Taking the time to hire a professional, high-quality voice over actor bumps your video’s production value up a few notches while also keeping the integrity of your script. The VO artist carries the tone and brings emotion to your story.
Here is a step by step guideline on how to search for your voice over artist.
What you’ll need to know before you start your search:
1. Lock in your script.
2. Do a word count of your script.
3. Pick a short paragraph for the prospective artists to read.
4. Figure out where will your video air.
5. Set your rate.
6. What kind of audio file will you need?
It’s important to know all of the answers to these questions before you reach out to any voice over artist. These are all questions he or she will ask and if you’re prepared the artist will trust you know what you’re doing and be happy to work with you.
Then, access www.voices.com. Once you are signed up for voices.com:
1. Use the advanced search option to search a specific tone and category.
2. Reach out to 2-4 artists that match your criteria, you can Google search their name and reach them directly or you can rely on the voices.com team to take care of it for you.
3. Set your rate, deadline and number of reads you expect for that rate.
4. Schedule a phone call with the artist to do their first recording with you on the phone. This way you can give any direction necessary.
Once you’re signed up for voices.com you can choose to use their integrated payment system or you can reach out to the artist directly. Whichever you decide to do is up to you, but the latter provides you with direct communication which can be very helpful if you have a tight deadline.
If you have a budget you need to work within, then directly reaching out to the artist is the best way to make sure you are within your range. If you create a job posting within voices.com you will be given each artist’s bid without any negotiations. Choosing 2-4 artists that match your criteria is the best way to get what you need. Availability can be an issue as well as a budget constraint.
Once you’ve locked in your artist you are ready to get recording. If the script is relatively long, be sure to break the read up into scenes so you have more control over the tone and speed of the read. If you know what you want your VO to sound like, the rest should be a piece of cake.
Standard Non-Union Industry Rates:
NON BROADCAST PRODUCTIONS
Business and Corporate
00 to 05 minutes – $100-250
06 to 15 minutes – $250-500
16 to 30 minutes- $500-750
31 to 45 minutes- $750-1000
45 to 60 min. – $1000-1250
60 to 75 min. – $1250-1500
75 to 90 min. – $1500-1750
90 to 120 min. – $1750-2000
120+ min. – Request A Quote
Telephone System Recordings
00 to 05 minutes – $100-250
06 to 15 minutes – $250-500
16 to 30 minutes – $500-750
31 to 45 minutes – $750-1000
45 to 60 min. – $1000-1250
60 to 75 min. – $1250-1500
75 to 90 min. – $1500-1750
90 to 120 min. – $1750-2000
120+ min. – Request A Quote
Internet Audio
00 to 05 minutes – $100-250
06 to 15 minutes – $250-500
16 to 30 minutes – $500-750
31 to 45 minutes – $750-1000
45 to 60 min. – $1000-1250
60 to 75 min. – $1250-1500
75 to 90 min. – $1500-1750
90 to 120 min. – $1750-2000
120+ min. – Request A Quote
BROADCAST PRODUCTIONS
Radio Commercials
Radio Commercial : Local:15, :30 or :60 – $200
Radio Commercial : Regional:15, :30 or :60 – $300
Radio Commercial : National Network:15, :30 or :60 -$1000
Radio Station Promotion / Station Imaging / Tags:05, :15 or :30 – $200
Public Service Announcement on Radio:15, :30 or :60 -$200
Television Commercials
Television Commercial : Local:15, :30 or :60 – $300
Television Commercial : Regional:15, :30 or :60 – $500
Television Commercial : National Network:15, :30 or :60 – $2000
Television Station Promotion / Station Imaging / Tags
LONG FORM NARRATION
Audiobooks
Fiction and Non-Fiction Audiobook Recordings
Price per finished hour: $250-$500
Have more than 1 book?Request Quote
Educational Videos and Training Videos
Non-Broadcast Educational Recordings
1 Hour recording session – 250-500
Each additional hour – 100
60 + minutes (finished audio)Request Quote
Narration for Documentaries
00 to 05 minutes – $100-250
06 to 15 minutes – $250-500
16 to 30 minutes – $500-750
31 to 45 minutes – $750-1000
45 to 60 min. – $1000-1250
60 to 75 min. – $1250-1500
75 to 90 min. – $1500-1750
90 to 120 min. – $1750-2000
120+ min. – Request A Quote
Video Games
Console Games, iPhone Games, iPad Games, Android Games
00 to 05 minutes – $100-250
06 to 15 minutes – $250-500
16 to 30 minutes – $500-750
31 to 45 minutes – $750-1000
45 to 60 min. – $1000-1250
60 to 75 min. – $1250-1500
75 to 90 min. – $1500-1750
90 to 120 min. – $1750-2000
120+ min. – Request A Quote
