What you do for your VO career one year may not work the same way the next year. Things change and lately they’ve been changing rapidly.
Voices.com surveyed 1000 buyers and looked at their platform data to determine VO trends for 2024. I wanted to share some of the highlights along with how it could affect your VO career.
- 41% of Creative Producers expect to INCREASE their VO budget in 2024
What forms of content will need voiceover in 2024?
52% short form videos
38% long form videos
30% social media videos
ACTION ITEM:
Do you pause on social media ads? I realized, I don’t. I watch commercials on iSpot and even on YouTube but I breeze on past social ads. If you’re the same, let’s take time to observe and listen to these videos.
- 50% of brands hired voice actors once per month or more often
- 50% hired once a quarter or handful of times per year
MARKETING THOUGHT:
I attempt to market to past clients twice a year. This allows me to stay top of mind. After seeing these stats, I think I could honestly scale back to just once a year and still be able to stay top of mind.
Anticipated projects needing voiceover in 2024
1| Animation 36%
2| Internet Ads 31%
3| ELearning 23%
4| Film Trailers 19%
5| Television 18%
6| Audiobook 16%
7| Podcast 13%
8| Radio 13%
Audiobook sales continue seeing double digit growth
ACTION ITEMS:
Side Note – I’m not sure “Animation” means cartoons. It could mean animation for an internal training video. But looking at the top needs in 2024 helps me to determine what genres would be good to focus on in the new year. What do I need to get more coaching on?
2023 saw the rise of generative AI
Almost half of creative producers say they use AI tools as part of their workflow.
50% use AI for creating or editing written content
38% use AI for voice overs or text-to-speech
35% use AI for the collection or analysis of data
Only 24% of the respondents haven’t used AI voices, and they don’t plan to in the future
Most use AI voices in the pre-production phase.
HEIDI’s THOUGHT:
I had several VO jobs last year that used an AI voice as a scratch track. I think we’ll see even more of that in 2024. There’s no stopping the AI train but we can lean into the value WE provide that AI can’t. Which leads to…
“Creatives are increasingly open to experimenting with AI voices but the majority remain hesitant to make AI the final voice choice for their projects.”
Brands who hire voice actors will prioritize REAL, AUTHENTIC, GOOD QUALITY voice acting.
ACTION ITEMS:
If you don’t feel like you have a grasp on your authentic, real voice, The Character of You with Steve Henderson is the class for you. His next class starts in May.
We’re also hoping to do a BRANDING specific workshop coming up, so stay tuned if you’re interested. I’ve (Heidi) also opened up an hour each week to do one-on-one VO branding, business strategy, marketing and basically whatever you need to take your VO career to the next level coaching. https://atlantavoiceoverstudio.com/one-on-one-vo-business-coaching/
- Last year, 35% of respondents said cost was one of the top factors in hiring voice talent. This year? 52%
Why is that? Because 2023 saw many industries slowing down or pausing projects. Going into this year, companies are mindful of the money they’re spending on greenlit projects.
Here are the top considerations when hiring voice actors
1| Audio Quality 56%
2| Cost 52%
3| Vocal Performance 50%
4| Authentic Accent 40%
5| Ease of Communication 28%
6| Availability 27%
7| Turnaround Time 18%
8| Price Transparency 14%
9| Geographic Location 12%
THOUGHTS:
This means, your auditions must have good audio quality. If you need help, check out Learn Adobe Audition, Learn Audacity or Learn ProTools (online Zoom class coming soon; or take it on-demand at learnprotools.online). If you feel like your home studio isn’t up to par, set up a time with Dan Friedman.
Check out some of the other items on this list and make sure you’re able to provide this value to potential clients.
I know this was a lot but hopefully it helps you navigate the new year with more clarity.
Full Report:
https://static.voices.com/wp-mainsite/uploads/20231205110639/2024Voices-AudioTrendsReport.pdf