Do you have a remarkable voice, with impeccable intonation and word stress? Or you have always remembered that one voice from the favorite podcast, audio-book, or tutorial that made you sleepy, aroused, interested?
If so, you may have already considered starting your own voice-over company. This production technique has found its way into various models of the entertainment industry, and it’s yet to show its true potentials. Therefore, today we discuss the steps necessary to set out into starting your own professional voice-over company.
What is voice-over?
Voice-over is a technique where a voice actor reads a text from a script while recorded in a specialized studio. Also known as off-camera, or off-stage commentary, voice-over is employed in a wide variety of situations, such as radio or television production, filmmaking, theatre, documentaries, and news reports. Lesser known, or perhaps, less perceived instances of voice-over are video games, on-hold messages, announcements at events and tourist destinations, and live for events such as award presentations.
Is starting a voice-over company a wise choice for you?
Doubtlessly, naturally good speakers with perfect intonation, lexical stress, and extensive vocabulary are perfect for setting out as voice-over actors. Besides exemplary diction, you should be experienced in giving prepared lectures, possess qualities such as leadership, confidence, and peacefulness. Last but not least, you ought to have a way with words and be attentive towards the situations, emotions, and issues you will narrate about.
Steps in starting your voice-over company
Voice-over business is a business just as any other, with assets, liabilities, expenses, taxes, and legalities. Artists who provide voice-over services are professionals. Thus, you will need an in-depth business plan, well-thought-out marketing strategy, and recognizable brand identity in order for your business to stand out among the competition.
Make a detailed, comprehensive plan
Planning is essential for the success of any start-up. In this stage, your goal is to map out the requirements and specifics of your future business and shed some light on the unknown.
Make sure that, before setting out into the legal aspect of starting a business, you have answered the following questions:
- How much does starting a voice-over company costs?
What equipment do you need? - Who are your target clients and where you will find them?
- What can you learn from the competition?
- How to make your business profitable, i.e. what are the expenses and how much you should charge clients?
Set your rate and stick to it
Now that we have touched on the topic of finance, voice acting may be on the rise, but how much do these artists actually earn?
Commercials voice-over gigs may be paid from anywhere between $100 to $10,000, depending on the brand, medium (whether it is a radio or a TV commercial), market distribution, size of the market audience, etc. For cartoons and animation, the wage is similar to the above-mentioned, and it mainly depends on the length of your voice-over task. When it comes to audiobook narrations, the standard rates are between $200 and $300 per hour. Therefore, for a usual 4 – 6 hours recording, an audiobook narrator’s salary can go as high as $1,500.
Looking at it from the perspective of word count, a project consisting of 4,500 to 6,000 words can earn you anywhere from $750 to $999.
Yop voice-over actors, such as Nancy Cartwright, earns $400,000 per episode of The Simpsons.
However, regardless of your initial doubts, voice-over is a very rivalry industry which is why you should go with competitive rates that comply with your level of expertise. However, you must not undervalue your work and time. Whether you set an hourly rate or charge per word count, make sure your decision stands.
Marketing-wise approach
Before registering a business name, research your ideas across business and trademark records, social media, and the Internet, in order to check the web domain availability.
Of course, your business name should align with the overall brand image, may it be professional, quirky, or humorous.
Legal necessities
On the legal side, your voice-over acting business should have a name, be established as a legal entity, registered for taxes, and have dedicated banking and credit accounts. Moreover, you should make sure to hire an accountant who will monitor your business’ financial performance.
Depending on your location, there are numerous state and local permits and licenses you must acquire in order to run a legal business. A service agreement is another important document that you are required to provide to your clients in order to minimize the risk of legal disputes regarding payment, intellectual property ownership, level of service, etc.
Finally, make sure your business possesses a Certificate of Occupancy for your physical location and a professionally drafted insurance policy.
All of this may seem a daunting task, but with the help of an online platform for setting up a business, you can easily find all forms your local or state laws require.
Final thoughts
Remember to set goals, brush up on your skills, develop a niche focus, research and generate leads, and finally, enjoy the work you do.
