I’ve heard it countless times after mentioning that I’m a Voice Actor. “I’ve been told I have a great voice!”. I also hear this alot: “People tell me my voice should be on the radio or in commercials!” But here’s what people usually don’t tell you about being successful in voiceover. It takes so much more than a nice-sounding or distinctive voice. Here are the top five qualities you’ll need to go along with your great voice to do well in voiceover.
- The ability to read copy smoothly without hesitations or stumbles.
- The ability to act and deliver copy with different emotions as well as a variety of tones and cadences.
- The ability to perform well on-demand during live recording sessions. This includes the ability to take direction well.
- The desire and ability to invest financially in training, equipment and a demo.
- A passion for the craft that allows you to stick with it when you encounter roadblocks or challenges.
I could name a few others. But those are the big ones. And of course, I don’t break it down to this extent when strangers tell me about their voice at a dinner party or at the store. But, we’re friends, right?