Any professional voice over artist these days has some online presence, whether it is via their personal website, a listing on their agent’s website, a freelancer site, or an online voice over casting service that connects voice actors with clients searching for a voice.
There are many of the latter, coming in all different shapes and sizes. Some charge rates that wouldn’t even put food on the table after you deduct tax and expenses, then they take 50% commission. Others charge exorbitant upfront listing fees and allow anyone to join; your local plumber could wake tomorrow and decide he’s going to be a voice actor and show up in search results next to you!
Other sites may offer slightly better deals, but they are often poorly designed and offer a terrible user experience resulting in client frustration.
As a voice actor serious about finding new clients and voice over work online, your choice in where you should be listed should be a serious one. If a client finds you on a reputable site and then finds you on a site offering $50 recordings, you’ve just shot yourself in the foot.
Making the right decision
With so many choices, it’s now more imperative than ever before that everything is weighed up when deciding where to invest your time, energy and even marketing budget.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the site allow anyone to join or are they selective? Put yourself in the client’s shoes. Would you want to be sorting through amateur auditions from Joe the local plumber or Mary the local hairdresser?
- Are you getting lost in a sea of 20,000+ profiles?
- How long are you waiting to get responses from customer support when you have a problem?
- Is the website just as interested in selling their coaching services and listings to beginners as they are about promoting you?
- Are you being marketed internationally?
- Or are you spending more time negotiating rates with clients rather than focusing on the scripts?
- Are you being restricted to the amount of jobs you can audition for? Or do you get to make the decision whether to submit or not?
- Is it easy for clients to find voice over talent? Or do they need to sort through amateurs?
All of the above questions are valid ones, especially for any voice actor that takes the industry and their profession seriously.
With the new year now in full swing, 2013 is the time to re-evaluate what works for you and what doesn’t.
The Voice Realm was launched in March 2012. The site only lists professional voice talent, ensuring clients are presented with only the best voice talent. Since launching the site has secured their voice talent national radio and TV commercials, cinema spots, radio imaging contracts (including extra fees for exclusivity), online explainer videos, on-hold phone messages, audio books, corporate narrations, in-store announcements and many more.
In every single job cast, the voice and client were supported the whole way to ensure payment was made securely and quickly following the completion of the project.
Truly, a professional and quality experience for all users.
If you’re a professional voice artist and feel you have what it takes to be listed on The Voice Realm, submit your information and demo at: www.thevoicerealm.com/voice-submissions.php
