I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of success with the Voice123 casting site. Say what you want about the site, think what you want about it, but you’ll never hear me knock it because, for me, it’s been a source of a lot of great work and the starting point for many great client relationships.
I book work on the site weekly. I now contribute to their Voice The Dream blog regularly as well.
Me And Voice123
I won’t lie to you and tell you that I get top rankings all the time. I’ve seen my share of the dreaded “You Won’t Be Considered” but I can happily report that the number of “Finalist” and “Considering” rankings I receive far outweigh those!
Does all this make me an expert with the site? I wouldn’t say that. I’m just a guy who works hard at what he does, and that hard work pays off. I also didn’t start in voice over yesterday. I’ve actually been doing this going on 20 years. I’ve been a member of Voice123 for several years now, and the site has always been good to me.
A talent reached out to me the other day asking if I could offer some insight as to why he’s not having any luck with the site. First of all, I don’t believe in luck. I believe in hard work. Secondly, there could be any number of reasons why success with the site eludes some.
With that said, I offer the following list of reasons why you might not be booking work on the site.
5 Reasons You’re Not Booking Work With Voice123
1) Your audio quality is subpar: If you’re recording with your iPad or a $5 microphone you purchased at a yard sale, it doesn’t matter how good your voice or read may be, you’re not going to book jobs.
2) You have bad demos: Listen to your demos, and then listen to demos of similar talent on the site. How do yours compare? Be brutally honest with yourself. Remember, you’re trying to book work! If your demo is bad, it’s time to make a new one.
3) You don’t follow instructions: The number one pet peeve of clients I’ve heard from that use Voice123 is when a talent auditions and obviously hasn’t thoroughly read all the instructions. This is going to kill your rankings and it’s going to turn voice seekers off from even considering you in the future.
4) You’re auditioning for the wrong projects: I’m never going to be a character voice. I know this. I accepted this a long time ago, though it was the voices of cartoon characters that made me want to be a voice talent in the first place! The type of work you want and the type of work you’re suited for may be two different things.
5) You’re an amateur: Look, we all have to start somewhere. I did. The point is not to knock the amateur talent or deter the amateur talent, but rather to encourage the amateur to get better. Have you taken any classes or coaching? What investments have you made to actually improve your craft?
Before You Pay
This is by no means a comprehensive list. However, these five reasons are among some of the most common complaints I’ve heard from clients I’ve worked with on the site over the years.
If you think you can spend $300 and instantly book jobs, I’m telling you right now, save your cash. That isn’t how it works. It takes time. It takes practice. It takes an investment in your equipment and your skill. Only after you’ve spent time preparing should you consider spending the money to join.
Voice over is not unlike any other profession out there. You need to get an education. You need to train. You need to get some experience. Then you pursue your career.
QUESTION: Has Voice123 worked for you? Why or why not?
* I am not an employee of Voice123. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and are based on my own experience with the site. *
