Did you know that you can make money with your voice online?
Did you google: ‘how to use my voice to make money? how can I use my voice to make money or how can I get paid for my voice?‘
It may sound a bit foreign but in this age of the unlimited reach of technology, anything is possible!
Perhaps you have been told you have a sultry voice, or you have great voice intonation.
Perhaps you have heard how others have successfully monetized their voices but you are skeptical if this too good to be true.
Well if you are thinking about going into the field of voice acting and want to know how to use your voice to make money online, read this epic guide on:
- What exactly voice acting is
- The types of voice acting jobs
- The skills that you need to make money with your voice
- How much you can get paid to use your voice
- Where to find voice acting jobs online
With voice acting or voice over jobs becoming increasingly popular amongst freelancers or remote workers, this is definitely a great source of income.
I myself have asked the same question on how to make money with my voice, so I’m sharing these with you!
Affiliate Link Disclosure
This article contains some affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission when you click on them, at no additional cost to you. I do hope you find the information in this article helpful!
Quick Tip- If you want to learn how to make from from voice acting here is a FREE course that will teach you the ins and outs of the industry and how to get started!
What Is Voice Acting?
Broadly speaking, voice acting or voice over jobs are where one uses their voice for the audio of a particular work.
This is usually done to either:
- Bring a fictional character to life (think animated characters),
- To tell audio stories, or
- To provide information such as traffic reports or announcements in audio form.
That being said, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The ability to get paid to do voice overs has skyrocketed with the increased demand for voice actors.
At the end of the day, voice acting is essentially a performance and various industries require such performances and that are willing to pay handsomely for the same!
Types of Voice Acting Jobs
While on the surface it may appear that voice acting is primarily required in the entertainment industry, there are many areas in which you can get paid for your voice.
Before we delve into the types of voice acting jobs that you can do to make money with your voice, you may be wondering if voice acting is for you in the first place.
Well, you can dive into the world of voice acting or voice overs if, among other things, you:
- Like acting
- Love talking but are camera-shy
- Have great voice modulation, can project your voice, and can speak clearly
- Like reading out loud
- Love telling stories
- Have a knack for giving information to people in a clear and concise manner
If you’re ready to take on voice acting and use your voice to make money, then these are just some of the types of voice acting jobs you can consider looking into:
1. Narrator
A voice over narrator tells stories or describes and explains things that are happening.
This can be for:
- Audiobooks
- Documentaries
- Marketing videos
- Educational videos
- Audio tour guides
2. Announcer
A voice over announcer usually works to make announcements for various purposes.
These can include:
- Audio advertisements
- Audio traffic reports
- Audio only announcements on talk shows
3. Actor
This is one of the more interesting types of voice acting jobs. Being a voice actor allows one to diversify their voice talents.
This is because a voice actor can use their voice in a range of different roles in:
- Animations
- Cartoons
- Audio dramas
- Video games
- Dubbing for TV or movies in a foreign language
More importantly, being a voice actor is likely to give you a substantial amount of exposure to increase your chances of being recognized as a credible voice talent in the world of voice overs!
4. Podcaster
Podcasts are all the rage now. As people are constantly on the go, they prefer to get their information via audio.
There are plenty of things you can do via a podcast. You can:
- Teach an area that you are well-versed in
- Tell children’s stories
- Conduct interviews
- Narrate stories
- Give motivational tips
As you can see, if you are on a quest to look for how to make money with your voice, the possibilities are endless and the career opportunities are more than promising.
5. Voice Over for Videos
Many places hire people to do voice overs on videos online. You can apply memberships for voice over sites and offer services and advertise you rates.
These are some platforms always looking for professional or amateur voices to voice over their videos:
The marketplace can be competitive so do make sure you market yourself in a creative way and keep practicing!
6. Voice Over for Commercials
Another way to voice over is for commercials! In order to apply for these jobs, do prepare your portfolio with a few demos of different ranges you can do with your voice. These are great places to start:
- Fiverr
- Voices
- Blue Wave Voiceover
Send your demo to get started today!
7. Sell Radio Ads or Promos
This is a less competitive way on how to sell your voice since you will be targeting local radio stations for these gigs. All those radio ads you listen in your car are voiced by local talents! Just scout their websites and submit your demos!
Do make sure you send a good demo by:
- Having good quality microphone at home
- Having decent soundproofing in your room
- Using a good editing software
How cool if your mom tuned in to the radio and heard your voice!
8. A Good Singing Voice
Before you say “NEXT!”, this does not only refer to singing professionals! If you have a natural singing talent, you can already make money selling your beautiful voice online!
Here are some opportunities to explore:
- Offer singing lessons across the country
- Monetize by singing cover songs on YouTube or TikTok
- Sell vocal tracks and acapellas online
You don’t have to wait for that singing career to take off on American Idol anymore!
9. Create A Meditation YouTube Channel
You have been complimented by friends and family on your naturally calming and soothing voice. Well my friend, it is time to monetize that God-given gift!
Start your own YouTube channel offering guided meditation for relaxation purposes.
Here are some tips to start:
- Learn how to write meditation guide by looking for online scripts for inspiration
- Use a good quality camera to take natural footage of calming scenes like the beach or the forest
- Buy licensed meditation music to add to the background of your video footage
- Record your voice over the footage and music – and Publish!
- Rinse and repeat!
Although this may take up a lot of time in the beginning, the investment will be rewarding later once you hit the number of views and subscribers!
How Much Can I Earn With Voice Acting Jobs
This will depend very much on your experience and the type of project that you are undertaking.
Here’s a quick guide to give you an idea of how much you can earn with voice acting jobs.
| Type of Voice Acting Work | Potential Earnings |
| Short radio commercial for a small company | $35 to $50 |
| A 30-second commercial for a big brand or company | Up to $400 |
| Audiobooks | $2000 – $5000 |
You can also find a more detailed guide on how much you can earn with your voice at Voices, one of the biggest marketplaces for voice over work.
If you are looking at how to make money recording your voice, it is important not to undervalue your services as well. A good way to do this is to set a minimum rate for any work that you take on.
This can be done as follows, depending on practice time, recording the actual work, and any post-recording editing work that may need to be done.
Payment Per Project
This is where payment is made on a lump sum basis for the entire voice acting job. It can be for one voice over or a series of voice overs, depending on the project itself.
Payment By Time
This is where the rate of payment will depend on the duration of the voiceover or voice acting work. For example, $15 per 20 seconds of voice acting.
Payment By Words
This will be at a rate per number of words that you will be required to act out, depending on the script in question.
What Skills Do I need For Voice Acting Jobs?
It cannot be denied that voice acting is a relatively unique job. As such, there are certain skills that you should ideally possess before you get started on your voice acting and voice over career.
Good Voice Control and Modulation
A smooth, clear voice is the most valuable asset of any voice actor. The ability to adjust your tone and to speak clearly and confidently are vital skills to being a professional voice actor.
Immaculate Pronunciation
This is of utmost importance. When you do voice acting jobs, you are essentially delivering messages or stories. To get the point across via audio, enunciation is key, regardless of the language of the voice over job.
Consistency and Practice
There is a common misconception that voice acting or voice over jobs may not seem like the most difficult thing to do. However, there are so many elements that go into a voice acting job.
As such, it is important to be consistent in practicing your voice acting skills. This can include practising your pacing, breathing, and pronunciation.
Attention To Detail
Know your work! It is important to be able to create a connection with the work that you are expected to deliver.
You can do this by paying close attention to the script and even do some research into the subject matter of the voice over job that you have signed up for.
Acting Skills
Regardless of the type of voice acting job you take on, no matter if it is a 10-second radio commercial or an animation series, you will most certainly need some acting skills!
You will need to embody the character that you are playing or inject a certain level of enthusiasm into the role if it is for a commercial.
Having some acting skills will most certainly set you apart and increase your chances of getting recurring voice acting jobs.
How Do I Get Started With Voice Acting Jobs?
If you woke up one morning and thought to yourself “today is the day to make money with my voice”, then there are some good ways to get started!
If you have no experience with voice acting jobs, then you can start off by signing up for some voice acting training courses.
There are plenty of voice acting websites for beginners online.
1.Intro To Voice Over by Julie Eickhoff
A great voice acting training course that is available online is Intro To Voice Over.
Julie has been involved in voice overs since 2011 and has narrated more than 100 audiobooks.
She is also an Audible Approved Producer.
Her FREE mini-course teaches you the basics of voice acting jobs and briefs you on the basic skills that you need to get your career in voice acting started.
2.Work From Home Doing Voice Overs by Julie Eickhoff
If you feel like you are ready to take the plunge and invest in your voice acting career, then Julie Eickhoff’s Work From Home Doing Voice Overs is a one-stop comprehensive voice acting course.
Among other things, Julie teaches you about:
- Building the perfect recording space
- The equipment that you need for voice acting jobs
- The skills to pick up to start your voice acting career
- Where to find jobs and auditions for voice acting jobs
- How to run your voice acting business
More importantly, Julie gives you the option of breaking up the payment for the course into 8 affordable monthly installments.
3.Beginner’s Guide To Working As A Voice Artist – Gravy For The Brain
This free voice acting webinar is presented by Hugh Edwards, who is a voice and casting director, and Peter Dickson, a voice artist.
It teaches you how to begin your career as a voice actor and you also get an exclusive free eBook titled “Essential Voiceover Business” that teaches you how to run your voice acting business.
4.Be A Voice Actor: Making A Living With Your Voice
This is one of the best-selling voice acting courses on Udemy.
It is a great beginner course that teaches you about the various tools and techniques you need to get started in the world of voice acting.
Among other things, this course eases you into:
- Good recording skills and studio etiquette
- Basic audio editing skills
- Creating a practice demo that you can use when applying for voice acting jobs
5.The Complete Voice Acting & Voice Overs Course
This is another great all-encompassing voice acting course that covers voice acting from A to Z.
It gives you a step-by-step guide into how to get started with earning a living from your voice.
Over and above this, it teaches you how to use Audacity, which is a popular audio recording and editing software. This will give you clearer audio recordings for your voice acting jobs.
Voice Acting Jobs Hiring Now
1.Voices
Voice is the world’s number 1 marketplace for voice over jobs. It is used by trusted brands such as Microsoft, The History Channel, and the Discovery Channel.
It connects voice buyers to the voice talents who have signed up on the Voices portal.
Once you sign up, you will have access to the job posts that you can view and apply for.
2.Voice123
Voice123 is the world’s first voice over and voice acting marketplace.
They have been around since 2003 and match voice talents with voice buyers.
Once you build your profile on the Voice 123 portal, you will receive invitations to projects that match your skills. You can then submit your audition or demo tapes, negotiate your rates, and get hired.
3.ACX
If you prefer to narrate audiobooks, then ACX is a great place to build up your voice acting profile. ACX is Amazon’s marketplace where authors, literary agents, and publishers connect with narrators.
Acx has a great step-by-step guide on how to get started with them.
All you need to do is to create a profile and upload samples of voice acting. You can then search for the audiobooks that you would be interested in recording and audition for it.
It is as easy as that!
4.Backstage
Backstage is a platform that advertises open casting calls and auditions for voice acting jobs.
Those who require voice talent post up openings here and you can submit your samples to them. Do make sure you read the posts carefully though as some jobs only accept submissions from certain countries.
5.Bodalgo
If you are multilingual, then you can find voice acting jobs on Bodalgo. They offer voice acting services in over 80 languages!
Whether it is commercial, explainer videos, corporate videos, or e-learning presentations, you are bound to find a voice acting job that suits your skills and abilities.
6.Bunny Studio
Bunny Studio is a one-stop marketplace for all things content-related.
They make it extremely easy for you to sign up as a voice over artist and once you have set up your profile, the platform will match you with voice buyers.
7.The Voice Realm
The Voice Realm is the largest network of casting websites.
They are constantly on the lookout for voice talents. You can easily upload your details and any demo or samples that you may have and they will contact you accordingly.
8.Fiverr
Fiverr is a general freelance marketplace where you can create your profile and advertise your services.
All you need to do is to search for voice acting or voice over jobs and you will be matched with those who are looking for voice talents.
9.Upwork
Upwork is another great freelance platform where you can post your voice acting samples and get matched with those who are looking for voice talents.
10.LinkedIn
LinkedIn is much more than a professional network.
If you ensure that your profile is updated with the voice over work that you do and you indicate that you are looking for voice acting jobs, it is a great platform to match voice buyers and voice talents.
Tips To Succeed At Voice Acting Jobs
If you are looking to stand out and apart from your competitors in the voice acting world, then there are a few things you can do.
- Use good quality recording equipment. This Toedury Microphone Bundle is a great set for beginners!
- Become proficient with recording and audio editing software such as Audacity.
- Exceed the expectations of your client in terms of the tone and delivery of your work. If you are not sure, it is best to clarify with them.
- Deliver quality voice over work and you are bound to be recommended by your existing clients to others who are looking for voice actors.
- If you are using matching platforms, check if your clients are willing to leave you ratings. This will enhance your profile and increase your chances of getting repeat voice acting jobs on the platform.
What Is The Average Pay For Voice Over Work
Now that you have an idea of how to make money with your voice, you are probably wondering how much you can make.
According to ZipRecruiter, a voice actor makes an average of $76, 297 a year. This is roughly $37 an hour.
However, do keep in mind that the more experienced you are, the higher you can charge for your voice acting talents. Now that you are armed with all the information you need to become a voice actor, go ahead and start looking for voice acting jobs!
You can see that you can make money with your voice from the comfort of your home. This makes voice acting the perfect remote job that you can do from anywhere.
Remember that the most important thing when it comes to voice acting is to continue to improve your craft. With dedication and constant learning, you will be an experienced and high-earning voice actor in no time!
Make Money With Your Voice 9 Ways [2023](For Beginners)
FAQ on How To Make Money With Your Voice
How To Make Money With Your Voice
You can make money with your voice by:
- Becoming a professional voice actor
- Narrating audio books and educational tutorials
- Offering singing lessons
- Announcing for traffic and on talk shows
Freelancing websites like Fiverr, Voices and ACX provide plenty of opportunities to explore, so do check them out!
How To Make Money Doing Voice Overs
You can make money doing voice overs in 2 ways:
- Doing voice overs for commercials on television, radio and apps for local television and radio stations
- Doing voice overs for videos for games, animation and documentaries with professional voice acting background
However it is a very competitive market and you will need to submit your demos and marketing profile to online platforms to apply. Unique voice ranges are high in demand so if you have them, go for it!
How To Make Big Money With Your Speaking Voice
You can make money voice recording with your speaking voice by:
- Offering singing lessons on takelessons.com and you don’t even have to be a professional singer! If you have acapella ranges, you can also get paid for voice recordings for big money.
- Creating your own YouTube meditation channel with a soothing and calming voice over video footages of nature and appeasing music
- Narrating children’s audiobooks and singalongs by speaking in intonations and ranges that appeal to young children
The income for these options vary, for example for YouTube, you will need to have 1000 subscribers and 4000 viewers to start generating income.
How To Get Started In Voice Over Work
Here’s how to get started in voice over work from scratch:
- Record a few demos to create a portfolio of voice ranges
- Join or subscribe onto platforms online like Covoco
- Create competitive marketing material to promote yourself to stand out against others
- Submit your demos and profile online to various platforms like Fiverr, Upwork and Voices
Do ensure you have good equipment at home to record your voice like- a good recording microphone, soundproofing your room for good acoustics and a decent editing software.
These equipment can be expensive especially if you are just starting out, so you might want to borrow or rent them to reduce your initial investment.
How Do I Get A Job With My Voice?
These are 8 steps to get paid to record your voice:
- Take some voice acting classes online to maximize the potential of your voice
- Practice reading scripts or books out loud so you are aware of how you enunciate and pronounce words
- Apply to free jobs to start building your portfolio as it can be a very competitive market out there
- Apply for membership to belong to platforms that have voice over professionals to start networking (while checking out your competition)
- Learn to control your breathing to enhance your voice with breathing techniques (you can search for free online)
- Put together a demo showcasing few voice over ranges so you give the hiring people a good understanding of your voice potentials
- Create an account on platforms like Voices, TakeLessons and ACX which are the most popular platforms online
- Start applying and be persistent
How Much Money Can You Make On Voices?
You can make quite a bit of money on Voices.
$13,500 is the lowest amount paid annually to a voice actor on Voices. $217,000 is the most paid amount to a voice actor on Voices.
On average in the United States of America, a voice actor makes around $23,000 to $111,000 per year on Voices.
The range is quite large but you can make money on Voices for sure!
Do Voice Overs Get Paid?
Yes, voice over actors get paid for providing their voices.
A career in audiobook narration can pay a common range between $200 to $300 per hour of recording. On average, an audiobook recording can take between 4 to 6 hours, so this results in a salary of around $1500 per audiobook.
How Do I Become A Freelance Voice?
You can become a freelance voice actor by:
- Taking voice acting classes
- Seek out unpaid jobs to earn your credits for your portfolio
- Network with other voice actors
- Produce your own voice over demo reel
- Purchase good quality microphones for the best quality audio for your demo
- Sign up on Voices for an account
- Apply, follow up, do not give up!
Is Voice Acting An Easy Job?
Voice acting is less harder than actual acting, however it does have its own challenges.
You definitely do not have to memorize scripts and wake up early or work late on set. You have the flexibility on the hours and most of the time work from or a good studio for recording your voice.
You don’t have to look good or dress up, but sound good. You do need to take very good care of your voice as it is your only tool for income. Lots of breathing exercise and the right food and drinks intake can affect your voice.
Is Voice Acting High In Demand?
Yes, voice acting is in fact very high in demand. This is partly thanks to the rise in marketing avenues in television, radios, and social media.
The voice -over work has dominated the film industry as well. More and more animated films are being produced so the need for voice-over actors and voice actors are higher in demand than before.
Conclusion
Through consistent follow ups and networking, you will be able to secure jobs and start generating that income by just using your voice!
Make sure you spend all that voice money well!
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