Even the most polished voiceover actor can struggle to sell their skills. If you’re an upcoming voiceover talent, you might be experiencing a bit of self-doubt when you think about your potential earnings potential. After all, you probably don’t think too highly of yourself when you see that figure floating around. But hear this: You already have the ability to become much more successful than you could ever imagine. All it takes is some judicious practice and a lot of hard work. It’s true that selling your voiceover talents isn’t as exciting as it sounds on paper. But with a little practice and perseverance, anything is possible. So here are some helpful tips for getting started:
Know what you’re selling
Before you start practicing your unique selling point, it’s helpful to know exactly what you’re selling. Voiceover artistes sell their skills in two main areas: narration and impressions. Grammatically, each serves a different purpose. So, before delving into how to sell your voiceover skills as a professional, it’s important to understand your target audience and what they’re looking for.
Avoid self-doubt
The best voiceover actors are confident, willing to try new techniques and have a great personality. But the best ones also have self-doubt, which is natural and necessary. You’re probably more self-critical than the average person, and you’re probably more critical of yourself than you should be. But the key here is to acknowledge your self-doubt and embrace the fact that it gives you something to work toward. If you start to doubt yourself constantly, you won’t have the energy to put into your work.
Learn the character traits your target audience wants to see
Voiceover talent is a great way to can tie your expertise in one specific skill to one specific audience. And for the most part, you’ll be able to use your voice to sell anything. So if you want to sell software, you can use your voice to create talking heads for various software products. But what if you want to sell a different type of product? Or sell to a specific audience? In that case, you’ll have to learn how to sell like a pro. Start by looking at the top selling products on the market and see what you think. Then look for techniques to apply to your product or service.
Find a mentor or coach
Hiring a private coach is the easiest way to get started finding a mentor or coach, but you can also try searching online for community leaders who have experience in a particular skill. These individuals probably already have a list of potential mentors or coaches who they can call if they need help. Even if you don’t have someone in mind, the Internet is abuzz with recommendations and advice. You can search for mentors or coaches on forums or social media.
Find a mentor or coach who speaks your language
Some of the best techniques to use as a voiceover artist are created by other voiceover artists. So look for resources that speak your language: forums, Facebook groups and other online communities. You can also look for coaches that speak your language. If you’re not able to find a coach or mentor in your own language, there are plenty of online resources that can help you find a local voiceover coach or mentor.
Don’t get discouraged if you have to work from home
There is no way to sugar-coat it: Working from home as a voiceover artist isn’t as glamorous as working in a 5-star hotel or on a magazine cover. In fact, doing so almost feels like a sacrifice. If you want to do your best work and sell the most products, consider working in an office setting. Even if you have to use a computer, it’ll be much easier to sell to a large audience when you’re not on your home turf. When you’re working from home, you won’t have access to the same types of distractions that other employees are dealing with. You can focus on your craft without control issues or any other distractions that might bog you down in excess traffic.
Conclusion
The more you practice your skills, the more you’ll be able to do. And the more successful you are, the more people you’ll be able to sell to and the more successful your business will be as a result. Voiceover is a versatile and lucrative field that you can become successful in. All it takes is some judicious practice and a lot of hard work.
