The Secret to High-Quality Voice Over Services

How does a professional voice actor provide quality voice over services?

I recently had the pleasure of providing a professional voice over for Affirm, a company that provides flexible payment options for businesses and their customers. And I couldn’t help but notice the parallels between their business and the world of voice talent services.

In an industry with a growing supply and demand of voice actors, a professional voice over talent must distinguish himself from the crowd. Yes, the voice is critical, but that alone doesn’t cut it. The key is client relationship management. Affirm is a classic example of a company that obsesses over its customer’s needs. Catering to those needs is crucial in any business, including those who provide professional voice over services.

The Secret to High-Quality Voice Over Services

Catering voice over services to the producer’s needs

For a voice actor, the quality of their voice over services is not only in the sound of the studio or the sound of the talent’s voice. You could spend millions on a professional studio or pay top dollar to partner with the world’s best voice over recording companies – but it’s worthless if you don’t know how to properly serve your clients.

The real quality is in the obsession of the producer’s needs. You need to go the extra mile to understand what producers need and then deliver it. That’s true whether you work alone as a voice actor or run a giant professional voice over company. You need to treat your service like a business.

How a professional voice over talent can deliver quality

In other posts, I’ve talked about the importance of finding the right tone for a project and having an authentic sound. Those are very important, but I want to focus on some of the other efforts that go beyond the voice to meet producer’s needs.

For me, these are just a few examples:

  • Understanding the backstory of the script: What is the message really about? Who is the audience? What is the goal? Providing quality voice over services is nearly impossible without knowing these answers.
  • Having a contract in place to ensure transparency of usage of media: Where will the media be used? For how long? Are there any non-disclosure terms?
  • Giving the producer more than just one take: Sure, more takes take time, but why not give the client more options? This has two benefits: 1) The voice actor can show their range in vocal performance, and 2) The producer can select the perfect take for their needs.
  • Allowing room for some brief revisions: Sure, revisions eat up time. And a voice actor is wise to define the process for extensive changes in their contract. But a professional voice actor should be willing to allow room for brief revisions, just in case there are last-minute changes to the script (which is a natural part of the creative process).
  • Listening to the producer’s scratch reads: A producer’s reads and references usually provide valuable insight into the preferred tone and cadence of the spot. Voice actors must strike the right balance between meeting those needs, while also allowing their talents to shine and elevate the sound even further.

Every professional voice actor has their own process. But no matter what the quality of the talent’s voice, delivering a quality service is crucial to meeting the client’s needs and ensuring a great finished product.

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