Boost your brand and make your commercials stand out by hiring the perfect voice. We’ve all seen how a spokesperson or voice-over can turn commercials into entertainment. Think of the iconic voices of Tony the Tiger, Cheetos Cheetah, and Snap, Crackle, and Pop. That kind of casting coup can make an ad blow up, trend on social media, and even get turned into memes. The potential that a great commercial voice-over actor can bring to make your brand soar is indescribable. As you get excited over the possibilities, make sure to note our expert advice for finding your brand’s voice—literally.
1. Consider How You Want the Commercial Voice-Over Actors to Reach Your Intended Audience
The voice must fit your brand and the image you want to project. If you’re trying to market toys to kids, for instance, the voice will be very different than a prescription drug ad intended for adults.
Think about your target demographic’s age and location. If you’re targeting a specific area with a distinctive accent, you don’t want a voice actor to give an over-the-top impression that will offend people.
How do you want viewers to feel when they watch your commercials? Do you want them to feel excited and energized by your products? Or do you want to convey confidence and make them feel like they can trust and rely on your brand?
The way to ensure this is to create a brand voice profile ahead of auditions. By specifying what you want, it will be much easier to hire your perfect commercial voice-over actor. First, you’ll know exactly what you’re looking for. And second, the actors auditioning will be able to better prepare.
Ideally, the voice actor you choose will be synonymous with and recognizable to your brand.
2. Conduct Talent Searches and Auditions in the Best and Most Up-to-Standard Way
Send actors scripts and notes of your created brand voice profile ahead of auditions. The actors will appreciate these specifics because it allows them to really perform at their best.
That doesn’t necessarily mean voice-over actors can’t improvise or that you should turn down a talented stand-out auditioner because their interpretation doesn’t fit exactly what you thought. Inventing an iconic brand voice is a creative and collaborative process. Because voice acting is their specific craft, the actor should feel free to bring in their expertise and industry knowledge as well.
3. Ask for Demo Tapes From Commercial Voice-Over Actors and Listen to Them Carefully
Demo tapes are a huge help when it comes to casting voice actors. They give actors the opportunity to showcase their full range and abilities. The actors may even have certain character voice ideas that could be perfect for your brand.
In order to best use demo tapes to your advantage, send over the brand voice profile, the script, and any other helpful information ahead of time. You’ll want to give them direction from afar.
That will allow actors to tailor their tapes with your brand in mind. That way, you’ll know what you’re getting from each voice actor, instead of just having them go into an audition cold.
However, it also helps to let actors improvise and add their unique spin to these demo tapes. You could end up listening to one with a voice you never would’ve imagined otherwise. But this voice could be the perfect one for the brand.
4. Have a Solid Idea of What You Can Expect to Pay a Voice-Over Actor
A voice actor will have some idea of their desired rates, but you don’t want to start financial talks without doing your own research about the typical rates for this kind of work. Plus, knowing the standard salary for voice-acting commercial jobs is not just about negotiations. Did you know that many people won’t even apply to jobs that don’t specify the salary range they can expect? Some even call job listings that don’t mention salary red flags.
The same mindset goes for casting calls. Whether you post your commercial jobs on audition boards or work with a talent agency (more on this in the next section), you will be asked how much the gig pays. If you’re not prepared to answer those questions, even in a vague way, you won’t get a reputation that makes voice-over actors want to work with you.
5. Know How To Get the Word Out About Your Auditions
You have to put the information about your casting out there because no actor is just going to come to you magically. Part of finding the best actor is knowing how to reach them. This may be by posting on audition boards, utilizing online services like Backstage, or working with casting agencies.
Talent agents bring their own industry-specific knowledge to help with your search. They can also narrow down the playing field by signaling out their clients who stand out amongst the pack. A talent agent will also effectively serve as a middleman between you and the voice actors. Having an experienced buffer comes with its own advantages, especially during the audition and callback stages.
InnoVision Talent Agency isn’t an ordinary agency. It’s connected to InnoVision Marketing Group, one of the premiere advertising agencies in the San Diego area. InnoVision already has a sterling reputation for supplying incredible work with advertising on all sorts of platforms. That expertise is engrained in this new talent agency.
We have a revolutionary and refreshing mission statement that sets us apart from the competition. We prioritize talent above everything. That’s the way it should be, of course. But too many agencies fall in line with the stereotypical Hollywood standards. We don’t believe in squandering talent because an individual may not fit an antiquated mold. By representing talent those stuck-in-the-mud agencies would overlook, we’ll be able to find you the one-in-a-million kinds of voice actors to really make your commercials pop and set your brand up for new stratospheres of success.
You can find more information about InnoVision Talent Agency, including how to contact us, by exploring our website.