Proud Voices

5 Tips to Hire Voice Over Talent

A well-done voiceover can make or break a project! Whether the job is an animated video, an auto-attendant message service, or a radio commercial; the steps are the same…

- A customer should listen to a variety of samples and previous work from the artists.

- They should ask to hear recordings of similar projects that might allow them to better visualize the finished product.

Ask the following questions before choosing a V.O. artist:

- Is the artist able to create a character and voice it in a way that capture the emotion and feel of the script?

- Does the feel of their voice represent the feeling of the brand or project?

- Can they create the finished product that they or their client envision?

Customer considerations:

1) Choosing the Right Voice – Certain artists may be better than others at voicing a “character”, while other may be better at delivering a commercial “style” V.O. Commercial V.O.’s tends to be more monotone, very easy to understand, and may not necessarily evoke the emotion that a character piece may.

- The point of a commercial type of voiceover is to deliver information to potential customers in a clear and audible way.

- Character voiceovers serve to create a story or scenario that will capture the attention of the listener and inform customers of a product or service.

Once you understand what type of voiceover you need, it will be easier to determine which voice is right for your project. After you have narrowed down the candidates, you should request to listen to a variety of past recorded projects. You may be able to find something similar that will give you an idea of what the finished project may sound like.

2) Finalizing the Script – A great script is definitely one of the most important parts of creating a great project. It should be written in “natural language”, an flow nicely as the artist reads it.

Scripts should be “interesting and ear-catching”. A well-written script should be unique and contain catchy language that will distract a listener from any other activities that they are doing. They should also fit the artists voice and be edited to bring out the best product.

3) Considering the Tone - Capturing the emotion of a voiceover is an important part of the project that many customers take into consideration. Is the voiceover supposed to be energetic, sad, animated, fear instilling, or calming?

- Different emotions can have different effects on your customers. Choosing the feeling that you feel would best drive your customers towards making a purchase is what your should be striving for.

4) Commercial v.s. Character - Customers should also consider the type of voiceover they are looking for. Commercial V.O.’s like auto-attendant and phone systems usually tend to be more monotone and serve to provide the customer with a clear set of instructions.

- Character pieces such as animated videos or radio ads may require an artist to evoke the emotion and personality of what is written on the page.

Not all artists are able to bring a character to life. It is definitely a skill that comes with practice and years of training. When choosing an artist for this type of project, a customer should listen to their previous recordings and see if they have the ability to create the piece.

5) Picking the Format - The project’s audio can be delivered in a variety of formats including WAV and MP3. Wav files are much larger and are sometimes preferred for video projects. Most people have difficulty telling the difference between a WAV and a high quality MP3, in most cases it is a very subtle difference. But, for phone system projects the audio is often needed in a low resolution format.

- Sometimes a low-medium quality MP3 is the only format with a small enough file size to fit on a phone system.