While providing commercials for voice over clients; from mom-and-pop businesses, to large national

clients is great, for many voice artists and voice actors, it’s often voice over narration that pays the bills.  But what should you look for when hiring a voice actor?

Well, voice quality is certainly important. There are a lot of people who say that voice quality doesn’t matter. But the people that say that, are often voice over “mills.” …voice over schools that take

advantage of anyone that’s ever been told they have a good voice.  And that’s kinda sad. The market is flooded with voice over schools, voice over “teachers,” voice over coaches, etc. ever since covid hit.  Thousands of voice artists are out in the world with their mass produced demo, trying to “break  into the business.” Most give up after a short time, or they end up on Fiver, working for less than they could make as a greeter at Wal-Mart. With that said, however, voice over quality is important.

But not just voice quality, it also has to be the right voice for your message. How old the voice actor sounds is a factor.  Selling a product that appeals to 16–24 year-olds just won’t cut it with someone who sounds like an elderly grandmother.

Also, when you listen to a voice actor, you should be able to picture the person in your mind and get a visual of the person, just by their voice tone.  Oh, and whenever they talk about a product, they should sound like they actually know what they are talking about; as if they are an expert.

There is one more thing that you should listen for when looking for a voice artist to narrate your explainer video or commercial: A storyteller, who can hold your attention.  The voice over artist should fade into the background getting you pulled in by the story.

Here’s a cool example of that: because I do a lot of narration and I want to become the best narrator in the United States, I study voice actors. One of my favorites is the narrator of the Ken Burns-directed mini-series that is available on PBS, “Keith David.” I listen to that documentary to study Keith David’s style.

Every time I listen to Keith, he pulls me into the story and I forget about the narrator. So much for studying!  The story is compelling, but it’s also because Keith David has a very rare quality in voice actors, which is one on one communication. He sounds like he’s talking directly to you; like he’s sitting next to you in your living room, explaining the video directly to you.

And once you start listening for that quality you’ll hear it.

So, back to the original question: what should you look for in a voice artist when you want to have an explainer video recorded for your business, or you want someone to narrate your tv show?

In both cases, the same thing: a voice actor with a pleasant voice, someone who’s a storyteller, and someone who is speaking directly to you!