Stephanie Stephens voice talent

How to Build a Successful Relationship with Your Voice Over Agent

You want to build a successful relationship with your voice over agent. Navigating the competitive world of voice over work can be daunting, especially when it comes to finding and working with an agent.

A good voice over agent can be your biggest ally, opening doors to opportunities and helping you grow your career. However, it’s essential to establish a solid working relationship. Here are some key strategies to ensure that you and your agent are on the same page.

Whether you’re doing commercial voice over, focusing on corporate narration, or another VO genre, you may really appreciate working with a great agent.

Understand Your Voicer Over Agent’s Role

Before diving into the specifics of how to work effectively with your agent, it’s crucial to understand their role in your career. Your agent is there to:

Market Your Talent: They present you to potential clients and auditions, showcasing your unique skills.
Negotiate Contracts: Your agent will handle the nitty-gritty of contract negotiations, ensuring you get fair pay and terms.
Provide Industry Insight: Agents often have years of experience and can offer valuable advice on trends, skills to develop, and networking opportunities.

Recognizing this will help you appreciate their expertise and build a collaborative relationship.

Maintain Open Communication in the Relationship

Communication is the cornerstone of any successful partnership. Here are some ways to keep the lines of communication open with your agent:

Regular Check-ins: Schedule periodic updates to discuss your career goals, recent auditions, and any changes in the industry. This ensures that both you and your agent are aligned in your pursuits.
Feedback Loop: Encourage your agent to provide feedback on your auditions, and be open to constructive criticism. This will help you improve and stay competitive.
Be Proactive: Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts, ideas, or interests. If there’s a specific type of work you’re passionate about, let your agent know. They may be able to align opportunities that fit your aspirations.

Set Clear Expectations in the Relationship

From the onset, it’s vital to establish clear expectations between you and your agent. Discuss your goals, availability, and preferred communication style to avoid misunderstandings. Here are some areas to cover:

Career Goals: Share your long-term and short-term goals. Whether you aspire to work in audiobooks, or animation, your agent can tailor their efforts to suit your aspirations.
Availability: Be upfront about your availability for auditions and projects. If you have a busy schedule, let your agent know when you can realistically take on new work.
Response Time: Discuss how quickly you expect to hear back about auditions or opportunities. Agreeing on a timeline can help manage expectations on both sides.

By setting these expectations early on, you lay a strong foundation for a productive working relationship.

Be Professional and Respectful in the Relationship

In the creative industry, professionalism goes a long way. Here are some best practices to keep your relationship with your agent positive:

Timeliness: Always be punctual for auditions and meetings, and meet deadlines for any required materials. If you need to cancel or reschedule, do so with plenty of notice.
Respect Their Time: Understand that agents often juggle multiple clients. If you have questions or concerns, try to consolidate them into fewer communications to avoid overwhelming your agent.
Express Gratitude: Simple acts of appreciation can make a big difference. Whether it’s a thank-you note after landing a gig or a message acknowledging their hard work, expressing gratitude fosters goodwill.

Keep Improving Your Skills

Lastly, your personal growth as a voice over artist can enhance your relationship with your agent. Here are some ways to invest in your skills:

Training: Regularly attend workshops, classes, or seminars to refine your craft. This not only improves your abilities but also demonstrates your commitment to growth, which agents appreciate.
Diversify Your Skill Set: Explore different genres or styles of voice acting. Being versatile can make you more marketable and open up more opportunities.
Stay Informed: Keep abreast of industry trends, technology, and changing client needs. This knowledge can be invaluable during discussions with your agent and can help you both stay ahead of the competition.

It’s a Two-Way Street in the Relationship

You can build a successful relationship with your voice over agent, and it requires effort and collaboration. I’ve learned that by understanding their role, maintaining open communication, setting clear expectations, demonstrating professionalism, and continually improving your skills, you can create a dynamic partnership that propels your career forward. Remember, your agent is there to advocate for you, but it’s a two-way street. Investing in this relationship will pay off as you navigate the exciting world of voice over work.

May you and your agent book the most coveted spot in this week’s auditions! Go get it!

The Conversational Read for Commercial Voice Over

Voice Over Blog

The conversational read for commercial voice over remains the “darling” of the voice over business. Let’s look at how this impacts both client and talent, both in pursuit of the perfect read.

Why Clients Want a Conversational Read

If you seek a conversational read for your next commercial voice over, you’re not alone among voice over clients. This perennially popular style involves no shouting or “pushing” that copy. For sure, it does not sound forced or stiff—quite the opposite. No yelling about that super sale on a car right now.

You want your next commercial to resonate, so you want a conversational read for commercial voice over when you produce that message. You’ve made it clear in the specs for your product or service that you don’t want anything to sound “announcery.” You want it to be real, informal, relaxed, relatable, and anything over the top just won’t cut it for this voice over project.

You know you’ve got that perfect conversational read when the voice sounds believable, and really connects with the listener, like you. It comes across like a good friend talking to another friend, and although it may not sound super-professional or “perfect,” that’s fine because we humans don’t always speak perfectly, do we?

This voice sounds smooth, delivering words at a pace that doesn’t include lots of pauses that shouldn’t be there anyway. It can be authoritative, and a voice of experience, but not preachy or bossy. the voice doesn’t “talk at” the person but “talks to” them without forcing it. It makes the listener think, “I want this person to tell me more.”

Voice Over Talent Delivers a Conversational Read

If you’re a voice over talent, the conversational read for commercial voice over keeps appearing on almost every script you audition these days. And it helps you so much if the script has been written well, enabling you to deliver that read.

You read the copy through a few times, but maybe you think, “I just don’t have this yet, and I need to get it NOW.”

Let’s ask a few questions and come up with the answers to help you master this conversational voice over read.

Who are you in the commercial read?

If you’ve taken acting or improv classes, good for you! You can apply some of the same principles you used in assessing a theatrical script or improv assignment. And yes, voice over acting is acting, so get yourself “into character.”

Start by thinking about “who” you should emulate in this script. Why is this person there and what should they do? What is their motivation? And what is their connection or relationship to the audience?

Although space is tight, use your hands as you would in a conversation. Just don’t bang the mic! Do what you need to do, including making noises a nd faces, to get into that character mode.

Who is your audience?

So, there you are, squished into a tight studio booth, and you’re alone, with no “Atta’ girl!” or applause. Turn on that active imagination and let it flow. Who’s listening and why do they care? Better yet, how do you, as a voice over talent, engage them and get them to care?

Who was the script writer thinking of as their target when the writer penned the masterpiece you get to voice? Can you envision a relative or friend as the one who will listen? Maybe it’s a celebrity or VIP or someone else who inspires you, or otherwise affects you.

Who do you know who feels like the target of the script? You will tell this person the story in the script and tell it like you mean it. If you get too “announcery,” this person would consider it a huge turn-off, right, and call you out?

How do you structure the read?

Put a pause, or put a breath, where it occurs naturally in the copy. You’d do this in a “normal conversation.” Maybe you want to add a contraction because the copy sounds too stilted. Most directors don’t mind this, but they don’t want you going too far off-script. That remains a no-no in any session as it seems disrespectful to the copy.

Show your magnetic personality, while adhering to that delivery that talks to your “person.” Don’t feel like you have to shout or use a loud voice. That can happen in front of the mic. Think “one-on-one,” sitting next to your “person” in their living room, talking intently and sincerely about something.

Where can you find help?

If developing a conversational read for commercial voice over feels like a high hurdle, get some help. Choose from the many experienced, talented voice over coaches available to help you, within your budget. But don’t rely on someone to do the work for you. Read, record, and listen. And do it again. Practice really does make perfect, and today’s super-successful voice over talents have read thousands of scripts.

You can do it. Just don’t over think it. And practice. More.

Corporate Narration for Professional Branding

Voice Over Blog

Corporate narration can build your brand even stronger. In the wide world of voice over, this extensive category fills a myriad of purposes for the client and provides plenty of opportunities for voice over talent. With the use of corporate narration for professional branding, companies can find “the right voice” to interpret and deliver “the right message” to achieve marketing and branding goals—to increase visibility and sales, and ultimately, revenue. It’s just good business!

Narration differs from commercials by the length of copy, which can be hundreds of words. It’s not for first timers.

A commercial, on the other hand, is typically :15, :30, or :60 seconds. Corporate narration voice talent requires vocal stamina and excellent breath control. There’s a certain discipline that comes with reading longer copy. Some voice artists, such as Stephanie Stephens, relish the opportunity to showcase lots of experience in corporate narration.

Corporate Narration Enhances Branding

Corporate narration can enhance corporate branding for customers when used in an external-facing manner. Maybe the voiceover must explain how things work or what the benefits are of “X” product or “Y” product.

Internally, corporate narration is ideal for communicating training policies, or delivering instructions to employees and staff. It can be used at meetings, events, forums, conferences, online, and more. Maybe it’s needed for recruitment, or it contains product information, or it’s a “how to do this” video.

Remember that corporate narration is NOT commercials, audiobooks, podcasts, or eLearning.

If you’re considering using corporate narration to strengthen your corporate message, they think, “Ah, that’s World’s Best Company.”

Think of your corporate narration voiceover as an extension of your graphics, logo, colors and “look,” but in this case, it’s your sound.

Qualities of a Corporate Narration Voice Talent

The voice over talent you choose for your internal projects should be approachable and friendly, yet skilled in delivering technical or complex information. And that voice should be able to command and retain the listener’s attention. Some companies require employees to watch a certain number of internal videos each year. That means you must ensure they’re “listenable” and that those listeners understand and retain key messages is so important.

Maybe your company is creating videos that include creative and entertaining graphics or animation. They need just the right voice so that video correctly reaches the audience it’s designed for. It’s important to choose a voice talent with the education and experience to narrate specific terminology. If needed, they’ll read those longer sentences that exactly communicate your chosen message.

Having a great corporate voice over puts the responsibility of adjusting tone and style of your copy and the read to “sound like” your brand.

Generally, that means hiring a voice talent with lots of experience, to essentially join your “corporate communications” team. And this can be for a small or large company.

Don’t Skimp on Corporate Narration Voice Talent

Corporate narration for professional branding can really work for your company. Make the investment in a corporate narration professional, instead of using someone on staff who isn’t comfortable on mic but is free. It’s a wise decision that will prove to be a return on investment. When you think “value added,” think professional corporate narration voice talent.

You want that voice talent to deliver your words and message clearly, authentically, and with purpose—sounding like they’re “one of you.” They must be able to think and speak “on their feet,” quickly and accurately, so as not to waste precious studio time. Expect them to be prepared, articulate, reliable and conversational. This goes such a long way for a successful corporate narration voice talent.

That’s key if the audience is your employees, and if it’s the public, you want them to hear the relatable and knowledgeable voice that sounds so well paired with your message and your branding.

Corporate Narration with Stephanie Stephens

You’d ideally want your voice talent to inform you know if something in the copy went askew: maybe the grammar or sentence construction, or a need for more explanation. That requires more than a few previous rounds in the sound booth. It requires the ability to advise you quickly that “Maybe we should rethink the way this reads…”

Choosing Stephanie Stephens for corporate narration voice talent means you’re choosing someone with years of experience. She works as a “voice” on radio and television and stage, and now as a narrator for your copy. She can self-direct and can edit or connect you with a top U.S. editor for detailed finishing touches.

She’s been a corporate executive, too, and has written the kinds of copy and scripts you want to use for your corporate narration. In fact, as a very experienced writer in general, she’ll write your next corporate narration script for voice over.

If you think corporate narration for professional branding can elevate your brand, reach out to her here. She’ll be happy to return a custom audition or give you a quote today. For Stephanie, there’s nothing more fun and professionally satisfying than completing a project for you and making it “sing.” Listen to her corporate narration demo now here.

How to Choose a Medical Voice Over Talent

Voice Over Blog

Looking for a medical voice over talent? Maybe you work for one of the more than 6,000 hospitals in America. Maybe you aim for the future phenomenal success of your newest life-changing medical device, or a new pharmaceutical medication. And now you need the very best health or medical narration voice over talent you can find for a video that can help achieve your goals. You want a professional voice talent who’s done this before, many times, and for whom long or difficult words or terms aren’t a challenge.

Why not start—and end—your search with someone who “speaks medical” for the very specific audience that will consider your video? You may have heard a certain voice over artist’s medical narration demo. You like it, but you wonder about a few things, as you should.

Know Health and Medical Industry Categories

You need a strong, experienced, knowledgeable medical narration voice talent, whether you’re seeking it for a:

Hospital or health system
Pharmaceutical company
Medical device developer and manufacturer
Health insurance company
Research laboratory
Health or medical association or organization

Ask Questions of Your Medical Voice Over Talent

How much experience do they have?
Will the product they deliver to you sound as good as what’s on their demo?
Can they read pages (and pages) of long-form copy, or are they better suited to commercial reads?
Do they understand this audience? If you’re a hospital or health system, you’re targeting consumers, or maybe you’re producing a training video on safe handling of medical waste. If you’re a medical device company, you may be targeting investors, or buyers including hospitals and physicians’ practices.
Does your talent have a quality, professional home studio, or will they need to go elsewhere to record—and you’ll foot the bill?
Who will edit your medical voiceover?

Know Your Medical Voice Over Talent’s History

You want someone who shows up in the booth well prepared to do your job. Why not look at the list of clients your talent has shown on their website—they should have a website—and reach out to one of them. You can ask, “How was it to work with this talent?” or “Did they understand your directions well and follow through on them?” Or ask “How was their pricing—was it competitive?”

Consider their time in the voice over industry.

You’ll feel so much more confident with someone who’s been doing voice over—successfully—for a longer time. This is true if you’re giving them medical narration copy. It’s not for beginners. These types of projects can sometimes require updates or changes, several months or a few years from the time of original recording. You want to be sure the talent you work with today, will also be the talent you work with later. You need help now when you need something “right away.”

Pay attention to their preparation.

You don’t want someone who walks in and hasn’t taken time to evaluate and mark the copy. Medical narration is particularly challenging, with multisyllabic words, and often, longer sentences because, well, the terminology is just lengthier, often with repeated complex words in a row. That’s not copy that can easily be delivered perfectly in one take without preparation. Your medical narration voice talent will need to read through the copy several times and be sure of pronunciation and syntax. It’s better to learn the correct way to pronounce now, than to put everyone through frustrating repeated mistakes and edits. A professional medical voice talent won’t be embarrassed to ask about something they don’t know right off the bat.

Think about who’s going to be listening.

Does your audience expect a male or female, someone young, in-between, or mature? Do you want no accent at all, or would a local or regional accent help deliver a more effective read? Do you want a talent with a higher pitch, or someone with a deep, commanding timbre?

Meanwhile, a voice over artist known for comedic reads may not be the best delivery for an audience of MDs or PhDs, for example. Leave that casual style for commercials or animation.

Choose the Best Medical Voice Over Talent

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a seasoned medical voice over talent who also has years of writing for the nation’s top health and medical publications and websites, as well as for hospitals and health systems? Who’s written for pharmaceutical companies, medical device developers and manufacturers? And who’s crafted copy for health insurance companies, research laboratories, and health or medical associations and organizations?

Because she’s written so much about medical careers, as a result, Steph understands the structure of those organizations, who does what and why. Therefore, she understands the specific language that is so definitive of healthcare and medicine in the 21^st century. She’s interviewed hundreds of doctors and patients. Steph’s written so many of those longer and complex words and terms. Those may intimidate a less-experienced medical voice over talent.

Find a Medical Script Writer

In addition, while we’re on the subject, if you seek added value with your medical voice over talent, ask Stephanie to write your script because she’s done many. She’s a seasoned writer with 20 years’ experience in this art form, too.

Above all, for her, there’s just something about taking one of your most challenging health or medical scripts, and “knocking it out of the park.” She’ll do it efficiently, correctly, and sounding great, in her next recording session with you.