Slow Period? Consider a Broader Niche

Many people who are new to the voiceover career path get caught up in doing one type of voiceover work.  Whether those are short recording for commercial advertising or very long recordings for audio books, it can be dangerous to become too pigeon-holed. 

Choosing to stay true to a particular niche can make your own marketing efforts easier and more effective.  However, don’t allow yourself to become so specialized that your new business struggles financially.  There is a fine line between true niche marketing and foolishly giving up the chance for paid work.  You can, however, hone your specialized skills by broadening your niche a bit.  Consider these voiceover avenues and how they may fit within your intended specialization:

Commercial Voiceover We’ve already mentioned this, of course.  The irony here, though, is that many voiceover actors and actresses don’t realize how very large this niche is. 

·         Radio voiceover

·         Television voiceover

·         Cinema voiceover

·         Web-based advertising voiceover

This can be a very great niche to work within, because it is so vast.  When marketing your services, though, be sure that you consider all forms of advertising voiceover and choose your keywords and audiences appropriately.

Video Narration This is not a terribly far cry from the commercial advertising already written about, as the voiceover will likely appear in many of the same forms of media.  It does, often, require more time in the studio than the average commercial spot, but it may be a good way to branch out without moving terribly far from your comfort zone.  Narration can also be a good branching off point for those accustomed to audio book work.  The same sort of acting skills and knowledge of various dialects and accents will be valued in this area.

In-Person Narration Rather than spending time in the recording studio, perhaps you would like to work live.  If you have already focused your energies on video narration, or something similar, then this may not be a horribly uncomfortable stretch for you.  This is often referred to as being “the voice of God”, but essentially means that you lay out the plot of a life play from backstage, or you read the introductions for special speakers at banquets and special events, or you just create an air of excitement by introducing the audience to the show that they are about to see.

These are just a few of the areas of voiceover that may open up for you, if you expand your marketing efforts slightly.  So, if you are struggling to maintain a consistent workflow, then now might be the time to consider branching out a bit.