professional voice over

You If you’ve worked with voiceover talent before you may know that there are many ways to hire us. You may have even used some voice casting sites like VO Planet. Perhaps you have a relationship with a voiceover talent agent like mine, the fabulous Tanya Buchanan at Ta-Da! Voiceworks. But did you know that you can keep your own roster of talent? In reality, it’s not that difficult to get started when you use the right tools. But you’re way too busy, you might think. It turns out that may just be one of the best reasons to do it!

Add Credibility to Your Client Services

Just like you have employees and other contractors handy whose work you can guarantee, having your own, vetted roster of talent allows you to assure your clients that you provide superior service. Your clients can rest assured that you’ve taken the time to find professional talent (see below) that you have a personal relationship with and know will deliver excellent results, on time, every time.

Having your own roster allows you to search out the talent who align with your company mission, vision and values. They add an increased level of compatibility, better communication and greater connection to the client’s message. Great minds think alike and feed into creativity for amazing results!

Sometimes it’s good to have hundreds of voices to choose from. But most of the time it’s better to have existing relationships so you can guarantee the best results right from the first meeting.

Save Time by Taking Out the Middleperson

I know you’ve been there when you’re facing a near-impossible deadline for your client. You have tons of tasks left on your checklist and not enough time to do them all. One of those tasks is putting together an audition notice. But this also includes waiting for the auditions, listening to the auditions, and potentially getting approval from the client. Then you have to set up the recording session or wait for the talent to get you the files. What if you could cross a bunch of those tasks off the list in advance by starting your own roster?

If you have a small roster of voice over actors you can trust, you already have a shortlist when your client comes in with a tight deadline. That way you cut straight through the posting and listening right to the list you provide the client so they can pick the voice they like best. Even if you keep a very small roster but you have a good relationship with the professional folks on it, they likely have lots of resources and connections to help connect you to other reputable talent they trust that will meet the clients’ needs quick.

Have Confidence You’re Working with a Professional

It doesn’t get said enough that not all voice talent are created equal. In today’s side-hustle culture, the voiceover world has seen a recent influx of voices. This includes every Joe Blow with a USB mic and their dog. Not to mention with the rising popularity of artificial intelligence there are more voices on the market than ever! It’s difficult to be sure you’re going to receive quality audio, on time, by an individual who knows how to properly self-direct to communicate the clients’ message well. And when you vet the talent for every project, that’s a lot of time spent that can be saved with the time you don’t think you have to set up a roster!

When setting up a roster you’ll want to make sure the talent are working voiceover professionals. This means they should have a properly treated recording space (think broadcast quality home studio). This way, the audio will sound as good as your video looks. They should have appropriate coaching with a reputable coach, or ideally multiple coaches. In fact, a professional voice actor should constantly be coaching, learning, and building their craft. They should have good quality recording hardware, software and of course a vocal style that fits with your clientele! You’ll also want to know that their rates are in line with industry standards, their turnaround time, and while we’re at it, make your job even easier and make sure they’re easy to work with and get a hold of. If you’ve done this work ahead of time and have a well vetted talent roster, you’ll save yourself hours on each and every project.

Getting Started

So maybe you’re still not convinced you have the time and resources to start your own roster. Here’s a time-saving tip to consider: Google Forms. You probably get a lot of emails from voice over talent eager to work with you. Sometimes it’s difficult to listen to them all and sort them appropriately. So why not make them do that work for you?

In looking for new clients, I always love coming across a well-organized Google Form. It allows me to submit my information and showcase my professional standards to a client in a way that a cold email never could. With these forms you can ask for turnaround time, studio equipment, direct session options, vocal styles and more! You can then easily add the results of these forms to a list that you can sort and pick through much easier. A few minutes creating a Google Form saves tons of time reading through and responding to cold emails.

So, there you have it. Without spending a ton of extra time, you can start your own voice over roster and up the ante over your competition. Have questions? Let’s chat! Reach out to me at Mo@MoniqueDanielleVO.com and let’s get started together setting up a roster for your company that’ll blow your clients’ minds!