What to Look For When Hiring a Voice Actor

Just about every business can benefit from using voice-overs. And there are some incredible VO's out there doing awesome work.

But finding the right voice actor for your brand is not the simplest task. You need someone who understands your company's mission, vision, and values, and who can convey them through their vocals-- and that's not always easy to find.

Here are some tips for hiring a voice actor for your project.

Research Your Voice Actor

Vetting a voice actor is an essential part of pre-production. When doing research, you should make sure to look for specific things.

Not all work will be on the actor's demo reel, so make sure to ask.

It doesn't matter how unique the samples they send you are if they're not in the genre that best fits your project.

Make sure that any voices sent to you have experience working in whatever style or tone of your project.

Otherwise, it'll sound like you hired a pop singer for a jazz album.

You Should Hire Versatile, Dependable, and Easy-To-Work-With Voice Actors

Versatility - The best voice actors understand that their talent is in the client's service. Talented voice actors can shift gears and perform different reads, such as a promo trailer or an e-learning module.

Dependability - Voice-over actors will always come to a recording session prepared, never miss a deadline, and give the highest quality performance. Clients should feel assured that they can rely on the talent to deliver.

Collaboration - A great VO makes everything comfortable. Voice-over artists should see themselves as partners in a creative endeavor, not dilettantes or hired guns. They should care about delivering what you need for your project. They should also be eager to help you make it even better than you had imagined it could be.

Choose a Voice Actor That Reflects Your Brand

You want your voice actor to have a voice and a set of behaviors that reflect your brand.

Look at your brand guidelines to determine the characteristics of your brand's tone, style, and behavior.

Think about what you want the listener to get out of your voice-over performance. Does it sound like someone in your target audience? Does it embody the values of your target audience?

For example: If you are trying to appeal to millennials, you won't pick someone who sounds like their grandmother.

But if you are trying to sell insurance for retirement planning, then a grandmother's voice is what you need.

Communicate Everything in One Place

When hiring a voice actor, make sure that you give them as much information as possible in one place.

It's more efficient for you and the voice actor to tell the story in one brief.

That way, the voice actor doesn't have to wade through emails or text messages to understand the project scope.

Here's an example of a brief for a product video:

Client: Hiring Company Name

Project description: Product video for [Product name] detailing its features and benefits.

Target audience: 20-30-year-olds who are social media savvy. The product will appeal most to millennials and Gen Zers who like cute and quirky things.

Tone & Style: Casual but informative, upbeat but not over-the-top excited. Think:

• Tim Gunn from Project Runway—he's serious about fashion but has a sense of humor about it all (without being snarky). 
• Clean and crisp, not zany or chaotic (like John Mulaney). The client wants this to be clear without sounding clinical or boring. All the info must get across, but we want it to feel exciting. 
• "This is cool!" instead of "here's some information." 

While this video will need some technical terms (think "cloud" or "WiFi"), there are fun ways to say these words, so they flow more naturally in everyday conversation (speaking "The internet" instead of "WiFi").

We want someone who can take complicated things and make them sound simple but not stupid. 

Go Beyond Demos and Reels

What's on a voice actor's demo reel is only a fraction of what makes up that person. Get acquainted with the person who will be lending their voice to your project. Here are some things to look for:

• Will they go the extra mile? Look for someone who has offered you multiple takes and variations of their reads. You will have more material to work with when editing and composing your final product.
• Can they take directions? It's not unusual for VO's to have a misperception about what the brand or script is looking for—even if it's in the project brief. Make sure your voice actor can take notes and make changes. It means they're going to be easier to work with, and it means they're working with you instead of against you.
• Do they understand how you want them to be perceived? If they don't know what kind of energy or tone you're looking for, don't be afraid to bring on someone else who seems more receptive or collaborative—it could save you time (and money) down the road.
• Reviews and Ratings: Look at what others have said about them. It's one thing to say you're professional, but it's another thing entirely to put it in writing.
• References: Even better than reviews, references allow you to contact someone who has worked with them before. You can hear first-hand about how well they perform.

Set a Deadline for Delivery

It's crucial to set deadlines for projects, both for your own sake and the voice actor.

Deadlines help voice actors stay focused on their work and stay productive, so it's in everyone's best interest to have one.

As such, deadlines must be clear and reasonable rather than arbitrary or impossible to achieve.

Sticking to deadlines can be difficult, mainly if changes to your script occur.

So if you need something sooner or the scope of your project changes, don't be afraid to negotiate new deadlines with your voice actor.

Cost Factors of Professional Voice Talent

It's not just the voice talent that factors into the cost of a project. The following are some other things to consider:

• The amount of time it takes to record, edit, and master the audio
• The number of actors needed for the project
• The number of redos required
• Whether the audio needs translation into another language
• The desired tone of voice
• The industry you're in
• Whether you're using a union actor or not (this can make a big difference in costs).

Industry-Standard Voice Over Rates

Industry-standard rates vary. The rate that you pay a voice actor depends on several factors, including the type of project, the length of the script, and the amount of usage. 

There are three main payment types in the voice-over industry. 

• The first is a usage-based rate. Usage-based means that the client pays for the time the ad airs. For example, if an ad airs for 30 seconds on television and radio, the voice actor will get paid for every 30 seconds the ad airs.
• The second payment method is by the hour. This fee is how most traditional jobs pay hourly employees. Hiring a voice actor by the hour will pay for roughly 15-30 minutes of recording time per hour in the studio.
• The third payment type is a flat rate. This cost is where the client pays a one-time fee to record whatever they need in one session. The price can vary based on how long or short the script is and how many versions they would like recorded during that session.

The Wrap

The process of hiring a voiceover actor can be smooth and without hassle if you know what you're looking for and can explain it well.

Just remember that once you finish the recording, it's not the end of your job.

Hiring the right person is half the battle, but don't forget you still have to oversee the editing process.

You'll need to work with your voice talent throughout the production and post-production process.

Be as straightforward as possible about what you want to hear in the finished product. 

Working with a VOA is easy, enjoyable, and profitable if you have the right approach.