Choosing the voice over price – A voice artist’s dilemma!

The voice over industry is growing rapidly with the immense popularity and demand of Audio-Visual content. E-learning, animation, audiobooks, movies, IVR, documentary, advertisements, TVCs, radio – all have voice-over as an integral part. Given the growing demand for voice overs, the demand for voice actors is on a rise. While it is essential to work on your voice over skills, when considering the path of voice acting, it is equally important to know how much you would earn. With training and the necessary tools, you will be able to enhance your skills, but to make a living while ensuring continuous growth, you need to choose your voice prices wisely to be successful as a voice actor.

It is true that you get paid according to the type of work, size of project, your experience and other factors. A professional artist working on a big-budget commercial project will surely charge differently from a voice actor doing a small-scale radio voice over. Voice Over pricing can vary hugely because every voice actor's rates are set by the individual or sometimes by their exclusive agent. Two similar looking projects can pay you differently, even though they may require a similar time investment and abilities from the voice actor. Here are few tips to consider whenever setting your price for any voice over job:

Do your Research : You must always stay updated with the industry standard rates. Upon viewing these rates you may be able to analyze better about where you stand, based on your current skills and total experience. You can also try to understand the client’s budget and according to the requirements and time investment, you can set a baseline rate for yourself that you’re comfortable and confident to state to the client. Always try to inculcate the price of studio, editing and re-recordings (if possible) and whether the recordings are to be delivered raw or with editing and post production work.

Quote wisely : While it is advisable to not undervalue yourself and accept projects way below your usual charges, it is also advisable to be flexible and understand customer’s requirements, budget and keep the long term perspective in mind while quoting for a voice over project.  Many voice artists grumble that they did not take up a project because of the project’s budget but do not introspect that there might be a chance that they stated a price way higher than the standard rates. This not only leads to losing out on opportunities but also tampers your reputation in the voice industry. Keep it respectable and charge appropriately for your voice over recording services as it is also your responsibility to not abuse your position by setting unrealistic rates.

Customer continuity : Quote with integrity, and with the understanding that each set budget builds an alliance with the clients. Sometimes, volume work influx from an old client at less charges can be a source of a reliable and good income. When it comes to setting rates, remember to analyze every aspect including your recurring clients and the exposure you are getting from the voice over job and quote for the job accordingly. Remember that a voice-over project is not only going to bring money with it, it is going to bring in a lot of experience and is going to take you higher up in the experience ladder.

 Rate revision: Rate revision, especially for a regular client is one of the trickiest calls – and sometimes may make-or-break a long term association. If you want to revise your rates, you must try to inform the client beforehand to not destroy an existing client relationship. All positive actions set trends that will be followed by artists around you. As you are working towards your own growth, you must be very rational about the need and extent of rates revision that you are looking at.

Reality Check : While determining your minimum is important, you must also set realistic prices to stay relevant in the voice over industry. If you are new to the industry, you can ask your voice over connections to help you set realistic rates. Remember that you are an ‘artist’ and the prices of an artist are dependent on popularity and value that an artist adds to any project. Also, keep building your network of relationships to get more work. Marketing yourself is a continuous activity that requires daily efforts. To stand out from the crowd, you need to diversify your linguistic skills, learn new skills and add to your profile to get new jobs. Highlight your expertise on your profile and cv, keep working on honing new skills, communicate with the client/agency effectively and continually grow yourself.

Receiving a voice over gig and delivering a good recording is important but it is equally important that you receive your compensation as a voice artist soundly and quickly.

Voyzapp is a voice over marketplace that provides a global platform to the voice artists to showcase their talent to the world and ensures that they get paid faster, without any hassle! The primary goal of our reputable online voice over company is to eliminate the need for middlemen so that the artists can showcase their talent to the world and receive their payments without umpteen followup reminders. Our escrow payment mechanism ensures that the payments are held safely in escrow to ensure complete peace of mind for both client and the artist.

You can register free as a voice actor at Voyzapp, complete your profile, upload your voice samples, set your price and delivery time and start earning! It’s simple, quick and transparent.

You do important work for clients, and it’s important that you’re compensated accordingly. Some industry research can help you to improve your income and turn your voice over business into a success!

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