How can I make money with my voice?

Have you ever thought of using your voice to make money from home? Work from home Voice over jobs is something you may want to consider.

Growing up, you probably wanted to get into radio but didn’t succeed for a few reasons. Voice over jobs allows you to do an almost similar job but from the comfort of your home.

Voice acting is an interesting career that has seen an increase in demand over the years. From radio ads, explainer ads, to advertisements, voice acting is almost everywhere.

If you enjoy listening to an audiobook while driving or doing your morning jog, just know the voice behind that is for a voice actor.

The life of a voice actor is exciting and varied. One day you are doing a cartoon voice over and the next day you are working on a TV commercial. It never gets boring.

What Does It Take To Get Into Voice Acting?

You may have a natural, rich and smooth voice, but when it comes to voice acting, there are several things to consider.

As a beginner voice actor, here are the things you’ll need to get started:

Voice over coaching

As a beginner voice over actor, you simply don’t know how the industry works. You may be a natural voice over actor but receiving coaching from a voice over coach will help you scale. A voice coach will help you gain exposure to industry techniques to help broaden your options.

Taking care of your voice.

This may sound obvious but it may not be obvious for some. If you want to get into voice acting, you need to learn how to take care of your voice. Remember your voice is your work instrument. One way to take good care of your voice is to stay hydrated. We’ve all been advised to drink lots of water for our health but as a voice actor, you need to take this more seriously.

Audition for what you can deliver.

As a beginner voice actor, you may be too excited about landing your first gig and overlook a few crucial things. When auditioning, get to understand how long the actual job will take. While it’s easier to record thirty seconds or one-minute audio, you need to look at your stamina. If this job requires voice acting for an hour, do you think you can deliver?

Record voice over demos

Practice any minute you get. As a beginner voice over actor, you want to be sure you are getting it right. And the best way is to practice. Write a script or download one online and practice reading it out aloud severally. While at it, record yourself, listen to the recording, and make any necessary changes.

These demos will come in handy when you are applying for a voice over job.

Look for pro bono voice over gigs

You’ll never know how good or bad you are until you try out. When building a career, it’s okay to offer your services pro bono to build your skills. By working pro bono, you are likely to work under a voice over guru, who will offer guidance and feedback on things you need to improve to get better.

How Much Do Voice Over Actors Make Per Hour?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2020 median pay for actors was $21.88 per hour. As a voice over artist, you can earn anywhere from $20 to hundreds of dollars for an hour of work. This is highly dependent on your skills, your experience and the type of voice over you are working on.

The basic fee for non-union per finished hour ranges between $300 – $350. For a detailed rate guide for voice over acting, you need to check out GVAA rate guide.

Voice over ads for a national television are likely to pay you more than a local radio voice over job. The highest-paid voice over actors earns millions of dollars. As a beginner voice over artist, you may not earn much, but if you put in the effort, with time you will earn a decent pay.

Do You Need A Degree To Be A Voice Actor?

While a bachelor’s degree in acting will give you an edge in the industry, it’s not a requirement to begin your career as a voice over artist.

Can You Do Voice Over Work From Home?

The answer is yes you can. However, it comes with its costs.

Traditionally, voice actors had to go into a studio to record. As things have evolved, you can record your voice over audition from home and submit it when applying for work from home voice over jobs. And this brings us to our next question.

What Equipment Do You Need For Voice Acting?

Here are the necessary types of equipment that you’ll need when setting up your voice over studio:

Microphone. As a voice over actor, you’ll need to invest in a quality microphone. A microphone is required to capture your voice. While any microphone can be used, the quality of your microphone will greatly impact your recording overall quality. Choose wisely.

Headphones. These are essential as you will need to hear the material you are working on.

Microphone stand. Some microphones have an inbuilt stand. However, if you are going for one that doesn’t have a stand, you’ll need to invest in a mic stand. A mic stand helps your microphone to stay in one place and this helps you to have recordings that are even sounding and consistent.

Pop filters. You don’t want your recordings to have hiss and pop sounds? Invest in pop filters. A pop filter helps to diffuse these sounds.

Soundproof your room. While you can work from home as a voice over actor, you’ll need to have a specific room to work from. And the room needs to be soundproofed if you aim to achieve professional results. You don’t want to send a demo with dogs barking in the background.

Recording software. As a voice over actor, you’ll need to invest in a recording application software and an audio editor. There are both paid and free open-source software that you can use. Audacity, Adobe Audition, oceanaudio, WaveLab Elements are some of the available options you can choose from.   

Where To Find Work From Home Voice Over Jobs

If you want to get started as a voice over artist, here’s a list of the best voice over job sites that often have listings for voice over jobs from home.

#1 Voice123

Voices123 is a marketplace for voice over actors. From cartoon voice overs, to radio, narration, and video game voice overs, you can’t miss out on a project that works for you.

Voices123 offers different membership options for their voice over talent. From free to $4,950 per year. The more you pay, the less the competition for voice over jobs. You can start with the free option and upgrade.

#2 Filmless

Filmless accepts freelancer voice over artists worldwide. To qualify, you need to have 5 years of experience and have a home studio. The pay is not listed on the site. They also have openings for freelance video editors, freelance cinematographers, and freelance scriptwriters.

#3 Snap Recordings

Snap Recordings specialize in telephone voice over – greetings, on-hold messages, and voice prompts. They are always on the look for the best people, the best voices, and the best talent to work from home as voice over talent.

Some of the languages and accents they hire for include; American, Australian, British, Canadian and Irish English, Spanish and French.

To sign up as a voice talent, you’ll need to upload a voice over demo to be considered.

#4 Voices.com

Voices.com is one of the largest communities of voice over talent. From animation, eLearning, video games, internet videos, podcasting and so much more. As a voice over actor on Voices, you can earn anywhere between $100 – $250 for a 30 seconds script. Voices offer different membership for voice over talent. As a beginner voice over actor, you can sign up as a guest, which will cost you $0, and upgrade your membership at a later stage to gain full access.

#5 Bunny Studio

Bunny Studio works in 20 countries and offers a good alternative for voice over actors. They let you set your own rates and get paid for every submission that is approved.

#6 Voice Crafters

Voice Crafters is a multi-lingual voice over agency that has been around since 2008. They offer solutions in over 80 languages for video games, commercials, training, and corporate videos.

To be accepted, you need to be a trained voice over actor with 5 years of commercial experience. You also need to have a recording studio.

They don’t take on beginner voice over artists.  

#7 Audible

Audible is an Amazon company that focuses on audiobooks. They are always on the lookout for audiobook narrators. If you are interested in Amazon audible voice over jobs, you’ll need to email a two-minute MP3 clip of your audiobook narration. A list of books you have narrated and if any of them are available on audible.

#8 VoicesUS

VoicesUS is a voice over platform that accepts voice over artists in the US and Canada. While they accept new talent and professionals, it’s not free to join and one is required to pay a membership fee. However, if your membership is declined, the site promises to give a full refund.

#9 The Voice Market

The Voice Market is an Australian-based voice over talent platform that has been around for close to a decade. While they would love to take on beginner voice over actors, they prefer experienced voice over artists with a broadcast quality studio and who can work under tight deadlines – 4 hours turnaround time.

#10 Covoco Voice Over Jobs

Covoco accepts voice over talent across the globe. The sign-up process is simple and you can either sign up with Google, Facebook, or your email account. They have a free membership for life and this makes it one of the best website for voice over work.

#11 Upwork Voice Over Jobs

Upwork is a general freelance marketplace that often lists voice over jobs. You can sign up as a freelance voice over artist and look for jobs. Being a marketplace, you are in charge of setting your own rates.

If you are unsure of how much to charge, you can always look around the platform and see what other voice over talent in your niche are charging.

If you have been looking for work-from-home opportunities and you have a great voice, why not try out companies looking for voice over talent? From general voice over work, to audiobook narrations. Working from home as a voice over artists offers the flexibility to do something you love and earn from it.

Most of the companies listed above often have openings for voice over talent in different languages, so you won’t miss an opportunity.

Good luck in finding your next voice over gig!