Menu ☰

Top Ten Voiceover Tips for Beginners

How to get started in the world of voiceover, by London-based voice over coach Gary Terzza

Gary TerzzaWhen people ask me for advice on how to get into voice overs, they often want a simple two sentence answer. Of course even two pages is not enough. Whole books have been written on the subject and, whilst many of them are extremely useful, you are still left with the feeling you need to know more.

One of the features of the industry is that it is in a constant state of flux – genres come in and out of fashion. Take audioboooks; these were once the preserve of leading actors and personalities such as Martin Jarvis, Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Fry. But now there are so many books published every year (in excess of 100,000 in English alone) that demand for narrators has skyrocketed.  You could make a similar case for videogames and explainer videos which only existed (if at all) on a small scale a few years ago.

If you bought a ‘how to’ book back in 2005, chances are you would need to buy yourself a new, revised copy… if there is one.

Crystallising everything I know about voice overs into some bite-sized chunks of knowledge would be impossible; in fact even though I have produced a number of blogs and videos on the subject, I feel I am only just starting to scratch the surface. So when the nice folks at VoicesUK asked me to write a Beginners’ Top  Ten Tips, I knew it was going to be a tough call. Perhaps 100 maybe?  How about a 13 part series?

So please take my list as a basic introduction. Some of you will be thinking ‘tell us something we don’t already know’, whilst others may think this is all there is to know. It isn’t. There is so much more. Notwithstanding, and after a cup of strong Earl Grey and a jam tart (well two actually), I have produced the following pointers. Let us scratch that surface together.

In no particular order:

Read Aloud.  Do this whenever you can, in the bath, in the car, in your kitchen, don’t just mumble – perform.  It’s the best way to practice. Incorporate a wide variety of material from fiction to history books, gossipy magazines to cultural articles. Breadth and diversity are key.

Set Goals. Give yourself a time-frame and decide where you want to be in 6, 12, or 18 months. Make these achievable and realistic. Start with making your showreel and honing your craft and aim to secure some work, however small. It will be a great confidence booster.

Be a Business. You are a professional voice artist, so keep accounts, receipts and develop a charging structure. Create a business plan with projections over the next one, two and three years. Of course you won’t know exactly how much you will earn, but keeping tabs on your expenses will give you an idea of your bottom line.

Know Your Market(s). Keep an eye on the internet and become an expert on new trends. Are there exciting genres your voice would suit? What are the hot topics doing the rounds? Follow the VO influencers on social media and see what they have to say… you will be learning from the experts.

Set Up A Home Studio. This sounds rather grand, but really it is just a quality microphone, your computer and lots of soft furnishings to improve the acoustics. For recording software download Audacity; it’s easy to learn how to use… and free!

Volunteer. Join a hospital, community or student radio station. This will help with your microphone technique and timing. Joining an amateur dramatics group will give you a deep insight into script delivery and characterisation.

Persist. How dare that TV channel reject your voice demo!? Try again after a few months. Still being shunned? Keep on sending out your voice-reel; a phone call to a production company’s creative director may just yield a positive result and at the very least will raise your profile and signify your interest.

Advertise. Hand out your CD or YouTube link on a business card to people you meet, or try a classified ad or Google Adwords. Set up your VoicesUK showcase – it has great Google ranking and with links to your own social networks along with a direct contact form you’ll help yourself be found – exposure is key to creating brand awareness. When you have a new demo announce it on Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook and provide a link (e.g. on Soundcloud) so everyone can hear it. In short,  let the world know you exist.

Think Laterally. Does your local garage need a better on-hold message? Is that estate agent making a promotional video for their website? What about those start-ups on the outskirts of town. You have the voice, so offer them your services.

Keep Your Demos Fresh. Every time you record a job, always ask for a copy of your performance and add this to your voicereel. Review the content on a regular basis; your reel should be dynamic and forever changing, just like a CV.

Unlike the original Ten Commandments, mine are not set in stone, but I hope they give you some useful ideas. Other voice over professionals may make different suggestions, so (as I mention in point 4) learn from the industry’s key players as well.

Be inspired and go for it – your career as a British voiceover artist is just around the corner!

Gary Terzza is voice over coach based in London, England who can be found at VoMasterClass.com and on Twitter at @VoMasterClass.

Tweet
Share
Share9
9 Shares

Welcome to the VoicesUK blog. Here we explore all facets of the amazing world that is the voiceover industry. We feature guest authors on topics such as how to get started, what equipment is best for your recordings, how to find clients and how to best show off your skills on VoicesUK. To join our family of British voiceover artists please click here. To search for the perfect voice for your project click here. And click here to get in contact with our team, we’re ready to help!

3 responses to "Top Ten Voiceover Tips for Beginners"

  1. Debbie Grattan Voiceovers Mar 30, 2015 at 17:06

    some very helpful hints here Gary. I will save and use as a resource for when I’m asked this same question. I think the hardest thing for any newcomer to understand is that it doesn’t happen overnight, and to develop a thick skin and some tenacity. Like any sales, it takes a lot of “no’s” before just one “yes!”

    Reply

  2. AnaClementsVO Mar 30, 2015 at 17:26

    Concise and a helpful reminder as always, thank you Gary. Looks like the extra jam tart did the trick.

    Reply

  3. Debby Barnes Mar 31, 2015 at 20:18

    There’s a wealth of great stuff here, GT. And it’s so like you to share it! 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *