common questions from voice actors
topic: becoming a voice actor
I’ve always been told I have a great voice. Does that mean I can be a good voice actor?
Being a voice actor will require many different skill sets. It’s not enough to just have a great voice; you basically have to run a one-person business. That kind of undertaking requires not just being able to convey emotions and ideas through speech. You also need to be your own sales team, marketing department, finance department, and more.
Honestly, you don’t even need to have some exceptional voice to succeed in this industry. What you do need, however, is energy and the will to persevere through the ups and downs that will make up your VO career. You will have to work your ass off to get to a point where you’re making an income you can depend on to support yourself and your family.
How do you know when to go full-time with voice over?
This is a tricky subject; it depends on many things. We all have different standards of living and expectations when it comes to money. All that aside, here’s my advice: don’t quit your day job until you can replace the income from that day job on a consistent basis. I didn’t quit my own day job until I doubled my monthly salary.
What’s the average workday like for a voice actor?
It depends! Some voice actors treat their job like a 9-5 gig, while others work a few hours a day. I usually find myself in the latter category. Your schedule will likely involve some combination of the following:
Recording paid work that you’ve booked
Editing Audio
Auditioning for voice over jobs
Direct marketing via email, phone, social media
Interacting with clients
What skills do I need to be successful?
You will need to be skilled at the following tasks, or willing to learn them:
Acting/Conveying Emotions
Audio Editing and Mastering
Marketing and Sales
Time Management and Discipline
Basically, it’s up to you to do everything. These days, most voice actors handle much more than just speaking into a microphone.
topic: fiverr
I’m new to Fiverr. Why am I not getting orders?
Getting the ball rolling on Fiverr is one of the most difficult parts of the process. When you’re first starting out, it’s critical that you do a few things: set up your gig properly, respond to briefs as soon as they are sent to you, and generate your own leads which you can funnel to the platform to get some order volume.
How do I get on the front page as a new seller?
Truthfully, you don’t in most cases. The exceptions are this: when you are selected as a Rising Talent and featured in search, and when you target less competitive keywords with your gig. Otherwise, it’s very difficult to get to page 1 of search results as a newer seller. It takes time and effort to grow your account. Once you are established, front page placement in search results is much easier to obtain.
How many gigs should I have?
This depends on your strategy. Initially, I’d recommend having one gig. That allows you to focus your energy on one thing, and make sure it’s the best it can be. It will also help you learn how Fiverr works and not feel overwhelmed by having to edit many gigs all the time. You can have more if you’d like, but make sure they are just as good as your main gig. A bad gig can drag your whole account down.
A buyer asked for a revision, and now my order is late! What do I do?
As long as you delivered before the original deadline, the “late” order will not impact your Fiverr seller statistics. It looks scary, with the big red ##LATE## message at the top of the order page, but it’s not actually late. That being said, it’s always best to deliver before the deadline, and try to get feedback and revisions done before the original deadline out of respect for the client’s time. However, not all clients are created equally. Some take forever to get back to you, and others never get back to you. Good luck!
How do I set up my Fiverr gigs properly?
There are multiple resources at your disposal to improve your Fiverr gigs. First, you can look at the gigs that are created by successful sellers on the platform to get some inspiration. Then, you can check out resources like my Fiverr rate guide to price yourself correctly. If you still need help, I also have a Fiverr Gig Evaluation service, as well as a Fiverr course.
How do reviews work on Fiverr? Can I see them all?
Buyers are given two opportunities to review your work. First, they can publicly review your gig. Then, Fiverr contacts them discreetly, asking for a private review. Both types of reviews will affect your gig ranking in search. However, you can only see the public reviews.
How and when do I get paid by Fiverr?
When a buyer places an order, they pay Fiverr. Once that order is completed, 80% of the funds are assigned to your account and will remain in a "pending" status for a 14-day clearing period. This time frame is for financial processing and to ensure buyer satisfaction. After this, the funds will be marked as "cleared" and will be available to withdraw. If you’re a Top Rated Seller, that clearance period is shortened to 7 days. To learn more, visit this page in the Fiverr Support Center.
How do I convince buyers to purchase the usage rights they need?
Usage rights are an interesting topic. Fiverr is the only place that really itemizes voice over transactions this way, with Upwork being a recent addition to the list with their projects feature. Since this method of itemizing usage rights is rather unorthodox, you have to ensure that you are setting the right expectations with your gig description, FAQs, Requirements, and Pricing.
I’ve also found that the lower paying clients on Fiverr tend to ignore the usage rights altogether. However, the higher paying clients tend to do the opposite; they generally agree to pay the extra money to use the voice over a certain way.
if you have a buyer that is pushing back on usage rights, consider the overall sale and whether or not it’s worth saving. You may want to offer a discount on the additional rights, or throw them in for free, as a gesture of good faith. Good order outcomes are one of the main determinants of good search ranking on Fiverr. So, if you have more successful orders, Fiverr will help you get more eyeballs on your gig offerings. Cancellations have the opposite effect; you’ll fall behind in search results if you cancel orders. So let’s avoid that, shall we?
How do usage rights work? Commercial? Broadcast? Huh?
Usage rights on Fiverr are broken down into two categories: Commercial, and Full Broadcast rights.
Commercial Rights cover general business use in unpaid media. This includes internal videos, company website content, social media feed posts, etc.
Full Broadcast Rights allow usage in paid advertisements on the internet, radio, and television. These rights are usually more expensive than Commercial Rights.
With this in mind, a “Full Buyout” on Fiverr would be when a client purchases BOTH Commercial and Full Broadcast Rights. This would basically allow usage in any situation, like unpaid or paid marketing, unless otherwise specified or limited by your agreement with the client.