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How To Become A Voice Actor In 8 Easy Steps (Ultimate Guide)

how to become a voice actor get paid for voice overs
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By all means, learning how to become a voice actor is worth the effort and research.

If your voice always leaves an impression on everyone who hears it, starting a high-paying job as a voice artist is probably your true calling.

Becoming a full-time voice actor requires tons of patience and hard work. Still, a voice-over career is an exciting job prospect that brings many possibilities.

Nowadays, a voice acting job doesn’t have to be just a side hustle:

Considering how well the gig will pay you, you can leave your full-time job behind with no regrets.

Today, I’ll tell you all about working as a voice-over artist in different genres:

  • What does a voice actor do?
  • How much money can you make as a voice-over artist?
  • Why should you do voice-overs for a living?
  • How can I become a voice-over artist?
  • Where can you find voice-over jobs for beginners?

This blog post contains affiliate links – read my affiliate disclosure.

What Is A Voice Actor?

what is a voice actor

Before you learn how to become a voice actor, I want to give you a definition of the job.

To sum up, a voice artist is a professional actor who uses their voice to narrate a character (in a story or market products), such as video games, animations, audiobooks, web content, or podcasts.

Voice-overs are necessary in radio, television, theatre, and filmmaking (the entertainment and voice industry).

Most of the time, you won’t see the voice-over artist on the screen. Instead, voice actors rely on their skills to breathe life into different characters or emphasize a product’s advantages.

Don’t dismiss the voice acting work opportunity if you’re camera-shy:

The job requires speaking and recording lines from a script via audio recording equipment in your home studio or an outside studio.

Voice Acting Vs. Voiceover

Voiceover is a popular technique that requires an unseen speaker to narrate or explain a story in film, TV, or other media.

Professional voice actors are the individuals who provide voice-overs. The terms voiceover and voice acting both describe the nature of their job.

What Does A Voice Actor Do?

Believe it or not, a voice acting job is not just about lending your voice for different purposes:

Voiceover artists have many responsibilities.

For example, a voice actor has to read and record a script, copy, or other written material. While delivering lines, voiceover artists work on tones and inflections to create the necessary performance for the specific project.

Whether you’ll work on animes, cartoons, video games, radio commercials, or TV shows, soundproofing your working space will be an excellent idea:

It will allow you to train, practice, and improve your acting skills without bothering anyone nearby.

Exciting Jobs To Consider As A Possible Career:

Can I Be A Voice Actor With No Experience?

can you be a voice actor with no experience

Generally speaking, plenty of people from all walks of life can become voice-over artists (as long as they are the right people for the job).

It doesn’t matter what your background is or whether you have any previous experience working in the world of voice acting:

If you’re willing to do the work necessary to become a successful voice actor, such a career is worth considering.

These days, there is a large market for different voices (male, female, and even children’s voices).

Contrary to popular belief, the voice-over market will give you a chance even if you have an accent or your voice sounds too motherly (examples).

How Do You Become a Voice-Over Artist Without A Degree?

Building a successful career through voiceover work doesn’t require any formal education.

After all, voice actors earn money through their talent and voice-over abilities.

Sure, some voice-over artists might pursue a degree in theatre or acting. However, you don’t have to go to drama school if that’s not what you want:

Developing impressive vocal skills is enough to secure well-paying gigs since voice actors are in high demand.

Essential Skills For Voice Actors

  • Vocal talent
  • Acting abilities
  • Willingness to learn, improve, and step out of your comfort zone
  • Technical skills to work with audio equipment and all the right tools (you don’t have to be an audio engineer)
  • Persistence (if you don’t succeed at your first job, you might make it during your second year)
  • Time management skills
  • Network and marketing skills

Who Should Try To Become A Successful Voice Actor?

The voice-over industry is for people who want to challenge themselves by entering a brand-new working area.

Of course, having a great voice and good vocal range is the top requirement for voice actors – there is no way around that!

Also, you already know that developing and polishing your vocal skills will take a considerable time.

Completing a voice acting job doesn’t have to happen in an outside studio – you can do it in your own house or apartment as long as you have access to a quiet room.

Subsequently, doing voice work to earn a living is a good idea for everyone who wants to make money online.

More Jobs To Make Full-Time Income From Home:

Benefits Of Voice Acting

what are the benefits of voice acting

Let’s make something clear from the get-go:

These days, the voice-over industry is one of the most competitive fields. Still, the job of the voice-over artist provides tons of benefits, such as:

  • A Lucrative Pay: It might be hard to believe, but some voice-acting gigs pay hundreds or thousands of dollars. We’ll talk more about the voice-over actor’s salary later in this article.
  • Flexible Hours: Whether you want to do voice-overs part-time or full-time, you’ll be the one in control of your working schedule.
  • Work From Home: As you already know, you can complete a voice-over project without leaving your home.
  • Be Your Boss: Once you become a professional voice actor, you can select the pace of your work and personal life.

And what about the disadvantages? There must be a downside to voice acting, and you should know about it before you learn how to become a voice actor.

  • Up-Front Expenses: If you decide to record from home, setting up your own recording studio will cost you. In addition, you’ll have expenses for high-quality recording equipment.
  • Freelance Work: Being a voice actor means that you’ll work as a freelancer. Such a job doesn’t offer much stability, especially at the beginning.
  • Formidable Competition: Landing your first voice-over gig will be challenging since you must compete with industry professionals and well-known actors offering the same services.
  • Hard On The Voice: Doing tons of voice work can exhaust your vocal cords.

Can You Make Money As A Voice Actor?

First and foremost, it’s understandable if you’re wondering about the monetization options of lending your voice to projects.

Why would you be researching how to become a voice actor if there is no cash on the table?

So, allow me to answer the question that must be heavy on your mind:

Yes, you can make money by providing voice-overs – the amount will vary depending on how busy you’ll be as a voice actor.

How about I press harder on this matter?

Are The Voiceover Jobs For Beginners In Demand?

By all means, the time we’re living in offers a vast array of possibilities and diverse opportunities:

Replacing your nine-to-five job with an online one that pays handsomely is more popular than ever. Work-at-home labor is becoming a new reality for thousands of people every day.

Now, how does all that affect the voice market? Well, think about it:

Every voice without a face you hear on TV is someone’s voice-acting job. Long gone are the days when you had to be employed by some of the biggest film studios or production companies to work with your voice.

Today, all you need to secure a voice-over job is Internet access, recording equipment, and the ability to act with your voice.

Is this enough to convince you that doing voice-over jobs is something you should consider?

Types Of Voice Acting Jobs

Quite frankly, narrating audiobooks is the most suitable job for new voice actors. However, that might not be the first job you get.

Take a look at the industries that constantly hire voice actors:

  • Audiobooks: While authors often act as audiobook narrators, some productions hire voice talent to bring the characters to life.
  • Animated films and TV: Cartoon characters (and other animated characters) can’t exist without anime voice actors behind them.
  • TV and radio commercials: I dare you to find a commercial work without a voice-over! The power of your voice can be an invaluable tool for selling a product or service through a commercial.
  • Promos (TV and radio)
  • Films (short movies, animation, etc.)
  • Documentaries
  • Trailers
  • Video games
  • Online training/e-learning and other educational content
  • Phone messages
  • Podcasts

Heads up – there are other categories as well – the ones you see above are the most lucrative.

How To Become A Voice Actor: Step-By-Step Guide

Without further ado, let’s jump into the process of becoming a professional voice-over artist.

Here are the essential steps you’ll need to take to start working as a voice actor:

1) Gain Voice-Acting Skills And Experience

how to become a voice actor gain voice-acting skills and experience

It doesn’t matter what kind of new skill you’re trying to learn:

Your learning curve will always begin with building practical experience where that skill is necessary.

Many voice actors launch their careers by learning how to act on stage. After all, vocal performance is not just about saying words – it’s also about developing the ability to act.

There are two ways to gain voice-acting skills:

You can take lessons with an acting voice coach or sign up for online voice-over training (I’ll cover the second option in a minute).

2) Work With A Voice Coach To Enhance Your Vocal Range

Let’s talk about the opportunity to learn how to become a voice actor by hiring a voice-acting coach.

Every professional voice-over artist has to master proper vocal techniques.  That’s the first step to take, because the type of work requires it.

Voice acting requires so much more than making impressions or delivering funny sounds.

Many technical skills go into doing a voice-over, such as breathing, pronunciation, articulation, and delivery. Working with a voice-acting coach will help with all that.

3) Record A Voice Demo

Eventually, you must showcase your unique voice to a casting director, potential clients, and industry leaders. That’s why recording a voice-over demo is an unavoidable step in becoming a voice actor.

A professional demo reel is usually a few minutes long and should contain your best voice-over work. Let your voice talent shine while performing in a different language or doing unique character voices (examples).

Don’t allow the idea to intimidate you – a few lines and dialogue you perform in different voices are enough for a demo tape.

Most voice artists have two demos – one showing their commercial skills and another introducing their character work.

4) Create A Portfolio

I like to think of voice actors as sound engineers for hire. However, creating sound effects in a quiet room is only half the job, and you’ll learn that during your research into how to become a voice-over artist;

How will your dream casting or voice director get to hear your best vocal performance? Will you book enough commercial work regardless of the type of voice you produce?

You’ll be closer to achieving that if you build a professional online portfolio that showcases your abilities. Many newbie voice actors launch personal websites with their contact information and demo reels to gain an online presence.

Doing the same is good advice – building a portfolio on your own website with your voice demo as a centerpiece will only help you establish yourself as a professional in the field.

5) Audition For Roles

audition for voice-acting roles

Going through voice acting auditions is crucial in becoming a voice artist – it’s how you’ll land your first job.

With that said, look for open casting calls online or search for voice talent audition online platforms accepting submissions.

Other ways to secure auditions are to hire agents to discover them for you or network with casting directors if you know any.  Those living in New York City surely do!

Preparation is the key to auditioning successfully for a voice-over job:

Devote enough time to study the character breakdowns and practice the pronunciation the project requires.

Where else can you introduce your calling card?  Voice Realm is probably the right place for many voice actors:

It gives you access to many different brands and higher-paying clients.  A good actor won’t stop there:

Prepare your audio files after you record auditions and spend a lot of time looking for a voice-over gig online (a specific Facebook Group, YouTube videos, or various Social Media Platforms).

6) Network & Promote Yourself

Direct marketing is the first thing to consider doing once you gain enough confidence as a professional voice actor. There is nothing wrong with promoting yourself to book more jobs:

On the contrary, your hard work will pay off faster if you build connections with other voice professionals. What else can you do to spread the word about the power of your own voice?

Here is an idea – attend live events or workshops to meet other people operating in the industry. Some online platforms can be helpful, too:

Social media groups and online forums can open many doors for beginner voice actors by pointing them to available job opportunities.

7) Build A Home Studio For A Recording Space

As already mentioned, voice acting is a high-paying work-at-home job:

Nowadays, you can record your voice-over work from the comfort of your home – it’s the best place for many reasons.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend much money to build your own studio in your home – a good microphone, pop filter, closed-back headphones, a laptop, and audio software will cost you a few hundred dollars.  That’s not a lot of money, and spending it won’t destroy your net worth!

Another essential tool for any professional voice actor is soundproofing. Find a quiet space in your living area for the perfect acoustic treatment (without any background noise) before your first recording session.

8) Keep Improving Your Voice-Over Skills

We all know that regular practice makes perfect. Building voice-acting skills is not a set-and-forget kind of job:

Honing your voice-over and recording skills is necessary to keep securing lucrative jobs and higher rates.

A good way to practice is to record a project and listen to the recording.

Developing a professional-sounding voice will take tons of work, but it will be worth it in the end.

Additionally, consider investing in voice-acting corporate training (you don’t need a degree program) or using social media platforms to further your education by communicating with the best in the industry.

How To Become A Voice Actor Fast

how to become a voice actor fast get a formal training at the online school for voice over

Imagine a scenario when you want to make money by doing voice-overs, but can’t afford to hire a voice-acting coach.

What should you be doing if you find yourself in such a situation? Should you give up on the dream of becoming a professional voice-over artist?

The answer is no because there is a way to learn all you need to know about voice-over work without investing much in expensive online courses.

And that way has a name – an Online School For Voice-Over offering voice-over training for free.

Nowadays, the Online School for Voice-Over is the most popular platform providing professional training to anyone who wants to become a voice actor.

You won’t find another platform that teaches the craft behind voice-over work on the level that the Online School for Voice-Over does.

Julie Eickhoff is the creator of that training program. An Iowa native, Julie has a Degree in English and Secondary Education.

Fresh out of college, she spent a year as a middle school English teacher. Her resume includes various jobs – from bank manager to even chief meteorologist in a TV station.

However, doing all sorts of crazy jobs when you have a husband and a newborn can be stressful. That’s why Julie focused on a single field.

She’ll be the first to tell you that it took her years of learning curve and setbacks to master the voice-acting niche. Now that she has, she shares her knowledge with everyone who wants to be a voice artist.

Why Should You Get A Proper Training To Study Voice Acting

Generally, the Internet School for Voice-Over will introduce you to the world of voice-acting, explain the fundamentals of the work, and help you find employment in the field.

If you decide to take only the Free Mini-Course, you’ll still manage to learn a lot about voice acting. For example, you’ll see what it means to work as a voice actor, how much you can earn, and how to be successful at the job.

In other words, the Free Mini-Course exists to help you decide whether being a voice actor is your dream job. Assuming that it is, you can get the whole training course to develop the skills necessary to do voice-over work for a living and book a lot of work.

That course will provide you with a practical blueprint, business plan, and comprehensive guide to earning a full-time income as a voice actor as soon as possible.

The creator goes above and beyond to prepare you to beat the competition and make a name for yourself as a voice-over artist in demand. She will show you the best recording equipment you can get and where to find high-paying voice-over jobs once you complete the formal training.

On top of all that, Julie will work with you to get you ready for your first audition. Every student can submit their work to her and receive feedback about how to improve it.

To sum up, the Work From Home Doing Voice-Overs Course is a proper certificate program that will open doors to a profitable voice-over business from home.

How Much Do Voice Over Actors Make?

Generally, voice artists get paid per project. Expect different pay rates depending on the project you accept.

Here is an example:

If you land a voice-over gig for one of the biggest movie studios, the paycheck you’ll get when you complete the job will be more than lucrative.

But newbie voice actors rarely secure such jobs from the start of their careers. Instead, they practice their skills and build expertise while narrating audiobooks.

Audiobooks pay voice artists in two ways:

You can get royalties (money for every copy sold) or agree on a specific amount with the employer. While the rates vary, you’re looking at $100-$200 per finished hour.

So, a 10-hour audiobook (with a rate of $200) is $2,000 straight for a single job.

To sum up, the average salary for voice actors in the United States is $132,000 (according to Indeed). It’s worth mentioning that anime voice actors earn more than that.

More Earning Options You Might Like:

How To Become A Voice Actor FAQs

Do Voice Actors Get Paid Well?

Working as a voice-over artist can be more than a lucrative side hustle:

Many people turn it into a career: the pay is enough to earn a full-time income.

How Much Do Voice-Over Artists Get Paid?

On average, entry-level voice actors earn up to $132,000 annually, while experienced voice actors make nearly $200,000.

How Much Do Voice Actors Make Per Hour?

Generally, some voice-acting gigs will earn you $100 or even $200 per hour.

Can Anyone Get Paid To Do Voice-Overs?

Yes, everyone can start making money by providing voice-overs.

Even if you have no experience, you can begin earning as a voice actor once you get professional training and gain the necessary skills.

How To Become A Voice Actor As A Kid?

Children can become voice actors as long as their parents assist them.

Parents must test their kids doing character voices, record a demo, and submit it for suitable auditions.

See Also: How To Earn Money As A Kid

My Closing

All your questions about how to become a voice actor should have answers by now.

It’s a great job to have by all counts.

Replying to my audience’s questions is always a pleasure, so ask away!

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