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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?

In voiceover, as in life, everyone’s path is different. As a career Journalist, I’m big on research and I did a lot of it prior to embarking on my own VO journey. Although I did most things right, there are a few tweaks I’d make if I could go back in time and do things over.

First, I’d enroll in group voiceover classes before getting one-on-one coaching. I think a class is a better starting point for a complete novice. It’s also a lot more affordable than one-on-one instruction. Classes also give you a good foundation and grasp of the basics. So that when you start training with a coach, you can go jump right into copy and really fine tune voice technique. Also, coaches are usually genre specific. Taking classes in a few different genres can allow you to cost effectively test your aptitude in each and get pro feedback on which ones you’re likely to excel in. That’s really valuable insight to have in the early stages.

Another thing I wish I knew starting out is that there are levels when it comes to demo producers. There are a number of widely known, high-level and extremely talented demo producers in the industry. They’re also quite expensive. But I don’t recommend going that route for total beginners looking to make their first demo. Mainly because the ability of most beginners rarely matches that level. The reality is really talented demo producers can coax a good performance out of almost any voice actor. But it’s crucial to sound as great as your demo without direction. A highly recommended and competent demo producer who specializes in working with novice’s and mid-level voice actors, in my opinion, is a better fit that would also save money.

And lastly, I wouldn’t wait until you’re officially booking gigs to connect with other voice actors. I must say the VO community is among the most supportive and helpful I’ve ever encountered professionally. I’ve had the opportunity to virtually meet a number of fellow voice actors through social media groups and it’s so heartwarming to see the abundance of support, encouragement and advice that is freely and cheerfully given. I’ve learned as much from other voice actors as I have from my coaches and instructors.

I hope these lessons I’ve learned on my journey will help you on yours.

Many new voice actors ask about social media. Is it a requirement for succeeding in voiceover? The short answer is no. But it helps alot.

The ability to market yourself is crucial to getting booked consistently. And social media is one way to market yourself. It’s yet another place where potential clients can find you, contact you and hear your demo. I personally have made several potential client contacts after posting my demo on Instagram. And posting the occasional boothie, a selfie in my home studio or booth, let’s anyone in need of a voice know exactly what I do.

I personally know a number of voice actors who are prolific digital creators on all social platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and TikTok. And they’ve amassed a sizable following by posting about everything from advice for beginner VO actors, to comedic videos or just pulling back the curtain on their professional and personal lives. And they all agree a boothie today can keep voice actors booked all day.