Transcript: Fiverr Voice Over Webinar 11-18-2021
Recently, I hosted a workshop on behalf of Fiverr.com covering the topic of Marketing a Voice Over Business. Below you’ll find a recording of the event, as well as the written transcript of my presentation. Enjoy!
“Hi everyone! Thank you for joining me today as part of Fiverr’s Music and Audio Workshops Event.
Before we get into today’s topic, I figure I should introduce myself so you can all get to know me a little bit better. My name is Trevor O’Hare, and I’m a professional voice actor and voice over coach. I’m a Top Rated and Pro seller on Fiverr, and I do voice over work full time right here in my home studio.
I actually began my journey twenty years ago, as a young musician. I’ve been recording music and performing for a long time, so I already knew a thing or two about working with audio at a professional level… just from that hobby. Then, when I went to college, I got a job at the university radio station. That’s when I really fell in love with voice over.
The station I worked for was a listener-supported radio station that played jazz. If you’re in the Orlando area, it was WUCF-FM 89.9. I would record spots promoting the products and services of our donors, set them to some cool jazz music, and those spots would air locally in the Orlando area on occasion.
Fast forward to 2019: at this point I’m ten years deep into an education career that has nothing to do with my passion for audio, so I decide to start freelancing to blow off some steam and have fun with my audio gear. Little did I know this would change the trajectory of my entire life. Thanks to platforms like Fiverr, and my own drive and determination to secure business elsewhere too, I was able to take my freelance business full time 15 months later.
Aside from having previous experience with audio, I think one of the most important factors in growing my business during that time was having a solid marketing plan. I worked on my business every day, instead of just working in my business, if that makes sense. Instead of just doing the occasional Fiverr order that came in and being satisfied, I constantly tried to grow my reach… and my list of clients. It worked!
So today, I want to share with you the thought process and framework that helped me succeed. Specifically, we’re going to discuss how to get your voice over business off the ground and market yourself. This is the #1 topic I get asked about as a coach, so let’s dive in.
Introduction
Specifically, I want to talk about:
Choosing your areas of focus
Putting together marketing materials
Creating and executing a simple marketing plan
Now you might be thinking to yourself: “what does marketing and branding even mean for voice actors?”
That’s a great question.
Marketing is a lot more than a nice logo; branding an audio-based business means that you need to define your skills and the genres of work you do as a voice actor. The stuff that people will actually hear.
Maybe you’re adept at a certain type of voice over work, or at the very least interested in it. For example: Animation, Characters, or Commercial work. We all have something we end up specializing in, so figuring that out and putting it on display will go a long way for you and your brand. If you’re new to voice over, you may not know your niche yet. That’s OK. It will come with experience and time.
Apart from knowing the types of work you plan to target, it’s important to have solid, high-quality demos to back it up. Demos are like business cards, except with much more personalization.
Once you have demos materials to market yourself with, it’s important to gather the rest of your marketing materials and formulate a plan that puts you in front of potential customers consistently. Now… marketing for voice actors is a complex topic… certainly something that we can’t fully cover in just one webinar. But, a few key activities for promoting your voice over business will be discussed today.
So, let’s begin! First up, we’re going to talk about choosing genres to focus on for your demos.
Choosing your Area of Focus
Voice over work comes in many genres.
With voice over demos, you want to target the specific areas of work you’re interested in. For example, I currently have 8 demos on my website targeting Commercial work, Telephony, eLearning, Promo, and more. All of these demos have different sounds, and the clients that bring you commercial work will likely want a different sound than clients that bring you eLearning jobs. You want to cater to their desires and showcase the most relevant audio you can. It’s important to consider this when choosing your area of focus.
Now, let’s talk about each of these genres and what they mean for voice actors like you.
First, we have Commercial work
o Advertisements on television, radio, and the internet often have something in common… which is, voice actors telling the brand’s story! We’re often the ones communicating a brands vision, purpose, and promotions in ads. Think about how often you’re bombarded with ads in your day-to-day life; now think about how many of them were voiced. It’s likely a large percentage of them. This line of VO work is a lot of fun and often quite lucrative.
Next, there’s Animation
o When most people think of voice acting, though, they probably think of animation. Cartoons like The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, and others have inspired many people to pursue the craft of voice over. While many famous celebrities do voice acting for animated films or productions, there’s a plethora of projects out there waiting to be voiced by up and coming voice actors.
Another popular genre of work is Audiobooks
o Audiobooks are a great source of experience and income for new voice actors and veterans alike. Rates can vary, but audiobooks provide opportunities to explore different genres, play characters, and have a whole lot of fun being a voice actor. Authors do tend to read a lot of their books themselves, but we’ve seen an expansion of the medium as of late… and a real appreciation for quality voice acting in audiobooks.
Here’s one that many people think of when they think of voice over: Video Games
o Games often have lots of dialogue. There’s also the various noises made by characters. Take for instance, fighting games. The yells, grunts, and other noises were voiced by someone. That someone could be you!
Next we have Corporate voice over
o Perhaps a bit less exciting than animated series or video games, corporate narration is a fairly large genre of voice over work. Many companies will have training videos produced for their staff, and someone needs to voice those training videos. Similarly, eLearning has exploded in popularity as of late because of the shift to work-from home (and online schooling).
Announcing is another interesting choice for VO work
o Live events and public spaces often feature some kind of voice work. For example, sporting events often have an announcer, Radio DJs keep listeners entertained and informed between tracks, and that voice you hear on the Monorail at Disney is a real person too. This type of work, especially if its related to sports, will likely require specialized knowledge, the ability to adapt to changes in the environment (such as the various plays that occur in the middle of a sporting event) and being able to read a prepared script cold or with little practice. Think teleprompters and the like.
Last on our list (which is not an exhaustive list, by the way) is Documentary-style VO
o If you enjoy the art of storytelling, and want to work with visual media, documentaries may be your style. Docuseries are more common than ever these days, especially with the advent of streaming platforms like Netflix. Maybe you could narrate the next Tiger King, or do your best Sir David Attenborough impression over some nature scenes, Planet Earth style.
If you’re new to voice over, and you don’t have any demos yet, that’s going to be your first step. For the purposes of this presentation, I’m going to assume that you already have experience recording audio and are capable of either self-producing a voice over demo, or hiring a producer to help you with it.
If you’re still in the beginning stages and you’re learning how to work with audio, that’s OK. My advice for YOU then would be to record something every day, and get comfortable with the tools of your trade. You know how you get to Carnegie Hall, don’t you? Practice.
If I had to choose one type of demo for a beginner, I’d say start with a commercial demo. Especially if you’re going to pursue voice over work on Fiverr. My main gig on Fiverr that brings in the proverbial bacon is my “American male voice over” gig. It focuses on commercials for tv/radio/and internet, explainer video narrations… stuff like that.
Once you have a solid commercial demo, you’re in the clear to start marketing that demo to customers. There’s PLENTY of that type of work on Fiverr. It’s abundant.
OK, so we’ve got the demo ready to go. What now? Well, it’s time to gather the rest of your marketing materials. Let’s talk about them.
Marketing Materials You’ll Need
Developing your VO brand is less about the visual or graphical aspects of branding. Instead, you want to consider your target audience. Focus on their needs… their pain points… and show them how YOU can take care of those things for them. They need to HEAR what you can do for them, since this is primarily an audio-based service we are providing. Now, that’s not to say you will just use audio to promote yourself; it’s just one of the most important aspects of your marketing.
Here are the things you’ll likely need:
1. A Professional Website (on which you showcase that audio)
a. Mine is www.trevorohare.com
b. Ideally, you want to have a clear message and call to action on your landing page. You also want your audio samples to be clearly labeled and accessible. Make sure they are downloadable as well, because producers often share samples from voice actors with clients or other stakeholders to aid in the decision-making process.
c. Many voice actors use their name in the URL, but others choose to have specific branding or catch phrases. It’s up to you.
d. Make sure there is an easy and clear way for someone to contact you on your website. Make your contact information easily available.
e. I’d also recommend getting a professional email address tied to your site. trevor@trevorohare.com looks more professional than some generic @gmail.com address, in my opinion.
f. Make sure your audio samples are readily available and downloadable on your site as well.
2. Demos (it’s your time to shine)
a. Start with commercial, and branch out into other types of demos as you pursue other types of work.
b. Keep demos to roughly 60-75 seconds. Six 10-second spots with varied tones and delivery styles will make for an excellent voice over demo. They don’t need to hear the entire ad, just a snippet that lets you showcase your skill.
c. Listen to the demos of successful voice actors to get an idea of what to aim for. Go on Fiverr and listen to demos from Top Rated and Pro sellers. You’ll see what I mean.
3. Profiles on Freelance Platforms
a. When you’re first starting out, it’s important to leverage the experience and massive reach that freelance platforms have. Think about it. Fiverr likely spends a LOT on marketing. They had a superbowl commercial, after all. Use that to your advantage and leverage a global network of buyers. Put up a voice over gig on Fiverr. That’s a great place to start.
4. A Social Media Presence
a. These days, companies are more accessible than ever. They constantly interact with customers and the general public via social media. This is your opportunity to interface with major brands and show them what you can do. Engage with their content, post your own, and generate some interest in what you’re doing.
b. Also, it’s important to leverage the connections you already have. Social media is a great place to ask the people in your life if they need your services. You have to use your connections, you know?
c. Having a developed social media presence also helps to bring a sense of legitimacy to your business. If you can demonstrate your skill publicly and garner attention, that’s important.
Now, let’s develop our actual marketing plan:
Developing a Plan
I like to use SMART goals for this. If you’re unfamiliar with the acronym, it’s going to be a game changer for you. It stands for:
· Specific
· Measurable
· Achievable
· Relevant
· Time Bound
Now let’s talk about what these words mean in the context of voice over businesses.
Specific
It’s extremely important that your goals are clear and concise. This will help you focus your efforts. When you’re coming up with SMART goals, try to consider the following:
· What do I want to accomplish?
· Why is this goal important?
· Who is involved?
· Where is it located?
· Which resources or limits are involved?
Consider the generic goal of “I want to reach as many customers as possible.” Sure, it sounds great, but it’s too broad. We need it to be more specific. Since this is voice over, and we reach customers a variety of ways, perhaps we can drill down into auditions. A specific goal related to auditions could be: “I will submit 10 auditions a day.” When a goal is specific, you can measure your progress. Which brings us to the next section:
Measurable
Ideally, you want to be able to measure your progress over time. The goals you measure need to be realistic, with specific criteria that you can aim for and achieve. The way to determine if a goal is measurable is to ask yourself some more questions:
· “How much?”
· “How many?”
· “How will I know when it is accomplished?”
An example of a measurable goal might be: “I will book five new clients directly in the first quarter of 2022.” This goal is specific, and you can measure your progress as you make your way through Q1 of 2022.
Achievable
For goals to be achievable, you have to consider if the goal is within the realm of what is truly possible. For example: a goal like “I will make a MILLION dollars in my first year as a voice actor” is very unlikely to have a successful outcome.
Be careful, though. If you set goals that are too easily attainable, such as “I will sell $1 worth of voice over services this year”… the prospect of attaining such an easy goal will allow boredom to set in. You won’t really motivate yourself to take consistent action.
My advice is to plan for goals like you would plan a workout goal. Instead of saying “I’m going to lose 100 pounds” which is a daunting task, say something like “I will lose 1-2 pounds a week” which is much more realistic. In the context of voice over, you could set attainable goals based on income, client outreach, social media posts, and so many other things. Here’s a specific, attainable goal for example: “I will post something about voice over on TikTok twice a week”. Then, you can scale it up as you get better at meeting these goals.
Relevant
Make sure your goals are actually worthwhile endeavors, as it relates to your voice over journey. Think about the big picture. You want to be able to answer questions like:
· Does this seem like a worthwhile endeavor?
· Is this the right time for me to start this journey?
· Is this goal related to my overall goal to be a successful voice actor?
As an example, you might want to avoid a goal like “I want to be a crane operator” because the relevancy to voice over is pretty much zero. Make sure your SMART goals are always serving your main purpose.
Time-Bound
Goals need to be linked to deadlines or time frames that create a sense of urgency. This sense of urgency should be practical and not frantic. The idea is to create some healthy tension, that helps propel you into action.
For example, you might say “I want to create a voice over gig on Fiverr this year.” The problem with this goal is that, even though it is technically time-bound, it is far too long of a time frame. This fails to create a true sense of urgency.
Instead, you might say “I will write the gig description for my voice over gig this week.” That’s much better, because it’s a realistic time frame for a goal that is extremely specific, measurable, attainable, and relevant.
So now that we are armed with the SMART goal system. Let’s create a SMART goal framework for our voice over business.
Overall Goal: I want to start my own voice over business.
SMART Goal: Within Q1 of 2022, I will land my first direct voice over client.
Specific: Using Google Search, I’ll find production companies’ websites, and reach out to them via email.
Measurable: By the end of Q1, I will email at least 180 production companies, which is 15 per week or 3 per weekday.
Achievable: I will invest in a CRM tool in Week 1 to help keep my email outreach organized.
Relevant: Meanwhile, I will find and meet with a VO coach biweekly to improve my voice over skills.
Time-Bound: In each month of Q1 (Jan, Feb, Mar) I will reach out to 60 production companies, so I can reach my ultimate goal of 180 companies emailed at the end of the quarter.
What Next?
So, you’ve decided what niche you’re going to target. You’ve created a demo (or several demos). You’ve got your website, social media, and your freelance platforms up and running. And finally, you’ve developed a solid starting point for your direct marketing plan. What’s next?
This is the hard part. Now, it’s time to put in the real work.
Marketing and growing a voice over business is a task that requires consistent time, energy, and true dedication. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you are a talented voice actor, and you commit to marketing yourself on a consistent basis, it’s really only a matter of time before that consistency is rewarded with business opportunities.”
