Hiring a voiceover artist is essential for many multimedia productions. Whether for commercials, podcasts, video games, or corporate training videos, securing a captivating voice can enhance your content, captivate your audience, and effectively deliver your message with clarity and emotion.

However, selecting the ideal voiceover artist for your project can be challenging due to the many choices available. It’s important to consider several key factors, including understanding the subtleties of different voice types and styles and managing the logistics of recording and rates.

Listen to English West Country Voiceover Artist Simon on his bio page HERE

Let’s dive into What You Need to Know When Hiring a Voiceover Artist...

Hiring a Voiceover Artist – Define the Audience

The delivery of a script varies significantly depending on who the voiceover artist is addressing. The artist needs to understand the audience’s profession, whether there’s an intimate relationship or if they are strangers or professionals. Knowing these details helps tailor the performance to resonate effectively with the intended listeners.

Background Noise

In some projects, the voiceover artist’s voice needs to be heard clearly and without interference, while in others, background music plays a crucial role in setting the overall tone. Background noise can significantly impact the audio quality and may require the artist to adjust their enunciation to ensure clarity. Whenever possible, provide the artist with a clip of the background music that will be used, as this will help them match the tone and style of their delivery accordingly.

Listen to award-winning female English/US Voiceover Artist Abi on her bio page HERE

Hiring a Voiceover Artist – Usage

This may seem obvious, but the voiceover artist needs to know where their work will be played. Will it be in a large stadium heard by thousands, or for a smaller training video? The artist will deliver the script differently if it’s being heard by 1,000 people in a large environment than if they speak to one person through headphones.

It’s also crucial for the artist to understand the purpose of the audio and the audience size. An internal company video for employees will require a different approach than a TV advert intended for millions. Provide your voiceover artist with as much information as possible, such as the platforms it will be used on, the size of your expected audience, and the duration of the audio’s usage. This will affect the booking cost and ensure a smoother recording process.

Learn more about usage and how it’s calculated HERE.

Hiring a Voiceover Artist – Storyboards and Visual Guides

Do you have a storyboard or video to show the voiceover artist? Providing this kind of information can significantly help the artist understand your project and match the required tone, especially if their voice needs to align with the pace of the visuals. Remember, it’s always easier to tweak the images on a screen to fit the voice than the other way around. This visual context ensures the artist can deliver a performance seamlessly integrating with your content.

Listen to London RP English Voiceover Artist Kieran on his bio page HERE

Hiring a Voiceover Artist – Creative Direction

You may want to provide direction during the recording session. While many voiceover artists are accustomed to recording independently and then sending their work to the client, most offer various ways for you to ‘dial in’ and participate in the session if desired. This lets you give real-time feedback and ensure the final product aligns perfectly with your vision.

Hiring a Voiceover Artist – Wording and Enunciation

Stumbling over difficult words can be embarrassing, even for a professional voiceover artist. Providing a pronunciation guide is helpful if your script includes foreign words or technical terms, such as medical terminology. Recording your pronunciation or spelling the word out phonetically can make the recording process much smoother for the artist. This ensures that your message is delivered clearly and accurately.

Hiring a Voiceover Artist – Cleaning and Editing

Some clients prefer to receive raw, unedited audio files to edit in-house. However, most voiceover artists will offer ‘cleaned audio’—files with background noises, throat clearing, and other distractions removed—for a more polished delivery.

It’s also common for voiceovers to need editing to match a video. Therefore, it’s crucial to communicate your exact requirements to the voiceover artist. Whether you need raw files or cleaned audio, and if any synchronization with visuals is necessary, clearly outlining your needs will ensure you get the desired results.

Listen to professional female Welsh Voiceover Artist Nikki on her bio page HERE

Hiring a Voiceover Artist – Book a Briefing Call

Much of the contact, booking, and negotiation with voiceover artists in today’s digital age happens via email. However, picking up the phone for a conversation can often be more effective, and most voiceover artists will always be happy to provide a briefing call or for you to listen in during the session. This lets you ensure they have everything they need and clarify any potential misunderstandings.

Great British Voices | Remote Recording Made Easy

At Great British Voices, we understand that the voiceover artist’s role extends beyond reading lines into a microphone. They are storytellers adept at capturing nuances that align with your brief and resonate with your audience. Their ability to collaborate ensures a deeper understanding of creative visions, leading to a more successful outcome. Most of our voiceover artists operate professional home studio setups, enabling seamless direction and recording from anywhere in the world. Logistics need never be a barrier to achieving the perfect voiceover for your project.

Need help finding and hiring a Voiceover Artist?

Contact Alex at alex@greatbritishtalent.com to discuss your brief or for a personalised shortlist – or call +44 1753 439 289 to speak to a Great British Talent team member.

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Co-written by Liz | Professional voiceover artist at Great British Voices