10 Tips to Hire Professional Voice-overs

“So it’s 2:00 in the morning...and you’re starving. Nothing in the fridge, and nothing’ in the kitchen. You don’t even have biscuits left in your home. You think about cooking and instantly drop the idea, because its 2am. Well, check out the 24/7 store delivery guys! They have everything from burgers to tacos...24 hours a day...7 days a week”.

Imagine the above script being played as a radio ad. Doesn’t it sound interesting? Well, it can sound boring as well. Actually, it all depends on the voice over artist as it is they are the ones who can either add magic to a script or can make it sound dull. With immense competition in almost every field of business, companies make sure that every stone is kept unturned when it comes to marketing. Hiring professional voice-overs is one of the essential aspects of marketing products and services and therefore, there is a high demand in the market for voice-over artists. So, what are the things that one needs to keep in mind to hire them? Here are 10 useful tips:

1. Target Audience is the Key: Before hiring professional voice-overs for a project, one needs to understand the target audience of the business. Based on the age bracket and overall behavior of the target group, one should choose the voice over.

2. Accent: Once you get hold of the voice samples of the prospective voice over you are looking to hire, check their accent. In case of regional language requirements, one has to be make sure that the accent matches with the local people of the targeted area. In case of English language requirements, make sure that the voice-overs are fluent and have a generic easy to understand accent.

3. Time is Money: Even if you are satisfied with the quality of the voice of the artist, there are many others qualities that need to be checked. It is important that the voice-overs are quick in rendering their services. You can carry a demo recording, and measure the time & speed taken to record certain number of words. Since time is measured by money in business, make sure that the voice artist commits a specified time to meet the requirements. Calculate the time taken from preparing the script, recording and editing the same to finally presenting the file.

4. Questions Asked: Yes, you will definitely ask them questions but more importantly, let them ask you questions. In order to find voice-overs expert with outstanding qualities, allow them to enquire about the business, its target audience, products or services, USPs, objective of the project, etc. This will show how keen and passionate they are in terms of their services. 

5. In-Experience Does Not Matter: Well, the reason why ‘experience’ occupies the fifth position as a tip is that, it is not that experienced voice over artists can fit the bill everywhere. Different projects have diverse requirements and therefore, it is suggested not to judge the artists based on their experience.

6. Style Makes a Statement: Every voice-over has their own unique style of putting across the key message and addressing the target audience. One should understand that what seems fine with you might not go well with others. Thus, it is better to send voice-samples to people who are part of your target audience. They can be friends, acquaintances, colleagues, among others. However, ensure that they are reliable and do not pass on the samples to anybody else. 

7. Gender does matter: Hiring professional voice-overs can be tricky. Imagine a popular male voice over with a baritone voice (like that of bollywood superstar, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan) speaking about body lotion cream for women. It might go completely wrong if the voice of a project does not match with the product or services offered by the company; even if you hire the most demanded voice-overs in town.

8. Connection Makes Us Emotional: Ever got blown away by somebody’s personality? If yes, remember, how they used to talk, their approach, voice and presence. In the same way, hearing somebody establishes an emotional connection. However, within a limited time, it is a complex task to form a connection. Look for a voice-over professional, who can touch the emotional chords through their words and expressions.

9. Price: Well, pricing always tends to be the decider at the end. With several online freelancing sites available, one can easily explore a wide base of freelance voice over artists on the sites. When we have options, we can compare. Thus, one should compare the prices with other freelancers and then decide whom to hire.

10. Professionalism: Last but not the least, the quality of any work is shaped up with professionalism and dedication and of course, hard work. Talking about professionalism, it is not easy to know whether the artist is professional or not without working with them. However, I can give you a solution here! Find voice-overs expert on a freelance basis from an online service market place and check their ratings, reviews and feedbacks from former clients.