In the bottom of our email newsletters is a fill-in-the-blank question “I’m a voice actor, looking for direction on______”
Jessica responded last month and I asked if I could share her question with you because I think the answer would be helpful to a lot of people.
I’m a voice actor looking for advice on what to do after getting my commercial demo and setting up my website. I understand the importance of reaching out to potential clients but how do I do that when I’ve only completed a few jobs thus far?
- Jessica Pineda
Thank you for asking this, Jessica. I think this is the place most people get stuck. In fact, that was the WHOLE reason we created the VO Mentorship. The in-between of training, getting all your “materials” and then really building the career can be so overwhelming.
DISCLAIMER: If you ask 10 full-time voice actors how they established their career, you’ll probably get 10 different answers. There’s not 1 right way but there are helpful steps that can put you as close as possible to creating a long, sustainable career.
HONE IN YOUR OFFER
Jessica brought up something many people struggle with – feeling like they’re new and don’t have much to offer. You have to be confident in the value you bring first. I stalled my growth many times over my career because I was waiting for validation of people around me. But how do you do that?
List of Valuable Assets You Bring
- Home Studio – most people do not have a home studio and it takes money and skill to set that up. That’s valuable in itself.
- Training – We forget that not everyone can do voice over. You have invested time and money in learning the skill.
- Unique Voice – while there are some voices that sound similar, voices are like fingerprints…they’re all a little different.
- Unique Point of View – Voice Over is acting and you bring your own point of view, history, and perspective to every job.
- Special Skills – What are the skills that you bring that someone else may not? Examples: Singing, improv, comedy, endurance, accents, voices, creature sounds, spoken word, rap, speed talking and even medical term knowledge. It’s not just your skill but your background that contributes to your value.
The more that you understand this, the easier it will be to reach out to potential agents and clients.
No client will ever look at your resume and say “They’ve only done two things. Nope.”
That’s why you train! You are preparing for clients to trust you.
EXPAND YOUR OPPORTUNITIES
The MORE opportunities to audition, the higher probability you’ll book. After anyone does a commercial demo with us, we give them a multiple page PDF listing ways to get opportunities + tips. Here’s a very condensed version.
- Submit to agents in a few different regions (TIP: Don’t just focus on major cities.)
- Submit to studio rosters (check out the Voiceover Resource Guide for a huge list + a list of agents)
- Reach out to anyone in your KNOWN network. People in marketing may have an internal video they need a VO for. People at a car dealership may need a VO for their phone system. People that work in web design may refer you to clients that need a video for their website.
- Create a Direct Marketing Game Plan. This may sound more complicated than it is. Make sure you check out Ep 91 on the AVS Podcast with Marc Scott where we talk about direct marketing.
If you’re looking for specific advice or help with a challenge, reply to this email!
Thanks so much Jessica for reaching out and asking. You helped others navigate this as well.
