Anyone who has ever thought about voice over as a side hustle or has been put into a position lately whereby you need to find another source of income, voice over can be an attractive alternative.
In the article A Seasoned Voiceover Actor on the 4 Things to Consider When Getting Started in VO, Angela Peters weighs in on what to consider.
Her main four points to consider are:
See if you actually like voice over work.
Know your type.
Get a decent reel.
Gain experience.
See if you actually like voice over work.
The first is one of the most important aspects of ever considering voice over as any sort of income. Its not a hobby. Its not a get rich quick scheme. There is a TON of competition out there and if you don't have or think you have what it takes to make a long term commitment to a craft, don't even bother. But try it. You can get some cheap equipment and record some test scripts from here and see what you think. You're not going to sound like a TV or radio commercial at first. We all get that too.
Its very disappointing and disheartening to hear your own voice for the first time. Almost scary in fact. But do realize, the more you learn and grow, you will absolutely get better if you are 100% committed! I myself am getting better and better with every job and every coaching and every tweak of my equipment.
Know your type.
No one knows 'their type'. Not at first. I do a lot of explainer videos: the ones you see on Youtube or other sites that are animated and have someone do the voices, intended to relay a message or how-to in an easy to digest format. It took me a long time to know that explainer videos are a great match for my style.
I've done TV spots and online promotional video voice over, but for the most part, I do explainers. When you get more and more experience, you will find that voice over will tell you what type you are versus you trying to be a type.
Get a decent reel.
Getting a decent voice over reel (demo) is a hot topic. Can you do one yourself? Sure you can. Nothing stopping you. However, if you place it side-by-side against your competition, you'll soon find out that yours doesn't have the same punch that the other one does.
I do my own. I tend to think I do well, but then again I'm wrong. I do know what I want to hear and how I want it heard. I have researched other reels and can compare mine to others, and I think they can compete, but in reality, I would love to have something more professionally created.
Gain experience.
The last one is experience. Ah yes, experience. Where to and how to: that's the question for everyone. 99% of new voice over talent goes to freelance sites like fiverr.com and upwork.com as well as voices.com, voice123.com, voquent.com, and more. Some are free, but when you get work, they take at least 20% cut. Some are what we call Pay-to-Play (P2P is a common term). To get your 'chops', try one of those. Even for $5-$50, you will get experience.
I always say that even if you audition and think you nailed it, but don't get chosen, you still have that audition that you can use as part of your demo.
Demos review.
Speaking back on the demo reel. If you are going to do the freelance site work, you don't necessarily need a professional demo reel. You can make your own, but if you do, please take some time and learn how to make one, how it should sound, ensure the levels are the same, etc. A poor demo will be your downfall and will not get you work!
I might even write a blog on what I've learned about making my demo and its evolution. Stay tuned.
So what now?
So for now, go read the article and see what she has to say as well. I'm sure you will agree that if voice over is for you, then jump in. The water is... well, wet.