10 Things To Consider When Selecting A Professional Voice Actor

Do you have plans on hiring the voice actors for marketing or posting a commercial? If yes, then this is the article meant for you! Choosing the right voice actor is more complex than just aligning your voice requirements. 

When looking for a voice actor, you must look out for some vital abilities, assurances, and qualities that contribute towards attaining the success of a project. But beyond that, the actors should be able to tell stories through their voice, which would turn out profitable for your business ads or marketing moves. 

The voice that will narrate the marketing pitch should be convincing enough to make the target audience feel convinced about availing of your products or services. Diction, tempo, tone, pronunciation and all other factors contribute towards entitling a voice actor as efficient enough to meet your requirements. 

People want to engage with someone who they really like to listen to, and not just anyone with a random pitch and voice. So, here are some factors or tips that you must take note of, for hiring the perfect voice actor.

Things To Consider When Selecting A Professional Voice Actor

Here are a few things that you must consider for choosing a professional voice actor for your diverse needs:

1. The Actor’s Experience 

When you tend to hire voice actors, their experience is what will help you determine if they can match your expectations. This is because the professionals in the voice acting industry must have a large portfolio to prove their expertise and offer assurances.

So, check out the portfolio for your shortlisted voice actors and validate their work proficiency. If the past hires seem good, you can definitely put your trust in them. This step will eventually narrow down your list of preferred voice actors.

2. Versatility And Range

If you have a plan to request your professional voice actor to use various tones to replicate the persona of various characters in a project, you might have to test the actor’s skills on varying vocal ranges. Such a talent calibre is rare and makes a huge difference in achieving success for the project.

Therefore, pay Attention to the recordings and try to determine the actors who have the perfect voice, capable of handling variation. When you interact with your potential hires, ask them for their YouTube playlists or voice samples and review them thoroughly.

3. Comprehension Of Enunciation

Expressing the words with the right pronunciation is the USP of voice actors, which makes them eligible to be in this profession. But people who are rookies in the field often tend to market just their great voices while they still lack the required clarity. You can’t put your money on them because, over time, people will spot the flaws and reject your brand.

When you seek samples of voice actors, be very focused on assessing confident and clear enunciation. If your script has certain phrases or words that relate to certain regional or ethnic origins, consider adding them to your audition script as well. This way, you will be able to determine whether or not a professional has the right voice actor skills to provide you with the type of enunciation you need.

4. Professionalism And Reliability

The voice actor must be professional in his tone, and mannerisms should reflect in his/her pitch. Prolonged experience is a must for you to decide whether the person is capable enough to handle your request for professional voice over services.

To decide on professionalism, you must also assess the consistency, reliability and punctuality traits of your select voice artists. Do ask relevant questions and give test works to judge these parameters, and move ahead with your decision.

5. Pricing And Rates

Now that you know the core technical parameters of consideration, let’s talk money! Look out for the rate guides to be knowledgeable about what you have to pay to the voice actors for the services. Go with the best voice artists who are good at their job and are offering a competitive rate. So, do request a price quote from every artist you interact with and compare them!

There will definitely be some new voice artists who will offer you their services at low rates. You can surely consider the samples, but make your choice depending on what value the project holds in the long term and if you can risk hiring a new artist for the job. 

6. Rhythm And Tempo

Not just good voice, but the right tempo and rhythm are also important for ensuring a voice-over performance is top-notch. Alongside enunciation, look out for accurate pacing in the voice samples.

Even if you like an artist, but his/her pacing isn’t good enough for now, try determining if you can work with them to improve the fluidity. As you are the director of your project, do what you feel is necessary to get the perfect output.

7. Training And Coaching

Some voice actors who have been trained by reputed teachers in the industry are preferred more than the ones who haven’t. When you hire an actor with good training credits, it showcases that the professional has been working hard to achieve a strong skillset for being part of this industry.

For anyone who hasn’t been trained by any professional can still be considerable, only if their experience and client base match with that of the trained artists’ records.

8. Understanding Localisation And Cultural Sensitivity

Look out for a voice-over artist who has clarity on localisation and cultural sensitivity if your business is targeting dedicated regions or is operating globally. Your voice artist should have the skill to provide varying voice-overs to suit different markets.

This is to ensure that the message will resonate with that of the local audiences of the region. When you are hiring a culturally sensitive voice artist, you can ensure that the specific audience group isn’t misinterpreting any word or phrase, and you will be able to build a positive connection with the target market.

9. Scheduling And Availability

Once you have assessed your voice actor with all the mentioned factors, the final consideration is his/her availability. You must discuss your deadlines and project requirements with the voice actors and let them tell you about their present commitments.

Come to a mutual agreement on the availability part, and set a schedule for them to come to record their voice for your script and get done with the job. This will ensure you both are flexible enough to respect each other’s time and plan your way for a proper voice project execution.

10. Consider Vocal Emotion And Acting Skills

Listen to the voice samples and try to find that emotional hooking element as a priority. Your audience would probably like to hold onto the emotions in the voice instead of a robot reading the lines. Voice is meant to stir up physical sensations, and the voice acting profession is all about achieving that! 

With this, you can finally conclude if the person has the skills for handling the storytelling narration that your project requires. The same script can be read in different ways, but not every approach will be impactful. 

Acting skill is an add-on quality of a voice-over talent for switching into different characters instantly. The voice is meant to carry the weight of a character, and when acting is blended in with the voice, the tonality, clarity, and confidence flow in automatically. So, do look for that!

Conclusion

Hiring the right voice actors is not just a task but a necessity that fills different gaps within specific projects. Even though you have the best script, if the voice that’s narrating it fails to do justice, your project will tend to fail. So, always consider the factors stated above every time you plan on hiring a voice actor. 

But, if you want to end your search and get along with the best voice actor right away, Peter Abraham is your go-to pick. Get yourself the phenomenal voice to handle your diverse voice-over projects. Request a quote today!

Peter Abraham

Peter Abraham is a versatile voice-over artist based in Mumbai working in the voiceover industry since 2009. With a passion for storytelling and meticulous attention to detail in every project, he brings scripts to life with his captivating voice and professional delivery, exceeding client expectations. Whether it's a commercial or an audiobook, Peter specializes in a wide range of voice-over work, ensuring the highest quality.