The audio demo. A staple of the voice over industry. Talk to any talent. Any coach. Any producer. They’ll all tell you the same thing. Get a good demo. Regardless of the means, they all point to the same end.
Get a good demo.
The Audio Demo
For many years voice over work mostly consisted of commercials, be it for radio or TV. In both of these cases, the audio demo was more than enough to get your foot in the door with a producer, client, or otherwise.
As talent, we’ve relied heavily on these demos for years. At any given moment, I’ve got no less than half a dozen audio demos that I’m circulating through various and assorted avenues. From my personal website to casting sites to social media and beyond.
But, is the audio demo enough today?
A Creative Shift
These days, I do very little commercial work. In fact, the bulk of my voice over business in the last year or two has all come from Explainer Videos.
These 60-90 second animated videos are all the rage right now. They’ve been proven over and over again to generate leads, increase sales, create brand awareness and improve search rankings. And that’s just the beginning of their benefits!
With more and more companies creating these videos for their products, services and brands, it’s an area of voice over work I expect will continue to grow.
Is Your Audio Demo Enough
When I reach out to production companies that create explainer videos, I always include a link to my explainer demo. That demo has got my foot in the door with many different producers and, without question, it has lead to many great voice over opportunities.
However, for some producers, an audio demo is no longer enough.
The most common question I receive from producers I reach out to is, “do you have video samples of your work? Your voice sounds great, but we’d like to see how it matches up with the animations.”
It makes sense when you think about it. An animated explainer video is a very visual tool. Of course you’d want the voice to match the animation, regardless of what type it is. And I’ve done all types of these videos.
Make Samples Available
When a client asks to see videos I’ve worked on, I send them to this link. I regularly post my projects and this has become an invaluable resource for me in closing deals with potential new clients. It gives them the opportunity to not only hear my voice, but to see how I can adapt it to different scripts and animation styles.
As an added bonus, almost everyone of those project pages includes a testimonial from the client I worked with. One more thing to instil confidence in the potential new client thinking of working with me for the first time!
If you’re not making samples of your video work available, you might be missing out on voice over work. In the video age, an audio demo may no longer be good enough.
In the video age, an audio demo may no longer be good enough.
QUESTION: Do you keep videos you’ve worked on available for potential clients to view?
