When many people think about a voiceover, they think of commercials. It is the most popular way that they hear voiceovers. Due to the popularity of commercials and the use of voiceovers, it is also a common voiceover job. Before jumping into commercial voiceover, though, it is important to understand the different types of commercials.
There are three types of commercial voiceover:
- Local
- Regional
- National
Local Commercials
Local commercials can be the easiest one to get into, but it can also pay the least. Local small businesses are usually the ones that create these commercials to advertise their services and products. Voiceovers can be used to add excitement to what is being shown in the commercial.
A good way to seek voiceover gigs for local television commercials is to reach out to small businesses in your area. You can also check the local newspaper and Craigslist. Since small businesses try to keep marketing costs low, they usually do not invest a lot of money looking for talent.
Be sure to have your resume and demos with you when you meet the owners of small businesses. They often decide quickly whether they want to use a voiceover artist in their new commercial.
Regional Commercials
Regional commercials are broadcasted farther than local ones. Usually, chain businesses use regional commercials to advertise their services and products because they need to cover a bigger area.
Since regional commercials reach many more people than local commercials do, it can be harder to land a voiceover gig. It is not impossible, though. You will need to bring your resume and demos, but also some references. Also, given that these businesses are larger, they have many people that come in claiming they have the voiceover skills necessary to enhance their commercial. They need to make sure you have what it takes to represent them well, and that comes from hearing what others have to say about your work.
National Commercials
National commercials are broadcasted all over the United States. These are for large businesses that have consumers from Los Angeles to New York City. National commercials are much more expensive to produce and are higher quality compared to local and regional ones. This means that voiceover artists often receive a higher compensation for their work.
It can be harder to secure voiceover gigs in national commercials than in regional and local ones. Since the span of possible talent is much greater, there is a lot more competition. What this means is that you should have a lot of experience and exceptional skills to be able to impress the producers for these commercials. Usually, there will be auditions you will need to do with others who would also like to perform the voiceover. This can be quite nerve wrecking. Just be sure that you are confident in your abilities. If you have what it takes, all you have to do is show them.
Now that you know about commercial voiceover, do you think it is something you would like to explore? Leave a comment and give me your thoughts!