For Voice Over Talents

Part 3 of an Interview with Marketing Expert, Cindy Malouin of Malouin Marketing

Commercial Voiceover Services Talent Debbie Grattan wraps up her chat with Marketing Expert Cindy Malouin on the power of using video to market a commercial voiceover services business.

Commercial Voiceover Services Talent, Debbie Grattan: If you’re using a video on your voiceover services website, then obviously you have your contact information on your site. Now what if the video is being hosted elsewhere, on YouTube for example. Should it convey phone numbers and website information?

Marketing Expert, Cindy Malouin: Yes, the videos should definitely include whatever information you want to viewer to see.

You bring up a good point: it’s not just about having video on your site, but you want to make sure you create a channel on YouTube or a similar site. You can house all of your commercial voiceover services videos there; you can share all your videos socially; you can embed them in blogs. So there are a lot of applications for video use. It doesn’t just need to be on the voiceover talent website. One of my clients uses a video brochure, for example—video and video marketing is another way to get people’s attention. Some people might not have time to sit down and read a brochure but they’ll certainly watch a sixty second video.

Debbie Grattan: Do you have any tips on how we should be optimizing these commercial voiceover services videos on YouTube, Vimeo and other video sites?

Cindy Malouin: I’m not an expert on optimization, but I do suggest making sure you have your keywords identified.

Debbie Grattan: So would that be similar to SEO on your website? Knowing what your keywords are, knowing what words people search for who come to your site and being able to interject that in there?

Cindy Malouin: Yes, but there is a whole science to it and professionals who specialize in this area. But yes, it’s similar to SEO for one’s website: identifying keywords for your site so you come up high on google and other search engines for video content.

Debbie Grattan: Are your marketing clients embracing video? What have you come across in your work with clients when it comes to video?

Cindy Malouin: Right now I have a dialogue going on with almost all of my clients, but not all of them are ready to invest the time, or they’re not yet ready to take that step. But almost everyone is talking about doing it and realizing the opportunities that come with video content. I’d say about twenty-five percent of my clients are utilizing video content on their sites.

Debbie Grattan: Would you advise someone to go ahead and do something even if it’s not a polished and perfect video just to have some video, or would you advise them to wait until they have the time to craft something that’s going to be the best possible showcase?

Cindy Malouin: I guess it depends on what their objectives are. If your objectives are to further your brand identity or to present yourself in a professional way then I’d wait until you can get a polished video. It’s a very public way of communicating so I’d probably advise my clients to wait until they can have a professional-looking video.

When it comes to commercial voice over talents, it’s about presenting themselves personally and so I’d advise them not to go out and just shoot a video just to have a voiceover services video on their site. In the professional voiceover industry especially, you want to present yourself to the highest standards. Since you’re presenting to ad agencies and production companies, you really want to come across as top notch.

Read the first two parts of this interview at:

Part 1: “Professional Voice Over Videos & Female Narration”

Part 2: “Voice Over Services Marketing With Video“

I now live in Niles, Michigan, which is about 15 minutes away from the University of Notre Dame. Since moving my voiceover talent business from So Cal to Michigan back in 2004, I’ve become quite a big fan of the Notre Dame football team. There have been many highs, and unfortunately, many more lows over the recent years, but this year has been different!

As you probably are aware (unless you have zero interest in college football or have been living under a rock for several weeks), Notre Dame has had a pretty magical 2012 season and is now positioned at the very top of the rankings for college football. They were ranked #3 a couple weeks ago, and we watched in amazement as both the #1 and #2 teams were knocked off in the same week, leaving a wide open path for ND to be #1 if they could just get past USC (which they did).

Back in August of 2011, I was booked by Pathfinders Advertising and Marketing, Inc., to do a local tv commercial shoot for Legends Restaurant, located on the campus of Notre Dame, right behind the football stadium. Along for the ride came my two children, who got to work their facial acting chops while reacting to our rather boisterous guest at the dinner table.

This was a lot of fun to film and we even got some behind-the-scenes footage of the process, so the kids would remember the experience. The young man who played the leprechaun was a charming pre-med student and, at the time a “mascot in training” since he was an underclassman. He shared about how excited he was to get to go to Ireland for his first football game experience as the team mascot (that was the first game of this season).

So, we’ve all enjoyed seeing our “personal leprechaun” at the games this season and still catch the commercial on local tv stations once in awhile. Living in this community, it’s fun to have a personal connection to the University, and there have been other projects that I’ve worked on that were produced by or on behalf of Notre Dame.

Oh, and as luck would have it, that’s also me providing the voiceover talent services as announcer at the end of the commercial. Go Irish! Can’t wait to see what happens in the BCS Championship Game in Florida on January 7, 2013.

Published by Debbie Grattan on 11/27/12.

Debbie Grattan is a Voiceover Talent who has been in the business for 20+ years, racking up well over 10,000 completed voiceover services projects while partnering with hundreds of production companies, marketing and advertising firms, commercial voice-over recording studios and corporate/business clients around the United States and abroad. Check out Debbie’s Voiceover Talent Demos and request a voiceover talent services quote for an upcoming project.

Part 2 of an Interview with Marketing Expert, Cindy Malouin of Malouin Marketing

Voice Actress Debbie Grattan chats with Marketing Expert Cindy Malouin on the power of using video for voice over services marketing.

Female Voice Actress, Debbie Grattan: If a voice over service wants to create videos on their own without hiring someone, can you recommend any video-related tools or software?

Marketing Expert, Cindy Malouin: There are many DIY tools out there and while I’m not recommending any in particular, there are some things I’d advise if someone does want to create more professional looking videos on their own. There are some basic video tips I can recommend:

Consider the aspects of video including composition. When you’re recording a video you want to make sure that your subject is not in the center of the screen. You also want to think about the sound quality and be very aware of keeping your hand steady, to avoid unwanted shakiness in the final video.

Those sorts of things can make your video seem amateurish. Invest in some of the tools, like a tripod, that you need to have it come across as professional. Lighting, which can be a challenge, is also very important. If you can’t shoot outdoors or in the morning when there’s a lot of light make sure to avoid fluorescent lighting and try to shoot near a window so you get natural light. These are just some of the things an amateur videographer can do to make their videos look more professional.

Debbie Grattan: You mentioned shooting outside, but does that really relate to a voice over services business? Do you have a suggestion for where a voiceover artist should shoot a video?

Cindy Malouin: I think for a voice over service business one of the things you could do is shoot in your voice over studio, which gives you the opportunity to show you at work doing what you do. Shooting in studio can also show the facilities, which is helpful if you’re trying to communicate and convey your capabilities. The other way it can be done is to use a green screen, which is used so you can add in graphics later during post-production or change the background. But I don’t know if the average person has the capabilities to do that—it might require hiring a professional to help with that.

Debbie Grattan: Are there some things you tell people to avoid when they’re shooting their videos?

Cindy Malouin: Yes, some of things I mentioned earlier, including avoiding using a handheld camera, avoiding fluorescent lighting. But also, avoid having a video that’s too long because people have a limited attention span, especially in this age of social media. You want to engage people in the first few seconds of watching your video, and if you can’t do that in the first few seconds, then they’re going to go elsewhere. You really want to keep their attention by keeping the content very concise and to the point so that they get the meaning of your message and don’t float away to something else. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to communicate too much information in one video, so keep it short, 30 to 60 seconds.

Debbie Grattan: I think content is key and that’s where many people get stuck because they wonder, “What should I say?” “Who am I talking to?” “What’s the most important part of the message that I’m trying to get across?” So can you condense the who, what, why… What is it we really need to consider when we’re developing the content?

Cindy Malouin: Start with what do you want the people to do. Start with your call to action and then drive your content towards that. If you can make it conversational and engaging so that you’re personality shines through then that really helps as well. You want to approach it the way you approach any of your marketing and communication endeavors—you want to think through strategically what your messaging is. Think about what you want them to come away with and what you want them to do. If you can add in graphics at the end where you can have your name and phone number, as well as the next thing that you’d like them to do, it’s a great way to end the video.

Read Part 3 this interview, “Commercial Voiceover Services Video Marketing Ideas” now online. And, be sure to check out Part 1 of this interview “Professional Voice Over Videos & Female Narration.“

Part 1 of an Interview with Marketing Expert, Cindy Malouin of Malouin Marketing

Professional Voice Over Talent Debbie Grattan chats with Marketing Expert Cindy Malouin about how professional voice over videos can be used to enhance overall marketing and improve visitor engagement with voice over talent websites.

Professional Voiceover Talent, Debbie Grattan: I know you have written on this topic before, but let’s review what are the top reasons for having professional voice over videos on your web site?

Cindy Malouin: The most important reason is that people engage with video. By having video on your web site, people are able to get a sense of your personality. And you can have a personal conversation with the visitors who are coming to your web site—it gives you that opportunity. There have been studies done about different learning styles and it’s estimated that 60% of people are visual learners. So it means that they retain and they engage more if they’re presented with something in a visual manner, such as a video. If you’re able to do that on your web site, you’re going to be able to engage your visitors to hear more of your message.

Professional Voiceover Talent, Debbie Grattan: Which would explain the popularity of sites like Youtube.

Cindy Malouin: Yes, exactly. Right now, the first instinct for a lot of people is to go to Youtube to watch “how-to” videos and get more information that way. There truly is a prevalence of people going to those types of sites and learning in that manner.

The other important reason to have video on your web site, specifically on the home page, is for search engines. Search engines love video content. So you actually rank higher with search engines if you have video on your site.

Debbie Grattan: I thought that search engines just searched for written content.

Cindy Malouin: Video content, specifically links to Youtube and other video sites, work great with search engines and help you reach higher in search results.

Debbie Grattan: Is there a bit of trepidation for people to go into video—how hard it is for people to actually put something together to have on their web site?

Cindy Malouin: It’s really not that hard at all. People can be very intimidated by creating a video and thinking it has to be a big production, but it doesn’t have to be. Honestly, anyone who has a video camera can produce videos. If we’re talking about professional voice over talent or someone who focuses on doing a lot of female narration voice overs, it is important to portray yourself in a very professional, polished way. You don’t want it to come across as amateurish, so whether you decide to shoot a video on your own or actually hire a videographer or production company, the bottom line is that you need to make sure that you’re coming across polished and professional.

Debbie Grattan: Can you speak more about that: professional versus casual? With video we’re trying to put our personality forward, so how formal should we be, especially as a female narration specialist trying to gain clientele?

Cindy Malouin: You want to be formal in the sense that you want to demonstrate your capabilities as a female narration voice over talent. You want the audio to be clear, you want to present your personality and your persona, and you also want to come across as friendly. It’s an opportunity for people to get to know you without actually having a sit-down meeting with you. You want to have your personality shine through.

Read Part 2 of this interview, “Marketing Your Voice Over Services With Video.”

Radio and TV Commercial Voiceovers Talent Debbie Grattan offers some helpful suggestions and advice (based on her 20+ years of experience) for anyone wanting to know how to break into the voiceover business.

People often ask me about how to break into radio and tv commercial voiceovers. Lately, my standard tidbit of advice has become “google it” because you can find all kinds of good information on the internet about how to get into the radio and tv commercial voiceovers business. But, when I first got my start in the voiceover business, the internet didn’t even exist (as far as most people knew) and “google” was just a really big number that I vaguely recalled from a high school math class I often snoozed through.

The truth is, just like in any business, it takes a significant amount of time and effort to build and maintain a career as a successful voiceover actor. This holds true for radio and tv commercial voiceovers work, as well as most types of narration jobs. Looking back over the years, I see many, many in person connections that were made with recording studios, production companies, talent agencies and clients. And, even before that, there was the training, in both stage acting and as a voiceover actor specifically, that allowed me to get to a level where I could be hired repeatedly to deliver my voiceover services.

But, like most things in life, just because something looks (or sounds) easy, doesn’t mean that it actually IS easy. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone called me during the past 20 years and said, “My (pick one… friend, spouse, neighbor, dog) thinks I have a really great voice and that I should get into the voiceover business as my new profession. Can you tell me how to go about doing that?”

I was trained as an actor on stage starting in college, and later performed in many productions in and around Southern California over a 15 year period (this all back in the 80s and 90s). Add to that several television appearances, commercials, and even a couple of movies. I believe that my acting skills are really the foundation that has allowed me to make a pretty good living as a female Voiceover actor through the years. Here is what you can do if you’re interested in getting into the voiceover business:

Starting Place: Find a Really Good Voiceover Acting Workshop

I feel the key to getting started in the radio and tv commercial voiceovers business (and this is always what I tell any aspiring new voice talent) is in taking a good quality professional voiceover acting workshop like those offered in the major markets of LA, Chicago and New York. I studied with Kalmenson & Kalmenson and Voicecasters in LA, two of the best around at the time (and I believe still to this day).

Not only will you learn some of the fundamentals of the craft of voiceover acting, but you’ll get to find out what’s really involved and required in order to be successful in this type of business. It’s important to learn this early, so you can decide if you are really up to putting forth the investment of time and effort that it’s going to take to truly make it long term.

There’s a lot more to it than most people realize, especially in this day and age, with our new technology standards. I probably spend less than 20% of my time actually recording audio tracks these days. The rest of the time is devoted to running a business; editing projects, marketing, submitting auditions, invoicing, updating my website, doing social media networking, keeping track of clients, returning phone calls and emails, and simply taking care of all the little details that one must take care of as a business owner. It’s a full time job just to do all of that stuff! Luckily I have some help from my husband, who has pitched in to varying degrees over the years, and is currently keeping my website high in the search engines, and implementing internet marketing strategies to bring in even more business.

Many people naively think that just because they have a good sounding voice, they can buy some equipment and build a decent home recording studio and break into the business. While that may still be possible for a lucky, talented few, most just don’t have the foundation to do this type of work and create a lasting successful income. It looks and sounds really easy when you hear a voiceover actor on a commercial and think “I can do that!” But, to actually be able to give a director exaclty what they want in a session, and get to the sound they are looking for with no reference to copy or imitate, and get it in the time needed, and do that over and over again for many different clients… That takes a skill set which can only come (except for those very talented few) through hard work, dedication and experience.

Just getting to a point to where you are in a position to actually book a job, with all of those foundational elements handled and in place, is enough to allow only those that are truly motivated, and equally talented, to make a go of it.

If I sound a bit discouraging, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to rain on anybody’s parade. I’m just very aware that there are an awful lot of websites and slick promoters out there who will tell you that becoming a voiceover actor is easy. That anybody with a good sounding voice should go for it, and if you just pay this nominal $1000 (or $4000) fee we’ll get you all set up with some classes and a great sounding demo that will allow you to make scads of cash in no time at all!

As the saying goes…”If it sounds too good, it’s probably been voiced by a pro voiceover actor.”

To make any decent money in this profession (on a consistent basis) will require a great deal of commitment, training, dedication and luck. It’s a tough business… Even tougher now than it was 10 years ago because there is so much competition. If you are up for that challenge, then I say “best of luck, go get ’em” and I’ll wish you much success. And, maybe I’ll “see” you at the next audition.

Debbie Grattan is a professional female voiceover actor who has been doing voice over work for more than 20 years. She’s been a “go to” artist for many production companies and recording studios across the US for several years. Check out Debbie’s Radio and TV Commerical Voiceovers Demos and request a Custom Voiceover Acting Audition or Quote for your upcoming project.