Doing Voice Over Commercials Professionally

By Marci Glover


There are a lot of different aspects to advertising, many of which are never considered by the general population. Ads may use stunning visuals or memorable music bits and jingles to capture their audience, but it is usually the vocals that people instantly recognize. Doing voice over commercials is a fun and interesting career choice as long as one has determination and patience.

One big misconception is that all a person needs to make it in this business is to sound appealing when speaking naturally. However, along with that pleasant timbre, one should also be able to use proper diction, enunciate clearly and have the capability to act through vocal expression. A big part of the job is using inflection and timing to create a believable and sincere narrative.

This vocal talent is very commonly used in projects like documentaries, movies, animations, audio books, multimedia and video games. Radio, television and internet ads are perhaps the more frequently heard pieces in this field. Realistically, they are played so often that a majority of the audience has no idea exactly how much they are exposed to this type of advertisement throughout their day.

There are three basic categories in this type of advertising work. At the local level, possible jobs may include car dealerships, small businesses and civic announcements. Regional ads will be those that cover chains and companies that are only active in a particular area, while the national spots will be the more top level brands and events.

Granted, most of the national level jobs are given to celebrities simply because their voices are more easily recognizable. However, it is important to remember that the local and regional ads can be just as lucrative if one remains persistent. There are far more spots available than a handful of famous names can fill, so there are ample opportunities available in all three categories.

Very few people in this field are discovered simply because they have amazing speaking abilities. There is a process to building one's talent and becoming as marketable as possible in order to gain a higher level of success. The first step is finding a competent vocal coach who can help improve techniques and give instruction on how to best to control breathing while doing a recording.

The next step is creating an audio audition by having a demo tape recorded in a professional quality studio. For best results, this should be submitted to all available advertising agencies, talent managers and production companies that operate during one's target work zone. The CD and written resume' mailing needs to be followed by phone calls to make sure that they are not easily overlooked.

With a bit of patience combined with a degree of persistence, it is possible for one to build a satisfying career in this field. Aiming for national ads is a respectable goal, though one should not expect to immediately start working on that level. Gaining experience through performing on a number of local and regional assignment is a tried and true way to hone the craft, build experience and become versatile enough to actually become competitive at the top tier.




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