Has anyone ever told you that you have a great voice? Are you an extrovert with excellent communication skills? Then you can make money at home pursuing voice acting jobs.
Voice acting can be an exciting and flexible at-home job. Typically, your voice is used for commercials, cartoons, movies, video games, podcasts, and more. Voice actors also provide narration for audiobooks, do dubbed voiceovers to translate another language, or even work on radio promotions.
If this sounds like a field you’d love to enter, there are plenty of places to find work-from-home voiceover jobs once you start growing and marketing your skills.
How to Start Voice Acting – What You Need
Whether you feel you have a natural talent or not, getting voiceover training is still a great idea. You may want to hire a voiceover coach or take a course to learn how to take good care of your voice, audition for roles, and perform well for samples you record.
Training and practicing will help you build your portfolio and prepare for paying work opportunities.
Equipment
To start, you’ll need some basic equipment like:
- Microphone and stand
- Voiceover headset
- Pop filter (reduces plosives)
- Recording software
Business Plan
If you want to be successful with voice acting, consider developing a basic business plan to help you determine who your ideal client is, what specific services you’ll offer, and how much you’ll charge.
Consider checking out the Work From Home Doing Voiceovers online program to help you get the training and business guidance needed to thrive in the industry. This course contains 26 videos and 14 PDFs, teaching you everything from the best voiceover recording tips to the skills you need, where to find your first gig, and how to organize and grow your business.
If you’re an aspiring audiobook narrator, you can also check out this Free Mini-Course to help you learn more about becoming a voice actor and how much you can make.
How Much Can You Make as a Voice Actor?
Speaking of compensation, how much you earn as a voice actor depends on your skillset, the type of work you do, and who your client is.
On average, voiceover actors earn $31,400 annually. Some jobs will pay hourly for recording work, while others will pay a flat fee. This means you can make anywhere from $20 to hundreds per project you take on. If you get an ongoing client, you can use a monthly retainer fee if you’ll complete similar tasks each week.
Best Platforms to Find Paying Voice Acting Jobs
1. ACX
On ACX, you can find voice acting jobs for audiobooks sold on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. For these gigs, you can choose payment by the finished hourly rate or sharing in royalties. To get started on ACX, create an account, upload your samples, select a payment option, audition for gigs, and accept or decline offers as they come in.
2. Backstage
Backstage is a popular talent database for actors and performers that’s been around since the 1960s. Casting calls and job leads are also posted here for voiceover actors. Each listing specifies the type of work, how much experience is required, and where the job is located.
You can become a Backstage member for an annual fee to get instant job alerts and set up a site talent profile so prospects can reach out to you.
3. Bodalgo
Bodalgo is another platform that connects you with paying voiceover clients. You can become a member and audition for jobs posted on the site by sending a script sample to the client. From there, you can negotiate a rate with the client based on the work and their budget.
4. Fiverr
Fiverr is a great place to start finding voice acting jobs. You can build a profile and then set your rates and packages. Be sure to record some demos of you doing voiceover work so prospects can get a feel for how you sound.
Fiverr is all about getting positive reviews and high ratings. You may want to offer a reasonable discount when you first start to help you land work and get good ratings. Then, you can always bump your rates as your Fiverr business grows.
5. Upwork
Upwork is a freelance platform where businesses can connect with freelance talent, including voice actors. To start on Upwork, create a free profile that shows your skills and pay rates. Clients can contact you for projects they have, or you can search for freelance job opportunities on the site. Payments come through direct deposit, PayPal, Payoneer, or wire transfer, and Upwork takes a 5%-20% fee based on your earnings. For more tips on using Upwork, check out this informative interview with Danny Margulies.
6. Voice123
Voice123 helps voice actors build their potential clients by connecting them with voice acting projects in cartoons, commercials, movies, narration, radio, and video games. They have many different membership tiers to choose from, including free up to $4,950 per year. The paid levels are more for professional voice actors that have experience.
7. BunnyStudio
Formerly VoiceBunny, BunnyStudio helps you connect with paying clients who need voiceover work. This site works with thousands of clients all over the world. You can sign up for free and set your own rates. BunnyStudio will add their fee on top of your rates and provide you with all the support and feedback you need.
You do need to pass an initial test to join, which will be reviewed by the in-house quality control team. This is where voiceover training and practice will come in handy.
You’ll receive invitations via email to apply for opportunities that fit the skillset you outlined in your profile. Jobs go fast, so it’s advised that you are proactive and meet deadlines to see the best results. BunnyStudio will process your payment once you submit the voiceover files for the project and the quality control team approves them.
8. VoiceJockeys
VoiceJockeys is always looking for talented voice actors to join their team. They help clients find you and book you for work. They do take a 50% commission on all work that you receive and complete from their platform.
However, this is still a great place to start getting some paid portfolio work completed. When applying for a talent position, you need to submit two demos. Once your application is submitted, a representative will contact you within 24 hours. The timeframe may be longer if you apply on the weekend, but be sure to follow up regardless if you don’t hear anything at first.
9. Voices.com
Voices is an online marketplace for voice acting work. Clients who have voiceover acting opportunities post a job on the site, select a voice actor on the platform to do the work, and then download the completed files at the end of the process.
To find jobs on this site, become a member, and create a portfolio for free. The free membership is great for beginners and is where you’ll want to start to see how you like the platform and which jobs you can get. However, there’s also a paid option called Voices Talent Membership for $499 (annually) that allows you to audition for roles and appear in more client searches.
10. Legiit
Legiit is an online platform where freelancers can create a premium or free account to sell their freelance services. Popular categories include writing, marketing, graphic design, business services, and audio services, including voice acting. With Legiit, you can create your profile and list your services, specialties, and pay rates, or you can browse freelance job listings on site and bid on projects. Payments go through Legiit’s platform using one of their payment options: PayPal, Skrill, Payoneer, Visa, Mastercard, or Discover. Legiit’s seller fees are 15% and are taken from your final payment.
11. FreeUp
FreeUp is another freelance marketplace where voice actors can connect with companies who need their professional services. With FreeUp, you’ll need to submit an application before you apply for jobs and list your services, as they only accept the top 1% of freelancers. On FreeUp, you can find part-time, full-time, and project-based work, and you get to set your rates. Payments (minus your transaction fees) are distributed weekly via PayPal or Payoneer.
12. Local Businesses
You can always contact businesses in your area to see if they’re looking to hire a voiceover actor. Research businesses that may need your service or, if any, have worked with voiceover talent in the past. One way to do this is by listening to local radio stations for companies in your area that are using radio spots to advertise; they may need your professional help.
Drop by or send a pitch detailing which services, genres, and accents you specialize in, how you can help them, and a few samples of your work. You can offer to do voiceover work for their YouTube videos, radio commercials, or even written content and guides into audio files. It never hurts to ask and build relationships. Even if they’re working with a talent agency, you may be easier to partner with and provide better rates.
Plus, once you land a client (even if it’s for a one-off project), you’ll gain a valuable testimonial and the opportunity for a referral if they’re happy with your work.
Conclusion
If you enjoy speaking and want to utilize your vocal skills, voice acting can be a great career field to get into. You can land paying work without using a talent agency and even set your own pay rate for some projects.
It’s best to invest in a training course or voice coach initially so you can hone your skills and record some demo reels. From there, look into the sites shared above to connect with paying clients. Remember, once you land a job and get your practice script, you will need to practice many times so that you can deliver a polished and professional clip.
If you want to know more about voice acting, sign up for this free voiceover mini-course with Julie Eickhoff.
Originally published February 17, 2020. Content updated August 2022.
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