How to become a working voiceover artist
Every few months, someone from my past, usually an old media colleague, will ask me how to get into voiceover work. Lately, even strangers on social media have been asking me the same.
So how do you become a voiceover artist in 2024?
Here’s my honest guide to getting started in the industry.
I’m Courtney Dunn, an Australian voiceover artist, recording out of my home studio. After nearly 10 years working as a radio newsreader—turned TV reporter, I began my freelance voiceover career in 2019. I didn’t know anyone in the industry and I had to figure everything out for myself.
Most people will tell you the first step is coaching. Taking an acting class or working with a performance coach etc. But I would argue that before that, you need to have determination. Ultimately you will be running a business. You don’t just graduate acting school and get handed a full time position as a voiceover artist. You have to work for it every day.
I’ve had people ask me, “Do you know anyone hiring voiceover artists at the moment?” It doesn’t work like that. Back in the day, you would need to find an agent to book work. I would say it’s more popular now for people to freelance. You have to be willing to find your own gigs on casting sites and marketplace platforms or through direct marketing.
As Tony Robbins says:
“Success in life is 80% psychology and 20% mechanics.”
You do need to get the mechanics down pat. You need to learn how to dial up and down different elements of your voice, how to present a script and how to convey meaning. A vocal coach will definitely help you with all of that. If you’ve worked in radio/TV or had some kind of persuasive sales type job, you may have a good starting point.
If you’ve never read a piece of text out loud to anyone before, definitely work on your skills first.
Very few people who’ve asked me about voice acting have actually followed through with it, because the hardest part of anything is getting started.
Before you go buying any equipment, you need to ensure you’ve got a skills base and some balls to actually put yourself out there.
Here are the next steps:
PRACTICE: Find some scripts online, or copy down some ads you see on TV. Practice recording these on a voice memo on your phone and listen back to them. You might find you prefer corporate narration or audiobooks over commercial work, so practice reading different genres out loud too.
EQUIPMENT: Buy yourself a USB mic to connect to your laptop/computer for around $100. You can upgrade to a pro mic and interface in 6-months time if you’ve stuck with it.
ACCOUSTIC TREATMENT: is more important than sound proofing. Ensure your recording space is free from hard surfaces. A lot of voiceover artists work out of their wardrobe as hanging clothes make great sound absorbers. Or you can create your own blanket fort setup.
SOFTWARE: You’re going to need a program to record and edit your voiceovers in. Audacity is a great free platform and you can find plenty of YouTube tutorials on how to use it.
RECORD SOME DEMOS: Use some of your practice scripts to create some samples to share with potential buyers.
FIND WORK: Start with marketplace platforms like Upwork or Fiverr. Create a profile and share your demos. You probably won’t book high paying jobs right out of the gate, but you’ll soon have some paid projects to add to your portfolio! I found my first voiceover jobs on Airtasker. Once you’re feeling more confident you can try P2P sites or begin marketing yourself on social media.
UPDATE YOUR SKILLS: If you’ve started getting some paid jobs, don’t forget to keep learning and evolving your craft.
Growing any business is a slow burn. Over time you will start to build your portfolio and book regular clients. Treat the industry with respect, keep learning and don’t give up. Good luck!
To hear my work click here.