How To Select the Right Voice Over Actor for Your Project

Put simply, a professional will give your video the finish and finesse it needs to be a real success. Finding the right voice for your project is an arduous task with so much talent available today. You'll need a voice over agency, if you want your message to be conveyed and visualised. Look for an agency that's well-known, knows the market, and represents talented actors. 

Keep these tips in mind as you're trying to find the perfect voice actor for your project. 

Get A Fulsome Understanding of Who Your Target Audience Is

Before reaching out to voice over actors, think about what kind of audience you're targeting. The viewers can be team leaders, sales staff, employees, investors, customers, prospective business partners, etc. Anyone can be the right voice actor; it depends on the audience they're catering to. You'll want to resonate with people, so consider their age, gender, dialect, and language. Don't assume anything. In other words, challenge your assumptions and find evidence to support your claims. Once you have a clear image of your target audience, you'll be able to tailor your message within your video. 

Provide a concise description of your target audience to attract the most suitable voice over actors for your project. Include demographic information in your job description so that auditioning talent will know who your ideal viewer is. It doesn't matter what gender the voice actor is in relation to the character they play, but they should be cast closer to their ethnicity. If you're trying to engage a national audience, the Brits, let's say, you need a British voice actor. Besides the target audience description, provide extra details, such as whether there are multiple roles in production. 

Ensure The Voice Over Actor Matches Your Brand's Culture and Image 

Given that the voice over actor will be your brand's voice, their performance will define your brand for listeners. The question now is: How do you want your brand to sound? If you haven't thought about this, there's no better time than now to do it. Your brand voice can have many styles as long as it feels true to your values and persona (authoritative, intellectual, playful, kind, fun, or ominous). The voice actor should match your brand's culture and image, projecting personality and style into the written communications. They'll capture the brand's spirit with a cadence and pitch that resonate with your offering. 

Make a list of emotions that best describe your brand and create content that appeals to viewers' ego, needs, and aspirations. You should aim for happiness, hope, and security, to name a few. If you're a finance company, for example, confidence is the emotion that you want to associate with your brand. Fill your Facebook and Twitter accounts with short videos with impressive titles, discussing everything from blockchain to zero-based budgeting. The trick is to find a voice over artist that embodies this emotion by modulating various aspects of their speech. The power of the human voice is undeniable. 

Look At Examples of Previous Work

You can use examples of previous work to see how well the voice over actor can do the job. Requesting samples of their previous work is essential before arranging the interview. A professional will be able to provide a range of examples of their previous work, demonstrating they're fully capable of performing critical aspects of the job. You can review their portfolio online or take a peek at their website. Above anything else, you need to listen to voice demos before to get an idea of what the actor sounds like and understand their range, take on various genres, and so on. As a rule, your talent should have some experience in this field. 

Select A Few Different Actors and Ask Them to Read a Script 

Most voice actors accept and even encourage auditions to prove they're the right person for the job, so narrow down your list of potential actors and ask them to read a script. Holding auditions is relatively simple, yet everything can go wrong without preparation. Keep the audition brief and to the point, or at the very best make sure that people aren't immediately disregarded. Ask the voice over actor to read a paragraph from the script and set exact time limits on their performance. You can include directions, but it really depends on what you're after. The selection process should be a group decision, meaning that the panel should consist of at least two people. 

Even if you like the sound of a voice actor, that doesn't necessarily mean that their voice will resonate with the people you're trying to reach with your video. Consider testing the demos with your target audience. The amount of testing required depends on the reach of the corporate video, so if it has a somewhat small reach, ask five people or so to listen to the MP3s. Sending the audio as an email attachment is far better than sharing a file from Google Drive due to the complexity involved. Once you've made your decision, inform the voice over actor. 

Describe Your Project Details 

The search is finally over. You've found voice over talent that perfectly fits the tone, goals, and personality of your brand. If you want the project to move forward, share plans, assign tasks, and discuss details. Let's say that the voice actor comes to you with a question. They might want to know where or how the recording will be used. Keep in mind that a professional only wants to make your job easier and engage in fruitful collaboration. The secret to managing the project and your interaction with the voice over actor lies in how you nail down the details in the first place. 

To sum up, having the right voice actor can make the world of a difference to how well your project does. While you should never count too much on voice over narration to present information, it can be helpful, giving your clip a clear voice and direction.