A Simple Guide to Success in the Voice-Over Industry

One simple, yet powerful, piece of advice that has worked for voice-over artists all over the country is this: market yourself as a voice-over talent from a larger market and target companies located in smaller markets.

Before you can appreciate how well this works, let's take a look at how most people try to get started in the voice-over industry. If this has been you, don't worry -- you're not alone! Many people try to get started this way, but they don't realize how ineffective it actually is:

Week 1: Post newly-produced demos on Voices.com or Voice123.com

Week 2: Audition as one of 200 other people, many of whom have more experience and a reputation.

Week 3: Continue auditioning the same way, plus sending your demos to top talent agencies in NYC or LA.

Week 4: You get no callbacks from NYC or LA agents, and there is very little response to all the time and effort you put into auditioning online.

Skip to Week 10: Frustration has set in, and you still haven't gotten any voice-over jobs, despite your persistent efforts.

Skip to Week 30: You finally booked one job that paid $100, and you decided to throw in the towel! You're fed up with your lack of success!

Don't let this be you!

If you market yourself the right way, you can skip the pain of constantly trying and failing and start succeeding in the voice-over work that you love!

When we recommend people to portray themselves as a larger market voice-over artist, we aren't just talking about places like NYC, LA and Chicago. Most people live one or two hours away from a big city, if not closer. Pick the place that people in and around your town refer to when they say they're "going to the city." For example, if you live in Elk Grove, CA, then your larger market is Sacramento, CA. If you live in Athens, GA, you might pick Atlanta, GA.

Imagine that you grew up one hour outside of Chicago, and one summer you're on a trip in Orlando, FL, when someone asks you, "Where are you from?" Instead of telling the name of your small town that they probably haven't heard of, you tell them, "I'm from Chicago." See? You've probably already used this technique in your everyday life without even realizing it.

If you are from the greater New York City area, for example, you need to leverage the fact that you are from New York City. This is crucial. When you contact a potential client from outside the NYC market, and you tell them you're from NYC, the client will automatically assume that you're at the top of your game!

Even if you are just starting out in the industry, potential clients will see you as a serious professional voice-over artist -- just because you are marketing yourself from a bigger city. In reality, there's nothing magical about NYC or LA. The point is to market yourself as a local who is from the biggest city in a reasonably close distance to your small town.

Now that you understand why you should market yourself from a larger city, and you probably have picked out that city for yourself, you need to know who to market yourself to in the smaller towns. Think of any business that would need a voice-over talent on a regular basis, such as production companies, on-hold messaging companies, local car dealerships, or radio stations. You would also be surprised to learn which companies in smaller towns could use a professional voice-over talent for their employee training videos or corporate narrations.

When you have a list of potential clients in mind, start to pin-point the exact person to send your information and demos to. Don't just blindly send a company your demos and hope that it gets through to the right person. Email the right contact at the company, and first ask them if they are interested in listening to your demo. Send a quick, professional email outlining your talents and benefits of working with them, and don't forget to include your professional website and mp3 file. Most importantly -- follow up! You must call or email them again in a few days to establish a relationship and grow the connection. Continue to follow up with interested prospective clients every few months.

It's amazing how well this simple formula works for professional voice-over artists all over the country! Simply establish yourself as a professional voice actor from a larger market, market yourself to companies in the smaller towns, and then follow up with the clients.

At Such A Voice, we not only train our budding voice-over students to become full-fledged professional voice talents, we teach our students the marketing tips and technical skills to follow through to landing voice over jobs in this competitive industry. Visit http://www.SuchAVoice.com