“How much do voiceover artists get paid?” and “How do I find jobs as a voiceover artist?”
These are two of the most common questions that a lot of upcoming voiceover actors and even established artists have…
And thanks to Tobi Oladipo; CEO of iVoiceAfrica, he has given some advice on pricing, finding jobs, how to be the best you can be and more!
“Just believe in your voice.”
To Tobi, this is the first and most important thing you can do on your journey to success as a Voiceover Artist.
You hear a lot of people say, “I don’t like how I sound when I record myself,” that’s the last thing you want to say to yourself because the most significant thing of a voiceover is the voice.
If you do not like your voice or do not believe in the quality of your voice, this means you cannot sell anything via voiceovers thus the job is unexceptional.
So, you must acknowledge that your voice is good because the voice is the most important element of any voiceover.
I love my voice so much that I started taking care of it.
Once you realize that you love your voice you will do everything you can to nurture it and make it even better. This is the first step.
The second element is you believing that you can get to the peak of your career.
Should I ask for payment as an upcoming Voiceover Artist?
It’s okay to start pricing even when you’re new but be sure that your pricing is equivalent to the quality which you’re delivering. You don’t want to lose a job because you overpriced yourself and under-delivered. That’s the worst thing you’d want to do to yourself.
Tobi recalls his early days when he was just starting as a voiceover artist…
He was doing pitches over and over again and wouldn’t get paid but he wasn’t bothered because to him, he was paying his dues…
And this was a personal decision he made…
…but honestly speaking, even if you are an aspiring voiceover artist, you need to get paid for your time, for your talents, for your voice, for so many other things. But the reality is people have this mentality that because you are an upcoming voiceover artist you are not up there yet…
And because of this, they tend to give you a token or a fee next to nothing for your voice.
On the flip side, Tobi admonishes that, “If I’m a client I’m going to pay you your worth.”
Paying you your worth: What does this mean?
If you go to see an A-list voiceover artist with an amount that you’d normally pay someone who is one week into the job, you would not expect the A-list artist to collect it. At the same time, the kind of money you pay an A-list voiceover artist, you will not expect a client to give someone who is one week into the job.
How do I charge clients?
Understand the nature of the job you’re getting into, charge based on your worth and your experience because honestly, the client would eventually find out.
Checkout a voiceover rate guide here.
How do I find jobs as a Voiceover Artist?
If there’s anything you want as a voiceover artist, it is the fact that people can recommend you and your reviews can speak for you.
Hop on freelance websites like Upwork, Fiverr, Voices.com, Voices123.com etc., take up jobs and start building a portfolio full of reviews!
Additional Advice for Upcoming Voiceover Artists
- Do not trivialize mentorship and the importance of time management. You can read up on it here.
- Learn from other voiceover artists that you admire
- Invest in your voice
- Believe in yourself and your voice
Honestly, I think the greatest satisfaction I get from any job is when a client says “thank you so much this was beyond my imagination or this was just how I wanted it to be.”
Continue your journey to success and find out your greatest satisfaction.
