What is voice-over? all you need to know (a complete guide)

With videos taking up more of users' attention and time online, it's important for brands and businesses to create strong, high-engaging videos that will drive results, and having strong video voiceovers is a crucial part of that. 

No matter how stunning your video production is, no one will keep watching if a voiceover video is flat or poor-quality. 

The voiceover and video narration can alter not only the message but also the overall tone and takeaway of the video, significantly impacting the viewers' experience. 

This guide covers everything you need to know about voiceovers, from understanding what a voiceover is to writing the perfect script, working with a voiceover artist, and the key steps to recording your own voiceover if you choose to do it yourself.

What is a voiceover?

A voiceover is a production technique in which voice is recorded from an outside perspective, often serving the purpose of narrating a story or explaining information. The voice is heard but not seen. The key characteristic is that the voice is added in addition to the existing narrative. It is often read from a script by a voice actor and then used in television, filmmaking, theater, radio, and other presentations.

A man recording a voiceover in studio. Antoni Shkraba for Pexels.

Perhaps the most common and well-known use of the voiceover is in promotional movie trailers when a voice is explaining the main points of an upcoming film to entice audiences. Voiceover was also a human thing, but with advancements in technology, you can use AI voiceover for recording and dubbing content.

Types of voiceover

Commercials

Commercials are made to grab the viewer’s attention quickly and effectively. The voice actor’s job is to convey the ads message, which can be promoting a product or cause. These voiceovers are brief and dynamic, with a voice actor who adds energy and emotion into the script to inform the audience.

🔊EXAMPLE:

A voiceover for a car commercial might say, "Experience the thrill of the open road like never before in the all-new 2024 Thunderbolt X7. With its cutting-edge design, unmatched performance, and state-of-the-art technology, the Thunderbolt X7 isn't just a car; it's a journey. Visit your local dealer today and take the first step towards the ride of your life."

Narration

Narration is a common type of voiceover for documentaries, corporate videos, explainer videos, and other types of online content. Narrator's guide the viewer and help connect the visuals to the script.

🔊EXAMPLE:

In a documentary about the rainforest, the narrator might say, "The Amazon rainforest, a vast and teeming expanse of biodiversity, spans over 2.1 million square miles. Home to millions of species, some yet undiscovered, it plays a critical role in the Earth's natural systems, regulating climate and producing oxygen.”

Animation

Your favorite animated characters (Spongebob, anyone?) are brought to life through voiceover. Actors develop unique and distinctive voices that fit the character's personality. For this type of voiceover, you need to be versatile and express a wide range of emotions purely through voice.

🔊EXAMPLE:

In an animated movie, a character might say, "Hey there! I'm Ziggy, the happiest zebra in the savannah. But I wasn't always this cheerful. You see, I lost my stripes once, and let me tell you, it was quite the adventure getting them back.”

Elearning

This type of voiceover is used to facilitate learning through online courses, tutorials, and training modules. Voice artists in learning tend to be less charismatic, compared to an animation or commercial. The work must be more clear, engaging, and paced so that viewers can comprehend and retain the content.

🔊EXAMPLE:

For an online course on digital marketing, the voiceover might say, "Welcome to Module 3: Social Media Strategies. In this module, we'll explore how to effectively use social media platforms to engage with your audience, build your brand, and achieve your marketing goals. We'll cover the basics of content creation, delve into analytics, and discuss strategies for maximizing engagement.”

Audiobooks

With audiobook voiceovers, the actor brings an author's book to live through their performance. This requires a deep understanding of the text, including the tone, characters, and narrative arc. Audiobook narrators are skilled storytellers and can vary their voice to represent different characters and emotions, engaging listeners for hours at a time.

🔊EXAMPLE:

In an audiobook narration of a mystery novel, the narrator could say, "As Detective Lila Grace walked through the dimly lit corridors of the old mansion, the silence was almost palpable. Suddenly, a floorboard creaked behind her, sending a shiver down her spine. Turning slowly, she realized that the secrets of the Ashton family were far darker and deeper than she had ever imagined."

Podcasts

A podcast's voiceover can take many forms, depending on the format and content. Podcasters can be hosts, interviewers, narrations, or commentators, covering news, entertainment, and personal stories. The tone is more conversational, but engaging enough to blend information with entertainment to keep listeners engaged.

🔊EXAMPLE:

In an episode of a podcast about innovation, the host might say, "Welcome back to 'Innovate Today,' where we explore the cutting edge of technology and creativity. I'm your host, Alex, and today we're diving into the world of renewable energy.”

How much money can you make with voiceover?

How much money you can make in the voiceover industry depends on the type of work you do and experience. For example, commercial work tends to pay more than elearning projects. Beginners might also earn less than a seasoned voice artist with a proven record.

ZipRecruiter found the following average annual salaries for voiceover jobs:

• Top earners: $150,000

• 75th percentile: $125,000

• Average: $100,198

• 25th percentile: $81,500

What makes a good voiceover artist?

A professional voiceover artist is experienced, versatile, and resilient. They can learn new characters easily and take on different speaking roles as needed. For example, voice actor John Roberts voices Linda Belcher, Jocelyn, Normal Sized Jenny, and various other characters in the show Bob’s Burgers.

John Roberts and the main character he voices in Bob’s Burgers, Linda Belcher. PinkNews

A great voiceover artist is easy to work with. You send them a voiceover script and a detailed brief that explains what you're looking for including the tone and voice qualities. They'll record the voiceover on their own time and using their own recording software, and send it back for your approval.

As you're making your decision, remember to keep an eye out for five key qualities in a voiceover artist. This will increase the likelihood that you find a professional who is versatile so you can hopefully work with them long-term.

Here are the traits you want your voiceover artist to have:

1. Experience in voice acting. Voiceovers must be convincing. Your audience needs to believe what the voiceover artist is saying, and the emotion that they're selling. If not, it will fall flat.

2. A range of voice qualities. You might want someone who can be friendly and technical. Someone who is able to offer a range of different qualities is more likely to strike the exact tone that you're going for. It also makes it more likely that you'd be able to work with them again moving forward to another project if you chose to.

3. Perfect pronunciation and enunciation. Voice actors need to speak pristinely clearly. Listeners need to subconsciously be able to register when a sentence or thought has ended, and make out each individual word. And it goes without saying, of course, that those words all need to be pronounced correctly.

4. Proper pacing. Pacing is an important part of the quality of a voiceover. Read too fast, and the voiceover becomes rushed and can feel chaotic; too slow, and you may lose the viewer's interest. You'll also want the voiceover to line up with your video without major editing. You can always send the voiceover artist an example of pacing you like from another video.

5. Natural articulateness. Viewers need to understand what's being said, or you'll lose them altogether.

How to start voiceover with no experience

Looking to do your own voiceover but not sure where to start? Here's what you need to know.

1. Prepare

Before you get started, it's important to do a little prep work. Most professional voiceover artists have a recording space equipped with sound-absorbing foam. When that's not an option, you'll need to find a quiet place with decent acoustics where you won't be disturbed.

When setting up your recording studio, listen for background noises as most microphones will pick up even the faintest sounds. Common background noise culprits are heating and cooling systems and sounds from outside like traffic, dogs barking, or wind.

Also, the size and contents of your room matter. If it's too big you will sound distant and if it's too small it will have a loud echo. Further, a room with soft furnishings like a living room or bedroom will sound better than one with hard furnishings like a kitchen or bathroom.

You'll also need some recording equipment, including:

• A microphone: The built-in mic on your laptop will often result in poor sound quality. It's best to get an external mic. Prices start as low as $50 for a decent USB microphone.

• Audio software: This helps you record and edit your voiceover. Look for one that is user-friendly with helpful features like auto transcription, voice balancing, and background noise elimination. Descript is an excellent option for recording and post-production editing. It’s available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

• Headphones/Speaker: Headphones and speakers are necessary for listening to your recording and editing it effectively.

• Computer: You'll need a computer to run your software, record yourself, and edit the recording.

Once you have your set-up prepped, the next step is to figure out what you're going to say.

2. Scriptwriting

While you may feel the temptation to wing your voiceover, it can leave you with an unprofessional result. Writing a script helps you to organize your message and communicate it in a way that is as effective as possible. Further, with a script, you can practice your delivery to prevent long pauses, "ums," and other mistakes.

A good place to start is with an outline of the main points you want to cover. Then, flesh out the points to write the full script and edit it down to be as concise as possible. Once you're happy, read the script out loud to identify any sections that don't come out natural. Make adjustments as needed.

3. Trial run

Once you feel confident with your script and performance, it's time to do a trial run. Let everyone around know you're recording so they won't interrupt you. Then, think about the end result of the voice you are trying to create. If you're becoming a character, mentally step into the shoes of the character. If you're recording something more informational, think about the impression you want to make on the audience.

Next, position your mic (about 6 to 8 inches from your mouth), hit the record button, and read the first section of your script. Your mic position is important and it may take some experimenting to get it just right. Try moving it closer and further away to see how the recording changes. It can also help to point your mic to the side of your mouth to reduce sibilance (ess sounds and popping p's).

Note: You don't need to read the whole script for the trial run. Once you have a decent test section, listen to the recording using headphones to ensure that everything sounds good. Your voice should be clear, the volume should be appropriate, and there shouldn't be any background noises. Many software programs will help you to analyze your sound quality showing you when it's too loud or too quiet.

4. Record

A woman recording voiceover in studio. Antoni Shkraba for Pexels.

When you're happy with your trial run and feel prepared, it's time to record the full-length voiceover. A few tips to keep in mind to ensure a high-quality final result:

• Focus on clarity: Speak slowly enough to be clearly understood, and pronounce each word without sacrificing your natural flow.

• Tone: Think about your tone and how you are coming across. Generally, you don't want to sound monotone or overly excited. You may also have a specific tone required for a certain type of production.

• Mistakes: Don't worry too much about misspeaking. if you make a mistake just keep going. You can edit out small errors when you're done. If a certain part of the script keeps giving you trouble, you may want to rework it. Also, don't get too frustrated, it's not uncommon to do a few recordings to get it right. You can always take sections of the different recordings and stitch them together.

Creating voiceovers is a skill like any other and will take practice to perfect.

5. Editing

Feel good about your voiceover recording(s)? Great, the next step is editing. You'll use a software program to listen through your audio file from start to finish. Take notes on things you like and things would like to fix.

Listen for long silences, weird sounds, errors in speaking, rushing, speaking too slowly, etc. Then, go through and begin to make your edits. Edit together the recordings you like best and remove what you don't want. If your software has a volume automation feature, it can be helpful to balance out the volume of your recording and make it sound more polished. Once it's all cleaned up, your voiceover will be ready for export!

How to write a voiceover script

Writing a great voiceover script is a relatively straightforward process, and practice always makes perfect. You can outsource the task to a scriptwriter with experience in the field, or tackle it yourself.

If you're choosing to write a voiceover script for your own voiceovers, there are several best practices that you're going to want to follow. And even if you outsource the task, hiring someone a professional voiceover actor, you still want to check the script yourself against these practices to make sure that the script is doing everything you need it to.

Let's take a look at how to write a great voiceover script and the best practices that can help with this.

Outline the script first

List all the information you want to convey to listeners in a bullet point list so you don't miss anything, along with any specific phrases you want to use.

When you write your first rough draft, make sure that each point makes it into the script. Then you can make cuts if needed while fine-tuning the language to improve the overall impact of the video and ensuring that the timing lines up.

Adapt the voiceover script to your target audience

Your voiceover script should always be written with your target audience in mind. This includes shifting the language to appeal to your audience so the video resonates with them.

If you're targeting teen and young adult girls, you might swap out the words "extra" or "very" with "super," like "it's super passionate." Adding in the occasional curse word blocked out with a beep can appeal to older and tougher demographics while adding in some humor.

Think about how your target audience for each particular video talks and what language they use.

Write using a conversational tone

The last thing most people want when they're watching a video is to feel like they're listening to a textbook being read. If the voiceover is stiff or clunky, there's a good chance that your video view completion rates are going to be on the low side. Write a voiceover script like you're talking to someone, or like you're writing dialog.

Your script's copy should be clean and easy to read. There shouldn't be any doubts about what a sentence means, literally or metaphorically. Sentences should be relatively simple, and paragraphs and ideas should be short and easy to separate.

Use simple punctuation

Punctuation shouldn't be used for decorative purposes; it should be a clear direction to your voice actor about how you want them to execute the reading of the script.

Stick to simple punctuation like periods, commas, and question marks as much as possible.

More complex punctuation options may be confusing for a voice actor. An ellipse, for example, typically indicates trailed-off thoughts, and the actor may not know whether it means you want them to trail off the sentence or to have a definitive pause. Offering clear instructions like "trails off" or "two-second pause" will yield much more accurate results.

Include transition words

Videos typically going to take users through multiple different ideas. This might include talking about a problem, then offering a solution, and then explaining features and benefits. It also might include discussing different separate insider tips, or different steps of a tutorial.

In order to make your video easy for users to watch and follow, having a clear separation of ideas within your voiceover script is important. Don't hesitate to use transition words like "first," "next," and "finally." A few small words can make a big impact.

Write out the phonetic spelling of difficult or unfamiliar words

Fans of the popular show "The Office" might remember the scene when Dunder Mifflin is bought out by Sabre, and the employees write a song with the new brand name. They pronounce it "Sab-rey" only to find out that "Saber" was correct.

Make sure that your voice actor knows how to pronounce your brand name and any other words that are difficult, unfamiliar, or that may have multiple acceptable pronunciations. You can include this in the voiceover script or feature it in a "glossary"-styled section along with the script and brief. Let the actor know that they can contact you to hear your pronunciation if needed.

How to find the right voiceover artist

Fortunately, there is an abundance of talented voiceover artists that you can hire on a freelance basis online. All you need to do is find the right one!

Taking the time to find the right voice actor is essential. Here are the steps you should take to find the right one:

1. Start with strategy. Consider the type of video that you want to create and the audience you want to reach. Then, think about what tone will match your company's brand voice. This can vary from video to video. A company that sells security systems, for example, might use a male voice actor and a slow, somber tone when creating a fear-based ad about someone breaking into the home.

2. Consider your core demographic. Your target audience will respond most to your video campaigns if they relate to the person speaking to them. Opting for a voiceover artist to whom your audience will relate is crucial.

3. Go to Fiverr and review voiceover talent. You can find hundreds of professional voice actors on Fiverr, each with different specialties that line up with your brand. Discover the best voiceover artists in English (both British and American), Spanish, Arabic, French, or any other language you need.

4. Make a shortlist of voiceover artists who match your tone. Listen to a candidate's previous voiceover work, and see if they're able to use speech patterns to establish a natural cadence when reading.

5. Choose a voice you're happy with. You can find yourself with a list of ten great candidates who all offer the qualities you're looking for, fit your budget, and offer a few revisions. Once you've used logic and research to narrow down the list, sometimes you need to go with your gut instinct.

Fiverr’s voiceover category with over 11,000 artists ready to work

💡TIP: Avoid using celebrity or influencer voices. Many businesses think working with celebrity or influencer voices is appealing. The thought is that they could use some of that celebrity clout to connect with new audiences. This isn't always the right approach. Celebrities can take away from the focus of the content because the focus becomes on them.

Find a professional voiceover artist for your next project

Voiceovers are important because they significantly impact the tone, style, and emotional impact of the video, which can actually impact how the user perceives your business.

Taking the time to strategically choose a tone and style for your video and then finding high-quality voice actors who can bring your vision to life is well worth the effort. By following the steps discussed in this guide, you can create a strong video voiceover script and bring it to life with the right instructions and a talented voice actor.

As videos are taking center stage in the marketing world, capable of driving enormous engagement and brand lift, ensuring that you get each video exactly right can pay off both short- and long-term. You can reach more audiences while connecting more meaningfully with them, setting you apart from your competition.

Voiceover FAQ

Is voiceover one word or two words?

Voiceover is usually written as one word. However, it can also be spelled as two words, "voiceover," in different contexts.

How do I start doing voiceovers?

To start doing voiceovers, begin by practicing your vocal skills and recording a demo reel. Additionally, consider setting up a professional home studio for high-quality audio recordings.

How much money can I make with voiceover?

The amount of money you can make with voiceover work varies greatly, depending on experience, the type of work, and market demand. Some voiceover artists can earn from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per project.

What type of voice acting pays the most?

Voice acting that pays the best typically includes commercial work, audiobook narration, and animated video game character voices. These sectors have large audiences and production budgets, so the rates are higher.