Guide to Hiring Voice-Over Talents and Voice Producers Online

Choose the Right Professional for Your Job
Get a Sense of the Pricing You Can Expect
Script and Directing Tips
• Describe Your Audiences
• Provide Descriptive Words
• Provide Specific Samples
• Provide an Easy-to-Read Script
• Spell Out Numbers and Pronunciations
• Match Timing to Word Count
Be Clear about Post-Production Expectations
Agree Upon a Payment Schedule That You Are Comfortable With

• Describe Your Audience

Start by providing a brief description of who will be listening to the finished recording. Whose attention do you hope to attract? It helps the voice-over talent form a mental picture of the audience they are speaking to.

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• Provide Descriptive Words

You should strive to be as descriptive as possible when conveying how you want the finished product to sound. Sometimes voice talents receive a script along with just one word of direction, like “upbeat.” Maybe you’re not that picky, and “upbeat” will do the trick. But if you’re striving for something more, here is a list of words you can use to describe to the voice-over talent how you want them to sound: warm, friendly, compassionate, soothing, confident, light-hearted, concerned, dry, emotionless, authoritative, comic, serious, straight-forward, sultry, not sultry, quirky, believable, engaging, clear, bright, mature, young, hip, upscale, classy, brassy, sassy, movie-trailer big, good diction, or excited. (“Excited” is commonly used. Try using a one-to-five scale or an example to convey how excited you want the voice to be)

Or, tell them you want them to sound like a role: a story-teller, corporate professional, mom-next-door, best friend, announcer, attorney, doctor, trusted teacher, or a bored receptionist.

The list of descriptive words that will help the voice-over talent achieve your goal is endless.

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• Provide Specific Examples

It doesn’t help the voice-over talent to hear that you want them to sound “just like Roz on Frazier or someone on a certain commercial, unless they can hear those references. Provide a sound clip of the voice you are seeking. Some voice-over talents can mimic voices, and if they hear an example of what you want, they can do what is possible for their range.

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• Provide an Easy-to-Read Script

Sometimes scripts are cluttered with multiple parts, editing notes, and revisions. Voice-over talents and voice producers will appreciate a neat script in a 12-point font. Make it very clear what part you want recorded for the job. The script you send is the main tool for interpretation, and often it’s all the voice-over talent has to work with.

Most voice-over talents will charge extra if they are asked to re-record due to script changes. Changes include copy errors, so proofreading pays.

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• Spell Out Numbers and Pronunciations

Your script could say “1300 Broadway”. Do you want to hear “thirteen hundred“, one three o o”, or “one three zero zero?” Always spell out the pronunciation next to the numeral. The same is helpful for proper names, especially regional pronunciations. You may have heard “Willamette” your whole life, but please spell out “will- AM- met.”

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• Match Timing to Word Count

Ready for the number one voice talent pet peeve? It’s receiving a script for a 30 second commercial with 45 seconds worth of copy, along with direction like “caring and compassionate.” This commercial can only sound one way—fast. There is not a standard word count for a 30 second commercial because voices come in all speeds. Try reading your script aloud and timing it before sending it to the voice-over talent. Editing the script, before recording, saves a lot of wasted time. Most importantly, giving the voice-over talent or voice producer an extra few seconds can make all the difference in getting the sound you want.

Some producers want the voice talent to record all the lines in a script even if they know it will go over time. They like to hear and then edit sentences. If this is how you work, tell the voice-over talent that it’s acceptable to go over time. If this is not made clear, the reading sounds rushed or the talent feels frustrated because the timing is impossible.

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