Every individual has a different voice color, and that’s when authenticity is born. If you’re confident with your voice and love to work in the creative industry, being a voice actor can be a great career path.
A remote voice actor allows you to work in your comfort place. You can build your own studio and find projects whenever you want. Better still, being a remote voice actor has a reasonable rate of income.
The following discussion can help you find good reasons to be a voice actor. Also, we’ve curated the ten steps to start a professional career as a remote voice actor from ground zero. Keep on reading!
Voiceover Trends in 2023
“Is a voice actor job worth it?”
If you question the same thing, voiceover or voice acting can be a promising job. A voice actor can make $12 per hour or $1,916 monthly for the entry level.
However, voice actor salaries can differ according to yearly experience and fields. For example, being featured in an animated film generates the most salary, followed by TV commercials, audiobooks, and video games.
Here are some good reasons why voice acting can be a promising job with massive opportunities in the future.
The Rise of Video Marketing
Social media and video marketing require video products to run a campaign. Many brands use explainer videos or product demos to attract audiences and generate sales. This trend gives voice actors a vast opportunity to narrate videos.
The Video Game Industry
Another industry that has been rising is the video game industry. You can also star in a video game to act as a specific character. The global game market shows a 23% increase year-over-year and is expected to keep growing.
Audiobook and Podcast
Along with video marketing and the gaming industry, you may also notice the popularity of audio sources. More and more publishers provide audiobooks, while content creators have started to popularize podcasts on many platforms.
7 Tips for Succeeding as a Remote Voice Actor
With a great opportunity in the above industries, being a remote voice actor can be a great career option. Here’s a list you can work on to path your way in the voice acting industry.
1. Develop Your Voice Acting Skills
Being a professional voice actor requires you to be skillful. Consider taking classes, attending workshops, and regularly practicing to hone your capabilities. Some essential skills you must master include:
- Acting skills: You must successfully portray various emotions, convey different personalities, and interpret scripts convincingly.
- Voice modulation: Learn to change your tone, pitch, and inflection to suit specific moods, personalities, and purposes.
- Pronunciation: Practice enunciating words, articulating vowels and consonants, and speaking naturally.
- Breathing techniques: Practice controlling your breath to produce different tones, pitches, and inflections.
Other skills you need are technical skills related to recording equipment and software. Also, hone your creativity to develop unique voices and personalities for each character you play.
2. Build a Home Recording Studio
As you work remotely, having your own recording studio is preferable. Think of it as an investment to grow your career. It can be cheaper than renting a recording studio in the long term.
Whether you work in an apartment or at a house, choose a quiet room with minimal echo and background noise. Decorate the room with soundproofing materials. Consider consulting with a professional audio engineer to get the best advice.
You also need to invest in high-quality equipment, which includes: a microphone, a headphone, a computer, recording software, and an audio interface. Learn how to connect and use all the equipment and keep practicing.
3. Create a Demo Reel
The role of demo reels is essential to find a voice acting job and attract clients. A demo reel is a collection of voice acting samples showcasing your range and versatility as a voice actor.
Your demo reels should be around one to two minutes long. Also, provide different genres of voice, such as commercials, video games, explainer videos, podcasts, radios, or narration for audiobooks.
Ensure that your demo reels are noise-free and high-quality. Put your resources where clients can easily access them, including on your website, social media, or casting platform like Voissee.
4. Build Your Portfolio
A portfolio is an important document to show and prove your expertise. You can include previous works, experiences, certifications, and achievements related to your job. Those points will help you build credibility and get clients.
You can make an impressive portfolio by including your demo reels. Put a link where people can listen to them. Also, pen down your previous work and give samples of your projects. Enrich your resume by listing relevant educational experiences like training and competitions.
Put important contact information to help clients easily reach out to you. You can write your email, phone number, and links to social media profiles. Ensure that you check your inbox periodically to give immediate answers to clients.
5. Network and Market Yourself
If you’ve created demo reels and a portfolio, the next step is to expand your network. Networking means promoting yourself as a voice actor to relevant people or industries. In the Internet age, social media is an excellent platform for networking.
We recommend you create social media accounts where you can show your expertise. LinkedIn is one of the best platforms to broaden your networking and find job opportunities. Polish and optimize your account with relevant information to attract clients and recruiters.
Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are great platforms for showcasing your work. Post your voiceover samples to build credibility. Also, attend industry events and join online groups or voice over marketplace like Voissee to find opportunities and connect with other voice actors, producers, and casting directors.
6. Find Competition and Projects Online
While you keep improving your skills, you can join competitions and projects online. There are many opportunities for beginner voice actors to path their way to becoming professionals, including by joining many competitions and projects.
Some voice actor websites regularly host online competitions. You can also find voiceover competitions on casting websites and social media like LinkedIn and Facebook. Competition hosts also often promote their events on online groups.
7. Set Realistic Goals
Setting realistic goals is important if you’re a beginner at a voice-acting job. Don’t worry if you need the whole year to seek experiences, build skills, and make demo reels. But ensure that your efforts will pay off one day.
Set realistic goals, monthly or yearly. For example, rather than setting a target to get ten projects, you can break it down to one or two projects a month. Also, if you want to create demo reels, don’t rush yourself to record as many in one go.
You can create two demo reels in a month and ensure that you produce high-quality ones. Go for trials and errors to amp up your skills. Also, consider seeking feedback from other voice actors to improve yourself.
Final Thought
Paving your way to becoming a decent voice actor can be time-consuming. You must learn the basic skills on how to act and operate recording software by your own self. But be consistent in your journey to living your dream job.
The above points are some tips for starting a voice acting career. It can be an option to be your main job or an additional one to get a side income. Otherwise, voice acting jobs offer good income rates and a vast opportunity in the future.