita in hand. I also love catching up on books to read on a beach or by a lake. In NYC, I like catching up on theatre, maybe seeing Shakespeare in the Park, heading to Central Park or the High Line to hang.

SAV: Which one is better: watching a movie or reading a book?

Macphee: I really love both, depends on my mood!

SAV: Oceans or lakes?

MacPhee: I prefer lakes, I grew up going to the Adirondacks and relaxing by the lake.

SAV: What do you enjoy the most about being a voice talent?

Macphee: I literally love lending my voice and energy to someone’s project and being of service in that way! I also love the community. I find the voice-over community one of the most collaborative and supportive communities in the entertainment industry and I am proud to be a part of it.

We want to thank Megan for taking the time to catch up with us and to thank you for tuning in each week to our blog. We always enjoy hearing your feedback, so be sure to join in on the conversation and see what’s trending about Such A Voice!

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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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There’s this old saying: “Only learn something once. After that you’re a total expert and will be lauded as a genius in your field.”

Just kidding, that would be ridiculous. How about this one?

“You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.” -Marvin Minsky

Ah, better.

My Origin Story or That Time I Googled Voice-Over

When I first decided to pursue a voice-over career, I was on a break from work. I was miserable in my job. Life circumstances had left me in a rut with little direction. I needed something I could be proud of. Something that was mine. It was time to pursue voice-over, but there was a big question that I had to ask: How do I become a voice actor? I ended up asking Google this question. Seriously, that’s all I did. That led to a link for Such A Voice and then some amazing conversations with lovely people about voice-over coaching. Finally, I told my husband I was going to invest in a voice-over training program to become a voice actor. I will never forget it because his face was excited for me, while his brain was probably thinking, “What the heck is she doing?” But, I had that tone he knows so well that meant: “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” Shortly after, I began my voice-over coaching with Bill Sleeper for my commercial and narration demos, followed by an audiobook demo produced by Michael Yurchak.

After that, I never had to learn anything ever again and ended up building a whole career on learning all of the information one time!

I’m kidding… remember the first part of the blog post? We’re doing that again. Look alive.

I received incredible voice-over coaching from the SAV staff. They gave me an amazing foundation and a wealth of knowledge that I still use everyday in my work. I’ve built a successful voice-over business that I’m proud of. If I had relied solely on my voice-over coaching sessions and never sought out any other knowledge, I would be in a very different place.

If you’re serious about taking a passion and making it your career, your life, and your purpose, it requires a lot of you. Here’s the oversimplified version: you are introduced to a skill, you love the skill, you train in the skill, you do the skill for money or accolades. People say “Wow, look at their mad skills!” What you never hear is people saying, “Wow, look at how they keep improving their skills and investing in continued education like a serious professional!” However, that’s kind of the most important part.

Natural Talent is Not Enough

When I was four years old, my grandma signed me up for piano lessons. We discovered I had some natural talent. I had a knack for timing and musicality. By the age of eight, I was competing for a chance to tour with the Utah Symphony Orchestra. There were hundreds of competitors and only seven finalist spots. I played my Mozart Concerto for the judges and totally nailed it. I vividly remember walking up to the finalist list they posted on the bulletin board at the end of the day. If I was a finalist, I had to stay and perform again. If I wasn’t, I got to go to the zoo. I was an alternate, and all of the finalists were present, so I got to go to the zoo. My eight-year-old heart was thrilled because, ya know, penguins.

I competed for several more years before deciding being a pianist wasn’t my ultimate goal, but let’s focus on those four years between my first lesson and my trip to the zoo. I had natural talent, but that alone wasn’t getting me anywhere near that competition. First of all, I had an amazing teacher. She gave me the tools, provided me with honest constructive criticism, and encouraged me to grow, but even that alone couldn’t develop my skills. It was the hours, and I mean HOURS, of practice time and music theory study. It wasn’t always pretty either. Most of those hours were spent playing scales and chords over and over again to build dexterity. It was going through countless flashcards to remember time signatures, note values, symbols, music history, etc. It was playing one line of music with a metronome, increasing the tempo little by little. This usually ended with me laying on the piano bench sobbing while my grandma made me a grilled cheese.  So, let’s drive all of this home.

Devour Voice-Over Knowledge

Soak up all of the knowledge you can about voice-overs and this industry. Take what serves you, let go of what doesn’t. Your needs are going to change. It’s just like reading your favorite book at different times in your life. You will find different lessons as you grow and gain experience.

Where do you find this info? If you’re in a Such A Voice Demo Program or are a VO Pro Member, you have access to a lot of information from VO experts. Watch the videos, listen to the bi-weekly teleconferences, and read the blog. Go back to all three of these resources and do it all over again. Don’t let it go to waste. In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your voice-over training is to ignore these materials. Listen to podcasts by VO professionals, read VO books, budget in additional
voice-over coaching sessions to keep your skills fresh, attend conferences, find voice-over workshops in your area, and take a local improv class. Invest, absorb, repeat.

One of the most motivating things I ever heard was on the ID10T podcast with Chris Hardwick. I’m paraphrasing, but he made the comment that even people like Steve Carell and Tina Fey, while they had natural comedic talent, had to train for years to become who they are.

So, I leave you with this question: Who do you want to become?

Enjoyed reading this content? We’d love to hear more of your feedback about our blog.

We’re also on YouTube! Check out the video for this post:

                                        About the Author

Tia Rider Sorensen is a voice actor and writer in the Salt Lake City area. She got her start with Such A Voice in their VIP program and has since completed over 50 audiobooks, several corporate and explainer videos, as well as some commercial and animation work. You can see more of her work at www.tiasorensen.com.

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Voice-over: First we need to answer the question, “What is a voice-over?” A voice-over is defined as any recorded voice where you don’t see a face doing the talking. So, think about cartoons, documentaries, audiobooks, or even when you tune into the Super Bowl each year and listen to the exciting, funny voices in the background of each commercial. A voice-over often further emphasizes a visual story.

Niche: In the voice-over industry, a niche is a particular area that is suitable for someone based upon their voice. For example, a voice-over artist may recognize that their voice aligns more for the voice of an animated character rather than the voice of an audiobook. As you continue to develop your voice-over skills, you will begin to find what speaks to you and what your niche is.

Promos: Promos are considered a niche. They are defined as promotional commercial spots used by television and radio stations. Promos are used to increase audience awareness of any upcoming programming.

Read: You may be asked by your voice-over coach to do a read of two lines in the script you’re working with. In this sentence, read is used as a noun and is referring to your read, or version, of the script. This is often interchangeable with the term, “take.”

Demo: A demo is an audio recording of your professional work that is presented to prospective clients. Having a demo as part of your portfolio is a necessity in promoting your talent as a voice-over artist.

Home Studio: A studio is where all the recording and the mixing takes place. One of the benefits of being a voice-over artist is being able to work from home. Many VO artists create their own home recording studio in the comfort of their own home. Creating your own recording space provides convenience and comfort.

Track: A track is the actual audio piece being recorded. VO artists may also hear the term, “multitracking,” which is when you have multiple tracks that will be combined to produce a full, finished production. These tracks may contain music and other sound effects.

Music bed: The music that is added to your voice-over to produce a finished product is called a music bed.

Cut: Voice-over artists will also learn about the audio editing process. When a cut happens, this means a specific sound segment is being removed from the voice-over recording.

Copy: A copy is the script you are working with.

These ten words are just a few that you will come across on your way to becoming a voice-over artist. You should continue to learn as much as you can about the voice-over industry, and of course, keep practicing your vocal techniques! Before long, these words will be a part of your everyday vocabulary.

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Let’s face it, in our “more is more “society, we often have a hard time saying no in our daily lives, and that can be even harder to do when our careers (and paychecks) are part of the equation. There’s a pressure on voice actors to accept every piece of work offered to them, particularly when they’re just starting out. Sticking to your guns in voice-over can be difficult. The business is competitive, resumes and reels need to be built, connections and relationships in the industry need to be forged. But just as you (hopefully) wouldn’t go out on a date with every single person that asks you out, you should exercise discretion when it comes to the voice jobs you accept.

Saying no to work can feel counter-intuitive, particularly if you’re newer to the business or if you’ve gone a long time between jobs. But knowing when to decline a job offer is necessary to growing your career. Here are some instances when saying no is the best way to go.

The job is not aligned with your beliefs and morals.

This one should be a no-brainer, but sometimes people feel unsure about using this as a barometer for accepting work. Many agencies make this easy for those on their talent rosters: they ask flat out if there are any political, religious or ideological boundaries they need to consider when submitting talent for jobs. Ask yourself the very same questions and draw the same lines. You wouldn’t want to represent something you don’t feel good about ethically. 

Something doesn’t feel right.

Is anything about the proposed job tripping off your gut instincts? Maybe it’s an interaction with the person you’d be working for, signs of disorganization, unprofessional practices, bad writing, or even something you can’t quite put your finger on. The point is, following this primal instinct is valuable in so many aspects of our lives, and the business side of being a voice actor is no exception. If you have that feeling in the pit of your stomach that tells you something is off – just say no.

The job is unpaid or underpaid.

Ask yourself this: would you go to your day job, work every day and then refuse a paycheck at the end of the week? I bet you wouldn’t. You need to approach your career as a voice actor in the same way. Sure, in the beginning stages you may do jobs for free or for very little money in order to build your resume and gain experience. But there will come a time when sticking to your guns in voice-over means you have to decide that you are no longer willing or able to work for free. In order to get others to value you and to value your work, you first need to value yourself. Set a fee you’d be willing to accept for your services and stick to it. This means you may be overlooked at times in favor of someone who is willing to work for free. Eventually though, voice actors who insist on being paid for their services are the ones who are considered for better roles. When clients see you are worth paying, your value increases in the marketplace.

You are stretched too thin.

The quality of your work – from your performance, to your recording and delivering of files, to your follow through with the client – is paramount to your success as a voice artist. If the demands of other jobs or your personal life have you pressed for time and stressed out, chances are you won’t be able to do your best work. In this case, saying no is better than saying yes and creating an inferior product, which could leave clients with a bad impression of you and your abilities.

Saying no can be hard, but it does get easier with practice. And remember – how you say no can make all the difference in the world. It’s always best to do so with grace and, if possible, leave only good feelings behind. Sticking to your guns in voice-over means maintaining the fuel behind your decision to become a pro talent in the first place. The people you’re turning down today may be the very people you want to work with tomorrow!

Find this useful? Check out our VO Pro Membership!

Claudine is also an Emmy Award-winning director/producer, commercial and promotional voice talent for brands like Verizon, Listerine, and MasterCard, native Brooklynite, published photographer, and and was the live announcer for the first ever televised Hollywood Film Awards on CBS.

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As in every industry, we’re in the business of getting business. Primarily, that means prospecting and following through. Getting work requires you to work smart AND work hard. However, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel – just replicate what works and think of places where you can gain a competitive advantage.

Here are a few tips:

1. Target small, non-union markets when you’re starting out. Think broadly. Look for opportunities all over the world. Go online to find industries that hire talent regularly like advertising agencies, marketing companies, media production houses, eLearning companies, etc. These people will come back to you again and again. Repeat business is a key to sustainability.

2. When emailing prospects, remember, it’s about them. That means you need to respect people’s attention by being brief, direct, and client-centric.

3. Attend events like trade shows and business expositions. Your local Chamber of Commerce will be happy to let you know when and where these expos are scheduled in your area. You can go as an attendee. Make sure voice-over is on your lanyard, then target businesses that hire VO talent like the local network affiliate, brand development company, university, healthcare provider, etc. Be prepared to talk about your area of expertise quickly and succinctly, elevator-pitch style. Highlight your signature sound and what you can do that will serve their needs. As you develop relationships with your clients aim for return business with quarterly check-ins. Network with them once you have trust and rapport: Ask for referrals.

4. Update and nurture your website and social media channels. SEO is a science, so if you have a website learn about analytics and keyword listing so people can find you more easily. If you advertise online with tools like Google AdWords (AKA Pay-Per-Click), set a budget and expand it as it starts to pay off.

5. Expand your demo base and selectively sending to hyper-targeted contacts. Mailers still have a relevant place at the marketing table. Limit your numbers and add a short handwritten note. That personal touch can dramatically increase the mailing effectiveness. People still appreciate physical merchandise. Everyone can use a memory stick (USB drive) with your demos on it.

6. Campaign with email. This can sound complicated but it’s really just messaging your contacts. List building here is key. Keep track of everyone you interact with and target. Quality record keeping is a must. Use a Contact Manager (CRM) that is specifically designed to handle your contact management. HubSpot provides a free one. PipelineDeals.com is a quality CRM for a nominal subscription fee.

7. Finally, follow up and follow through. If you tell someone you’re going to do something like call them in two weeks, call them in two weeks. Sounds obvious, right? It can get tricky when you have multiple contacts and situations, so this is another reason to be thorough with your CRM so opportunities don’t slip through the cracks.

The bottom line is that by concentrating your efforts on gaining business, you will gain business. Diversify your tactics and persevere.

And remember: If you build it, they will come!

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Brian Thon (pronounced ‘TONE’) is an international voice artist and national producer. He has worked behind the mic and behind the board in studios throughout the US, with up and coming voice talent to published authors and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musicians. For more of his work visit brianthon.com.

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