A bit about me
As you probably already know, I am a voice-over artist based in the South-East of England in the UK. During my time as a voice-over artist, I have worked with many brands to help promote themselves or their products by bringing their scripts to life.
So far, I’ve been lucky enough to work on;
• Online explainers
• Radio commercials
• e-Learning projects
• Corporate presentations and keynotes
• IVR (interactive voice response used in telephony)
You may have even heard some of my work broadcast on radio stations such as Capital FM or Jack FM. In fact, my very first paid voiceover gig was for my 1970s rock heroes – Simple Minds!
Yes, I know it shows my age, but come on: Simple Minds, how cool is that?
My voice
My voice and tone have been described as rich, confident and reassuring, while my main goals with each piece of work are to engage and inspire the listener.
Away from the mic, my main hobbies are kiteboarding, mountain biking, winter sports and photography. I’m not an adrenaline junkie per se – I just love being on the water, in the mountains and out in the fresh air. I love to spend time with my family – my wife of nearly 30 years and three children. If it weren’t for the coronavirus, each would have flown the nest by now as they are all beginning to venture out into the world themselves.
Professionally, I have a background in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality. Along with this and my voiceover work, I am also a trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and I also teach hypnosis.
Why your brand needs a professional voiceover
Whether you’re making an advertising campaign, podcast, online course or informative presentation for television, radio, social media or a website – a top-quality narrator is a must-have.
Whatever you produce can be made or broken by the quality of the voice over. The best photography, video marketing or digital content can be wasted if it is wrapped up in a dull, dreary voice ruining the script and boring the listener. Likewise, if your content is lacking on the visual side, the right narrator can rescue your project by keeping them interested, attentive and engaged.
That’s because 50% of all communication comes from the spoken word.
After all, it’s not what you say but how you say it.
You may be drawn to doing your own narration. I appreciate it’s tempting to do it (I find it rather fun, even if I do say so myself!) But the harsh reality is that you should avoid doing. That’s because your voice might not be the right fit for your brand. Not only that, but your vocal skills may not be flexible enough to lift the words off the page, making the read lifeless. Audio recording quality and post processing is another thing to keep in mind; you should not settle for homemade basic audio as the results will sound amateurish. Remember; professionals like myself have full voiceover studios set up and ready to go! For any medium you work with, you cannot compromise when it comes to audio. Recording quality audio is hugely time-consuming too.
Most importantly: your audience will learn that your business likes to cut corners on quality. Is that what you really want?
As an artist with a passion for voice, I aim to draw in the listener, helping to promote your brand and bring your project to life, adding authenticity and personality.
Benefits of voiceover
There are a huge number of marketing benefits when it comes to hiring a voice over:
• The right voice can ignite emotions within your audience, building a relationship and making your project much more personable.
• Attaching a signature voice for your brand creates consistency, making it instantly recognisable and likeable.
• Your audience will pay closer attention to your information; they will learn more quickly and decide to act faster.
• Hiring a professional will save valuable time. Recording and directing your own narration can be a lengthy process with a steep learning curve.
• Professional narrators produce professional results with clear, concise, high-quality audio and dictation.
• Professional narration give the consumer confidence in your brand. It marks the difference between professional versus homemade content.
These are just a few positive reasons to use a professional voice over artist and you can read more here:
The best way to be heard in content marketing
Working with a voice over artist will not just round out your video or audio production, it will elevate your content to the next level. Viewers and listeners alike will engage with your content much more when they hear a knowledgeable and trustworthy voice accompanying it.
How can we work together
If you would like to work with me, the first step is to get in touch! If you have not worked with a voice-over artist before, I will take you through what I need so we can get your project to progress.
The first and most important thing to consider is if my voice is right for you, so I will happily read a no-obligation custom script especially for you. That way you can get a sense of my voice and how well it might fit your project.
If you decide that my voice is right for you then we can move on to the main component for any voice-over project – the script. You may have a polished script ready to go, or you might have an outline which you would like some input to complete.
A good brief always makes the project move more smoothly. From your brief, it provides clarity so I can get a sense of the pace and timing to follow along with any emotions which I should aim to invoke in the audience.
Now it’s time to record! My home studio is fully equipped with everything I need to complete your project, with broadcast quality connections that even allow my clients to listen in live to my recording sessions from wherever they are on the planet.
We’ll leave the technical side and equipment used for a later blog post so look out for that if you’re interested in the full process!
When working with a voice-over artist, like any other freelance hire, communication is key to make sure the end product is exactly what you want. As well as the creative components, keep in mind which file format you would like to receive the end product in – if you’re not sure, I’m happy to advise!
Conclusion
Hiring a professional narrator will bring your vision to life – engaging your audience, building lasting relationships and breathing life into your brand.
There are several benefits from proper voice-over, from adding personality and consistency to advertising campaigns to adding credibility when conveying information in corporate videos.
My ultimate goal for any piece of work is to produce work you love and feel represents your mission effectively. If I’m your first voice-over hire, I will guide you through the entire process to make it as simple and effective as possible so that we can bring your dream to life. You can reach me here…
Thank you for reading this blog and watch out for further posts where I’ll be going through the technical details of voice-over production and also investigate the various marketing benefits voice-over can bring to your brand.
