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I love this article from Edge Studio and wanted to bring it to the forefront for you.  Edge studio has some great blogs and it is well worth a trip there join and to learn more.

How to sound natural: Easy, right?
May 29, 2015

If sounding natural were a no-brainer, a lot more people might read a voice-over script passably well. At least it would be good start. But as so many voice professionals know, it’s not so easy. Just watch what happens when any body, professional or not, steps up to a microphone with serious intent.

Of course, there’s more to VO performance than being able to sound natural in an unnatural situation. But it is one mark of a pro. Why is it so hard to accomplish?

Well, for one thing, there’s the well-known “My voice doesn’t sound like me” effect. Most people get used to it, but regardless, there’s often a tendency to compensate. The person tries to sound like they sound to themselves. Their voice (in their head) is...

Most of what I see voice over artists doing on social media is sharing demos.  You share demos in voiceover groups on FaceBook (won't get you clients).  You share demos on Twitter (won't get you clients).  No need to list the other social media clients.  You do the same thing on those as well.

I also see voice actors promoting their services on these same channels and offering discounts.  How is that working for you?

If you take a look at the posts that you have made over the past 12 months, how many of those have turned into actual work?

For most of you, probably none right?  Well maybe for a few of you, you got 1 or 2 small clients, but nothing to write home about.  

Am I right?

The main problem with this is approach is that you are going in for the ask on your first contact.  In essence, you are doing the same thing as most other voiceover talents.

I call it begging. 

Well, there is a way to utilize social media that works.

The...

Listen to "Voice-Over Coaches Are Only Interested in the Money" on Spreaker.

Over the past 3 years, I have heard this over and over again.  Heck, I have even said it.  There is this underlying attitude from new voice over artists and VO's that have been around awhile.  The attitude is one of laziness on the part of the VO as well as ignorance of how to build a business.

When I first started in voice-over I looked for information online and in books in order to grow my voice over business.  I even paid for courses.  Not to mention the countless hours I spent, and still, do spend on YouTube and Google looking for information.

But why is it so prevalent that when a voice over coach charges for information that we get our panties all in a bunch?

We say things like...

• It's a scam
• They are taking advantage of us
• Why do they charge so much
• None of this is going to work

I have come to realize that those words are more a reflection of the voice over talent...

So I'm scrolling through my Twitter feed this morning.  I am seeing post after post (or should I say ad after ad) from #voiceovertalent looking work.  Along with that, I am seeing the same for #voiceovercoaching programs (you like how I'm using (#)hashtags in my blog aren't you LOL).

My question is, "where is the actual content without the sale?"  Sure I have posts selling my book, my magazine (actual magazine, not a paper.li link), and my coaching program.  But even more than that I am simply sharing information and life-changing (little brag) content.

When I see a #voiceactor begging for work on #twitter in every post it is disturbing.  But is it their fault?  Well yeah, it is.  I mean they posted it right?

What I mean to say is that they probably don't know any better.

It seems as if everyone is looking for a quick sale.

What I want you #voiceovercoach and #voiceovertalent to do is stop for just a moment and consider your own actions.

When...

Listen to "Change Your Mind Set and Change Your Voice Over Career" on Spreaker.

Transcribed from talk show In The Booth With Earl Hall

Hi good morning everyone thanks so much for tuning in today to in The Booth with Earl Hall, man this is really, really exciting for me to be able to do this podcast the way that I am doing it now. If you are already in the chat room go ahead and give me a hey what's up in there and let me know that you are in the place to be. I definitely want to, oh look at that I forgot to turn off my cell phone and so of course now it's ringing so let's go ahead and turn that bad boy off. 

This is the first day that I am doing this live this way 10 a.m. Central Standard Time, and I just want to welcome everybody in hey Diana glad to see you in the house, oh man right here on Steps to Voiceover Success.com. Again you know those of you that are going to be tuning in this brand new way that I am going to be doing this podcast, and I think that it's...

Listen to "In The Booth with Earl Hall - How To Use Social Media for Voice Over" on Spreaker.

I wanted to come back and just really talk about what it is that I feel needed to be talked about which is social media marketing.  I think so many people get this thing Twisted, they get kind of bent out of shape when it comes to what am I, how am I actually supposed to use social media to get done what I needed to get done. 

I am trying to grow my voiceover business here Earl how do I use this thing in social media to really started getting clients and doing the things that I need to do?  Let's just be honest make some money. Well, what I want to clear up for you and there are a couple of things that I must dispel here.  There is a mind shift, a mind-set that I definitely need to change in a lot of people. 

Social media is not the place to sell.  I know that sounds odd because many of us get sold to on social media.  Many of us join courses...

There is a real difference between a voiceover coach and mentor.  Both the mentor and the coach use the same set of skills but the differences between them are about the relationship.

In voice-over, there can be a need to have both a mentor and a coach.  In fact, there may be a need or a desire to have more than just one.  You could need a coach to show you how to deliver a script.  Another coach to teach you how to do characters.  Yet another coach to show you how to use your DAW and do audio processing.

Many of us have sought out a voice over coach.  I mean, we hear all the time how we need to be coached in voiceover.

Is this really true?

Now here is where for some of you I go left.  However, for another set of new age voice-over artists, this is going to be gold!

First, let's take a look at what you need to be a voice over artists.  It comes down to just a few things.

• Talent
• Technical Skill
• Above average marketing and sales ability

Talent...

I saw this image in my Facebook feed last night and it hit me. The reason that so many voiceover artists struggle is because they think they have no real options to get new clients. Thus…Same old thinking, Same old results. This simple truth is real on many levels.

Think about it. When we first get into this, we go straight to the pay2play sites. Many get frustrated with that and then do some more research. We scour YouTube and Google looking for information on how to get better. Next step we figure since we can’t get a gig we must not be good enough.

We hear every person on YouTube suggest coaching…and more coaching. So we get a coach to help us improve our delivery. Oh, but wait. Now we think we need that slick mic we see some top VO’s using. We get that and think oh now I’m ready (why do we look at a mic as almost the “thing” that will solve everything?).

But wait…there’s more.

We pay for courses and training on how to be a...

As a voice over talent, you are a freelancer. You are responsible for creating a book of clients that your business is built on.

Well…

How is that going for you? Do you do the 4 simple things every day that guarantee your success?

• Marketing
• Content Creation
• Engaging your target Market on Social Media
• Professional development
  
  This is the core. There is no real secret to this. If there is a secret sauce then it is simply this.

HARD WORK!

Every day you have to be willing to outwork your competition. The voice-over industry is just like any other. Sure you may not be the most talented, but if you are reaching out to 5 new potential clients a day while I’m reaching out to 10 to 20 a day…I win.

Let’s break this down

Marketing

This is the oxygen of your business. Don’t do this and you die. Marketing is nothing more than telling your story. Telling it the people that want to hear it is the key. Who is your target market? What do you specialize in? No. The...