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The voice-over demo is a crucial element in any voice actor’s toolkit. Creating one can seem like an overwhelming task, but with the right preparation and planning it will be easy to get your message across to potential clients. This blog post will explain the process of creating a professional voice-over demo that showcases your skills, experience, and personality so that you can achieve success in this competitive industry!
What is a voice over demo?
A voice-over demo is a recording of your voice that you use to promote yourself as a professional voice actor. It is one of the key elements in your voice-over marketing strategy. It is usually 60 – 90 seconds long (although sometimes audiobook demos may bit a touch longer). It is a quick snapshot of your voice talent. How else will a potential client know what you sound like? Here are some examples of my different voice-over demos.
What are the steps to creating a voice over demo?
The four main steps to creating your professional voice-over demo are pre-production, production, post-production, distribution. Creating a voice-over demo is an involved process but it doesn’t have to be difficult!
Pre-production: Creating a professional voice-over demo is all about preparing for the production process. It includes everything from deciding on your script to planning out the types of reads you’ll excel at. Remember, no matter what genre of voice-over you work in, it is all about acting in one way or another. (Check out this list of books on acting from Amazon). At Radio Lounge we use a magic (ok, not really magic) process to match your voice style to specific brands. From there we write custom scripts tailored to your strengths. NO RIPPING OFF SCRIPTS FROM THE INTERNET HERE!
Preparing in advance will make producing much easier later down the line and it will also help get potential clients excited by showing them that you’re prepared, serious, and professional about your work!
Production: Here’s is where the fun really begins. The recording process. We coach you through the session pulling out the best reads.
Post-production: The quality of your voice-over demo speaks volumes. You are competing against professionals. This is no place for an amateur home-recorded demo. And speaking of recording at home. Always use a reputable, experienced voiceover demo producer instead of a self-produced demo. Even if you have production experience, you will not be able to hear your voice in an objective way like a quality demo producer can.
Distribution: Now for the dirty work. You have this great voice-over demo. It has captured the essence of who you are, showcased your capabilities, and sounds great. It’s time to hustle. Get this demo in front of people who can hire you. (quick note: don’t post your demo in voice-over forums or Facebook groups. They may be your peers, but most are not in a position to hire you). We will cover who are your top potential prospects in another post
A killer voice-over demo is a powerful tool for your career. It’s one part science, one part art, one part magic (told you!), and two parts demo production experience. Create an engaging, professional voice-over demo with great sound quality by calling our studio today! We would love to work with you and help you succeed in this exciting endeavor – call us at Radio Lounge now! 281.494.4680
M. Bruce Abbott is the Creative Director/Partner at Radio Lounge. Bruce has over 30 years experience as a voice actor, casting and production director, as well as extensive advertising, marketing, and podcasting experience.
