A talented voice artist can bring even the dullest script to life by engaging the audience in a story and telling that story well. Hiring a voice that fits your brand’s energy, tone, intensity, and overall personality will shape how people hear your message.
However, with the voice over marketplace teeming with numerous skilled artists, it can be challenging to find the right voice for your purpose — if you don’t know what you’re looking for or how to describe it. Nevertheless, the task can still be completed by exercising some prudence in understanding the fundamentals of the voice over industry.
The key information below will help you decide what factors to consider when looking for voice artists for your upcoming projects.
Project Type
The advertising world accounted for nineteen percent of the global voice over industry, following closely on the heels of the entertainment field in 2017. In simple terms, it means that an increasing number of professionals are hiring these artists to promote their brands and message to broader audiences.
Invariably, it is imperative to hire an artist depending on the type of project you wish to complete. For instance, you should hire a narrator if your script incorporates a story that must be told engagingly. In contrast, an announcer is best if you need someone to make important announcements over the radio.
Target Audience
Testing your respective demographic is pivotal to understanding what voice quality will work best for your purpose. For example, if your company sells toys, your target audience is the parents of children of a specific age. Considering this fact, you should employ someone young with a soothing voice that appeals to children and persuades their parents to buy what you are selling.
Similarly, if you manufacture and sell beauty products for women, a convincing female voice over artist who can offer quality assurance would be best suited. Men’s voices are most suited to advertise grooming products for men, certain healthcare products, and more. The age and accent of the artists would generally depend on the products you are promoting.
Sample Voices
Typically, it is best to hire voice artists with a diverse portfolio of past work. This way, you can employ their services for a range of different projects, such as expressive narratives for storytelling videos, energetic announcements for upcoming launches, and so on. Review similar projects they have done before moving ahead with the voice artist.
Alternatively, you can hold an online casting call and listen to various voices before deciding which is most appropriate for your script. Before having the call, you can send a list of directives to the candidates to make your expectations apparent. By auditioning multiple talent, you get to hear voice samples reading from your script to help you evaluate who sounds best representing your brand. When listening, take a moment to think about how each voice artist reads the script and how they’d appeal to your target audience.
Freelance vs. Full-time Artist
The voice over marketplace is replete with full-time and freelance professionals who take up a myriad variety of roles on a daily basis. Depending on the circumstances, there are pros to working with either type of artist. To elaborate further, freelancers are best suited for small and quick projects, as they can record the audio from within the comfort of their homes and send it within the desired timeframe.
On the contrary, a full-time voice artist is preferable to voice professional content for reputable corporations and other large businesses. That’s because such artists have more experience in the field and will readily give time to come and work in a professional recording studio. You can request a custom audition before asking the artist to work in a private studio. This will give you a distinct picture of what the recorded version of the person’s voice sounds like and if it is suitable for your needs.
When looking for a voice-over artist for your next project, you can also look for companies that serve as a bridge between artists and employers. Such companies make it easier for employers to find the talent they are on the lookout for in a shorter span of time. These services can help you save time and effort while also making you benefit from the streamlined pool of talent of the company and their expertise in the industry.
Consider Longevity
Customers often become attached to voices and other distinct features about their favorite products and brands. And once such a connection has been formed, it can be challenging to break it and create a new one. Naturally, this means you should consider the longevity of your video or audio and if the voice you select has the kind of distinct quality that can impact people for years to come.
Following this, you can work out a suitable contract with the artist and employ them for several projects rather than just the current one. While keeping this voice as your brand’s primary one, you can experiment by releasing short clips using various other artists and check if your audiences accept them as well.
Final Word
Consider critical aspects such as voice modulations, pitch, tone, and accent in mind when choosing a voice over artist. It is advisable to avoid hiring people with a heavy accent, primarily if your target audience isn’t used to that manner of speaking. Furthermore, you need to have an equally strong script to match the robust sound quality of the artist; otherwise, the entire exercise will be futile.
