3 Tips To Help You Become a Successful Voice Actor

If you are new to voice-over artist or have been in the game for any amount of time, you know that it can be difficult and frustrating. Others come across shady characters to take their money and little support.

Unfortunately this is true not just for our industry by many others as well. So instead of pouting about it, do something that can tip the odds in your favor. Here are three tips to help you cope, succeed and improve your voice over success rate.

1. Fix what's wrong.

Realize there may be a variety of reasons why you were not the choice for a particular job.
Maybe it's a technical problem:

your audio was of poor quality,
the room you recorded in had a lot of reverb, or
you are using a cheap microphone.

Maybe it's the way you interpreted or delivered the script. Maybe the copy had words that were difficult to pronounce ("methylchloroisothiazolinone," anyone?)

Maybe your audition didn't get heard because the voice seeker was swamped with over 100 people - all qualified and capable of delivering the script the way they wanted.

Or maybe the sound of your voice just reminds the voice seeker of a creepy uncle they knew.

The point is that (with the exception of the creepy uncle) almost every excuse can be something you can improve on.

Crappy sound? Improve your recording environment.
Difficult to pronounce words? Look up the correct pronunciation online and memorize it before you record.
Too many people have already submitted auditions? Submit yours sooner, etc.

2. Put in the hard work.

It's been said that the top voice artists on one of the big P2Ps have - at best - about a 4% success rate. That means they're rejected for 96% of the work they audition for.

So how do these top performers become the best?

The answer is that they've put in the effort to do everything they can to make sure their auditions are the absolute best they can be, both technically, and vocally.

They've received training. Not just a weekend class or they've read someone's book, but chances are they have a professional coach working with them on a regular basis to improve their abilities.

These people have put in the hard work.

Now: What have you done?

3. Keep a positive attitude.

It's easy to get caught up in rejection and start to think that you aren't good enough.

But if being a voice artist is something you really want to do, you have to accept that there are going to be times where it feels like nothing you do seems to work.

It's at those times that you need to hang on, focus on your skills and double down your efforts.

The best advice I ever heard about being hired for the job you want is this:

The way to get to the "Yes" is to get through the "No's" faster.

The more effort you put in and the more you audition, the more you improve your chances of landing a gig.

Research.
Get coaching from a trusted professional.
Speed up your workflow.
Practice more.
Practice harder.

Even doing all of these things doesn't mean you will get the gigs you want but you will be positioning yourself for the best outcome. Just remember that it's not personal and don't give up. NEVER give up.