Talent for Voiceovers: In case you were not aware, 2022 is the year of content. Not that the previous years weren’t, but every brand, business, and content creator has discovered the impact of audio-visual content when selling, educating, or entertaining. Whether the content is designed to build an audience, raise brand awareness, or make money, one thing you will probably need is voiceover. However, choosing a great voice actor is far from easy, and you can make plenty of mistakes along the way. Here are some of the most common mistakes you should avoid when choosing talent for voiceovers.
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Not Visiting Professional Agencies
The first mistake people commonly make when looking for voice talent is not visiting professional voiceover agencies, such as using Voquent voiceovers. Why is this a mistake? Because voiceover agencies such as Voquent vet and approve only professional talent with industry experience, anyone on a freelancing website can create a profile that contains misleading information, which will only result in low-quality audio and performances.
Not Checking Experience
The next common mistake you should avoid when choosing voice talent would be not checking the voice actors’ experience level. When you look for a voice actor, you need to know if they have experience with the type of project you have in mind. For example, narrating an audiobook requires knowledge of how the medium works and the voice artist’s responsibilities. This is especially important if you are not available to give the talent lots of live direction while recording, as experienced talent will already know what you need from them.
Not Listening to Demos
Similarly to the tip above, not listening to demos of the voice before auditions will make casting the right voice more difficult. While sometimes necessary, the auditioning process often wastes precious time. Having to find multiple voice actors, brief them on a project, wait for auditions, and then review the auditions takes time. Many voiceover agencies and platforms have demos available for each voice, so you can make an informed decision based on how they sound immediately.
Choosing the Cheapest Option
One of the biggest mistakes you should avoid making at all costs is choosing the cheapest option simply because it’s cheap. Much like any industry in the world, choosing the cheapest service usually has its drawbacks, such as a lack of experience and low-quality equipment in terms of voiceover work. Rather than choosing the cheapest service, establish what kind of budget you are working with and what essential requirements you need from the voiceover. These requirements to create an incredible product are unlikely to be available at the lowest price.
Not Keeping Your Audience in Mind
Finally, the last mistake you should avoid is ignoring your audience; this is especially important if you are a brand creating an advertisement, for example. Why? Because your voice actor needs to have a voice that your audience can associate and identify with. Often, the best voice to convince an audience is a voice that sounds like that audience. Establish what characteristics your audience has – Are they younger or older? Are they predominantly male or female? What kind of voice would this audience trust?
As you can see, there are quite a few mistakes that can be made when choosing voice talents, such as not checking with a professional voice-over agency, not keeping your audience in mind, choosing the cheapest option, not checking for previous work history, and not listening to recorded demos. If you avoid these mistakes, you will drastically increase the chances of finding a great voice actor who will improve the quality of the content exponentially.
