Voiceover 101: Beware of Bad Advice

As with most things today, if you have a question pertaining to voiceover, you will find an answer online.  The trouble is that those answers don’t always contain the most accurate information.  There is both beauty and danger existing in the World Wide Web. Anyone can publish content and, in most cases, it is not fact checked or even proofread.  You can start working as a voiceover artist today, and publish a related how-to article tomorrow.  If you can do that, so can millions of others starting out in the industry. You must be aware of this.

That said, it doesn’t hurt to read through the content available online.  Just don’t stop reading after the first article or blog post on a topic.  Keep reading.  You’ll likely find that there are many different ways to accomplish the same goal.  For instance, one voiceover artist will tell you that you absolutely need headphones and you must stand while recording.  In an entirely different article, another author will tell you that headphones are not recommended because they make it difficult to detect background noises, but that sitting to record is the best way to go.  If you take the time to hear others out, then you can begin to create your own approach, finding the best method for you.

Bad advice comes in many forms and at many different price points.  There are several things that you will have to (or want to) spend money on to get your business going.  Those might include acting- or marketing courses, pay-per-click advertising, demo editing, website design, etc.  The one thing that you don’t have to pay for, though, is information.  It is readily available online, if you simply take the time to seek out the accurate and worthwhile.  Some will try to convince you to spend thousands of dollars on training courses and demo recording sessions.  Avoid the money traps.  Much of this you can do on your own, without breaking your budget. Look for information put out there by well respected talent whose reputation can guarantee accurate, honest information. Learn who those folks are and stick with them for reliable facts and info!