How Voices.com Works and the Best Ways to Get Started - Tips from a Pro Voiceover Artist

[@ZimCrusher]

This was literally the best video on how Voices works, and what to expect. thanks for this.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Glad to hear it was helpful!

[@MirrorMusicXero]

I am new to the Voices site and voice acting in general. It always sucks being the new guy. This video was super helpful. It offered a lot of insight on how to bid and what I should bid on. It also helped me understand what to look for. It was very helpful. Thank you.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Awesome to hear, glad this helped!

[@kojoprince3572]

I've been at this for a little over a year and I watch this video periodically and I STILL find that I learn things from it each time. Thank You!

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

So glad it’s been helpful!

[@toddrace61]

Thanks for this Jay. I have been on the periphery of VO work for a few years now and trying to figure out how to really dive into it. This helps immensely.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

So glad to hear that!

[@Fortune-favours-the-bold]

I can't thank you enough for this series. I was SO intimidated and overwhelmed before I found your videos, and now I'm not either of those things. I appreciate you, and thank you again :)

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

That makes me so happy to hear! Precisely why I set out to make them, so thanks for letting me know. :)

[@Fortune-favours-the-bold]

@@jaymyersvoiceover I can’t wait to work with you as my coach ❤️❤️

[@TommyFresh521]

Hey, thanks a lot for this video. I am just getting started in VO work and need all the advice I can get. Great Stuff!

[@maltefriedrichspricht6085]

So well and excellent explained - again! Many thanks 🌟

[@arlenetaitingfong6938]

Thank you for the information! Much appreciated!

[@luffy57322]

Absolutely loved this video! Super informative and clearly conveyed. I do have a bit of a follow-up question about Voices, I have been on VDC for about 3 weeks now and the amount of auditions being sent to me has absolutely dwindled. I am now often having days in which I receive no auditions at all and I have 13 fleshed out demos on my profile with all the tags filled out. Is this normal or is it possible I'm doing something wrong?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

It’s possible that the kinds of jobs being posted just don’t match with your demos or your profile. It’s also possible that your demos are all labeled/categorized similarly-ie three tagged as ‘conversational’ won’t present more auditions for you. I’d recommend continuing to add to your demos and making sure that they’re labeled and tagged uniquely if you can, and that might help.

[@luffy57322]

@@jaymyersvoiceover Thanks so much for the advice! Will do and just wanted to say once again how awesome your videos are :).

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

@@luffy57322 Aw, thanks! That means a lot to hear. :)

[@lucinae8512]

I appreciate your beginner advice, but all those demos definitely intimidated me while I'm preparing myself mentally and financially to make my first.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

I’ve got a video here intended to take the stress out of making your own demos! “How to make your own Demo” I think it’s called. :)

[@lucinae8512]

@@jaymyersvoiceover What about custom auditions? That's a part of both sites I need clarification on.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

@@lucinae8512 Sure! What about them would you like to clarify?

[@lucinae8512]

@@jaymyersvoiceover What are they and do them?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

@@lucinae8512 Gotcha. Fortunately, they're pretty straightforward. With every audition you receive there will be a script supplied. Record the script and upload the mp3 along with your proposal. The demo video I recommended will give you a good starting point if you don't yet feel comfortable recording auditions (just don't add music to your auditions unless specifically requested).

[@lilethlascano3105]

Thank you for your tips and encouragements!

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

My pleasure!

[@mikelleighton6440]

I appreciate the help and encouragement. As a newbie to the industry it is a bit daunting trying to know what is reputable for sites or what are the best practices to be successful. I'll definitely be following closely on the future!

[@flotzmtv]

Thanks for this video, Jay. Extremely well done and informative. 🔥

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Thanks Jeff!

[@coacharielandersson]

REALLY appreciate this as I get started. Truly calmed my nerves before my 1st auditions. Still in making demo phase. Thank you for all the helpful details:)).🎉

[@BrucePSquirrelOfficial]

Thanks for the info!

[@CheriAustin-m2i]

Great information for a novice like me just starting out on the Voices platform.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Glad to hear that!

[@danaphaedresoneill9784]

Thanks for the video! How do you determine what to say in your demos? Do you read from public domain books or create your own mock ads?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Both of those are great options! I cover a lot of it in more depth in this video: Make Your Own Voice Over Demo with REAPER: Full Walkthrough/Tutorial kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYHYe3x6h7BqaaM

[@voices]

Thanks for the overview Jay! Also, do I spy a Studiobricks?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

My pleasure! And you do indeed spy a good ole bricks. 😊

[@piasan1652]

Hi Jay, what advice would you give: I want to start. But where and how and what is the first thing? I am a fulltime traveler and start from zero with no equipment. Is there a way I can start with less tools and in the beginning with not to expensive tools? What about you phone or the little klick mics where you can put on your clothes? Could I start like this? I feel a bit lost because I don't know if it works when I living in a van and different apartments with less luggage. Thank you for your help 🙏🙏

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

That sounds like a great setup! I have a few videos on just that. “Getting started in voiceover” or something like that and I have one covering Equipment, and another your ‘booth’ I’d start by watching those. For the moment, you can get started with an inexpensive mic, but I’d use something like a nice USB or inexpensive/used XLR. Both of those videos go into depth on those subjects :)

[@piasan1652]

@jaymyersvoiceover thank you so much. I will have for sure a look on more videos from you. And you can start VO on any age? Is VO and Voice acting for movies etc. different? I even don't know if I have talent for this ^^ but since I can think I was always interested to do it but I only heard that it is mostly only for actors/when you had an actor education. What I did in my Wellness Job was speaking like dream meditations for relaxing (don't know if this is the right english word ;) ). That's the only thing I did. And voices would be the best plattform for beginners? Can you do something with the free plan or you have to choose the 500$/y membership? Thank you for your help 🙏

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

@@piasan1652 Of course! To answer your questions briefly: -Any age works! -It's all similar yet different. -You won't know till you try -I got started doing meditations too. -I liked Voices, but there are lots of other great places too. (Check out some of my other videos ;) ) -To get real traction on Voices, yes you're pretty much required to be a paying member.

[@MikeDoernerProVoice]

Jay, great information! I do pay attention to the profile match percentage, and I like that VDC doesn't punish you for auditioning for everything (like V123 does...). On VDC, when you are looking at the number of auditions already submitted to a project, how many is "too many" to bother auditioning yourself? If I see over 40 auditions, I figure I've missed the boat, but still see 70, 90, and even over 100 submissions on projects. I understand auditioning for a project that already has lots of submissions could be seen as practice, but from a booking probability perspective, do you have a specific number that you will not go over when selecting projects to audition for?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Good questions! I don’t really have hard and fast rules, but generally if the project has lots of submissions (40-50+) and the budget is under $500, I’ll pass unless it’s something I’m excited about. Often larger budget projects ($1k+), the creative team will listen thru to most if not all auditions-at least in my experience-so submitting late isn’t necessarily a bad idea.

[@MikeDoernerProVoice]

@@jaymyersvoiceover Thanks Jay. I'll incorporate your advice into my project selection process.

[@cesarbrasilator]

Thank you so much for your great content, I've been considering joining the premium version of the website and looking exactly for that, an honest and straightforward video with pro tips from someone who actually knows the website 🙏

[@desertsavagery]

I had been wondering why my auditions had not been listened to, but I have zero demos and most of the jobs I see have a 50% match rate because of this. I guess I need to stop auditioning and start recording some demos asap.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Sounds right!

[@80club45]

Great video. I'm really thinking of giving this voice over thing a go thanks for the info 🙂

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@80club45]

@jaymyersvoiceover if everything works out and I put in the hours, is it possible to make a living doing this full time?

[@jaymyers5010]

@@80club45well I do!

[@Alexandra-Rex]

The thing you said about the bidding is the main thing that has kept me from replying to anything yet. And also just thinking that it won't be liked anyway. I'll definitely reply to anything from now, just to see how it goes.

[@ryvlaw]

Voices is cool and I use it too BUT I feel like having an annual fee +20% is.. well... an interesting business model. Either get 20% OR take an annual fee but both is a bit much I think.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Yeah, there are certainly a great many VOs that feel the same. I go back and forth myself. I just chalk it up to, I wouldn't have access to the job otherwise. What I appreciate over other pay-to-plays is that they give access to ALL auditions regardless of your track record on the platform, which gives folks starting out many more opportunities to get their feet wet and build a reputation on the site. I also like that your profile isn't penalized for auditioning for stretch jobs. Is all that worth the 20%? Depends.

[@brettroberts987]

Great video. Thanks so much

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

You bet! 😊

[@IvanMaslov20]

Very helpful video! But how am I supposed to get to the auditions without paying the 499 fee? Isn't it a bit insane to charge a service fee for every gig PLUS an annual fee???

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Depends on perspective. You won’t get auditions without the $500 fee. At first I considered it practical experience that has the potential to pay out. Taking a 3hr class in VO can run $300 after all. The 20% for some is a dealbreaker. However, I just account for that in my fees so my compensation is the same, and I’m off the hook for contract negotiations/details-which can take a lot of time and effort.

[@KWNelsonVO]

Hey Jay! Great info here. One thing I wanted to ask was about using auditions as demos, is this really okay to do (if there's no NDA)? I had thought about doing this for my character demoes using my auditions from CastingCallClub, but heard on the voice over subreddit that this is a no-no. Could have just been their opinions, but I'm always looking for more info and advice from all over the VO community lol.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Great question! I’ve never run into issues with it personally, though I haven’t used character demos outside of roles I booked or wrote myself. For other gigs if you were concerned you could simply change the copy slightly and make up a brand name. All to say, for my money it’s not a huge issue as you build out a portfolio.

[@KWNelsonVO]

@@jaymyersvoiceover bro thanks for such a quick and thoughtful answer!! =D This has been a major sticking point for me because I suck at writing scripts especially for characters lol, so taking your advice and making slight tweaks should help me get unstuck on those demos.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

You bet! Good luck out there

[@nuramiraamer5268]

Hi Jay, to be voice over talents is there any specific setup needed. This is my very first exposure. I would like to know more.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Sure! I’ve got a full series talking about that. kzbin.info/aero/PLaxHRIsTaWT8Wgjt3qRvHe1Sd7sJ1ciYW&si=bXmRHR2fMUeRIIxe

[@MrBiggDaddy6573]

Any suggestions on the best way to respond to a private invite for a job?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Same way you would any other! 😊

[@RaymmanVO]

Nice insight, thank you.

[@eachanlawrence8886]

Hello Jay this video is helpful thanks. But I have a quextion. I have been privately invited by email for an AI training data project and they have stated there budget at 1875 dollars. But because I am am a beginner, on the job repply page it asks what my quote is and I am not sure what to put ? Its confusing to me because they have already stated there budget & it states also that this will be for internal use for now. But if my voice is selected I am to let them know how much I want for it to be used yearly ? the site montions how its good for talents to state how much they want to make per year on the reply. So how would you quote this & why ? Cheers

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Great question. That’s something you can email me about if you wish. :)

[@justinmcough]

What would you suggest creating for Demo’s when you are just starting out?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

I’ve got another video on that! “How to make your own VO demo” or something like that.

[@EmmanuelNjidda]

I'm interested in this

[@mayraramirez5397]

Hi Jay how do auditions work...?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Maybe I'll make a video on it! But briefly: 1. you'll get a breakdown with a script 2. you record the script 3. you send an mp3 That's about it!

[@Sklwosowowowq]

Thank you for your beautiful and interesting explanation But I have a problem with the site, they are asking me to pay so I can get the job Can you help me with that?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Glad you found it helpful! Unfortunately, that’s part of the deal there. You have to pay for a membership which gives your profile visibility on the site. Not ideal, but it is how it is.

[@Sklwosowowowq]

@@jaymyersvoiceover Fine, thank you 🤍

[@jackie.hendler]

Thanks for the tips! I am a voice over talent from Uruguay ans starting.... It is not clear to me if when applying first I should send my demo for evaluation or the requested work and then wait until if it is accepted or not?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Great! Good to meet you. So on your profile, before submitting proposals to any jobs, you’ll upload demos that represent you and your talent/voice well. Based on those demos, Voices will match you to jobs. Those jobs you will apply to with customer samples. Hope that helps clarify!

[@dreamer5426]

I have just signed up into the voices, here for the genuine review, is this actually works ? can we earn via voices, without premium and all & what hindrances we could face while hiring ?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Hello! Could you clarify your questions a bit for me? I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. For the moment though, I'll give it my best shot! Without a premium membership, it's difficult to earn money and book jobs on the site.

[@guerreravelez2458]

So do I post demos by snippets not one entire demo at a time?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

You CAN post one longer demo, but because potential clients will really only listen to the first 5-10 seconds of any demo AND because you'll benefit from more diverse tags/keywords on your demos it's advised to post smaller snippets or break longer demos up into individual ones.

[@illuminatedtwincrowcast747]

So if u don’t have a membership you can’t work with anyone?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

It would be much more difficult, so essentially yes you need a membership to see any real progress.

[@juliomaldonado7979]

Hey I am new at Voices and can you tell me how to find voiceover jobs ther? I am trying to use it on my phone

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

I’d recommend using a computer if you can. A phone will be pretty limiting and the site works best on a computer in my experience.

[@Spartacus516]

I cannot afford the $500 membership fee. Are there other voice over websites that do not require such a high annual membership fee?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

I have a video discussing that! How To Get Started in Voiceover: FINDING JOBS | PT 5 kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5a4Z55qab1mj80

[@gypsyfirebird4610]

Do you only get paid through paypal or can we use other methods ?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

I’d check with voices, but I receive everything via PayPal.

[@LizMarin-o1j]

May I know if you need a professional microphone?? Or with the laptop is ok ?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

You’ll definitely need a professional microphone.

[@jaxbarnettprice]

Hey buddy, you do not need a professional microphone or professional equipment right away to start. I’ve known and seen so many people over the years start out with literally a $20-$30 microphone from Amazon, a laptop and get some work in. Then eventually, they work there way up to buy a professional microphone and other equipment. So the idea of having to have an expensive microphone to start, please don’t let that stop you. And this message is not just for you, this is also for anyone!

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

That’s a good point, I should’ve been more clear! You’ll need more than your laptop’s internal mic, but “professional mic” doesn’t mean expensive. 😊

[@marcobattaglia7508]

@@jaymyersvoiceover So I'm assuming that recording an audition and demos in general on your Iphone's microphone is not really the best right? 😅

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

@@marcobattaglia7508 yeah. Probably not.

[@McMilesE]

What if I have no demos at all, i.e. I've never booked one gig. I've been taking classes... I am ready to start auditioning or to continue down the path of VO... but how do you have all of those demos I thought they cost $$$? So like how would I even book even one gig if I have no demos?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Great question! I’ll probably do a video about this soon, but in the meantime…Fortunately you don’t need to book a job to get your demo game started. There are lots of places online to find free sample scripts for lots of different genres, including on Voices. I’d recommend recording several of them that you feel like you might be cast for and start with those. Then as I mentioned, while you’re auditioning save auditions you felt good about and use those as demos. After you get more comfortable and have booked a bit of work, you can produce more refined demos yourself, and then finally once you get a feeling for what your voice and talents fit you can seek out a professional to produce demos for you.

[@McMilesE]

​@@jaymyersvoiceoverI am JUST seeing this. Thanks so much for your reply because I didn't know these options existed! You kind of touched on it later in your video I missed that. Thank you so much

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

My pleasure! Happy to help. @@McMilesE

[@AdmiringChess-dk5zf]

Hello,I'm called Bless I'm from Cameroon, I'll like to know more about this voice and would like to work on it in others to start earning

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Welcome!

[@AdmiringChess-dk5zf]

@@jaymyersvoiceover would you mind teaching me sir?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Of course. I have several videos on this channel to help get you started! And if you’re interested in working one on one you can book time via my website 😊 if you have specific questions feel free to ask here.

[@inayaali1437]

Can I work without paying the 500 dollar fee ?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Not realistically unfortunately. I like to treat it like a workshop or class though. Often you’d post $300-500 for a weekend seminar 🤷‍♂️

[@JoshuaG85]

I joined this month. Got a job right away. But it was a scam. haha They would send me a $4,500 check, I would take my amount out and pay the others that worked on the project. haha I am not an idiot. I figure, hundreds of auditions and I would still get nothing. But, it is easy to try. I did ever audition there was today. Well, not one. haha I must have 50 going right now.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Good catch. Those are rare on that site in my experience. Keep it up!! You’ll book something

[@JoshuaG85]

@@jaymyersvoiceover I am thankful it happened. Why not start out negative. haha It was great. The site was also good. They took the person off. But, I have so much fun just reading stuff and sending it in. That is really all I wanted to do. If I get picked to do something, it's a bonus. I am learning to read stuff better. More attitude. It is very fun.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

@JoshuaG85 I love it. With that attitude? You’ll book in no time. 😊

[@Plant2-e3y]

Do I NEED to pay $500 to talk?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

There's a bit more to it than that, but on this site, more or less yeah you need to pay the membership.

[@pdc398]

Can you make money before going premium?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Not in my experience unfortunately.

[@pdc398]

@@jaymyersvoiceover Thanks. That’s what I figured. Perhaps the Fiver Or up works method may be the first route to gain some income and invest into the premium subscription after?

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

That’s certainly one way to go about it, though I might consider it an investment in learning on your feet to go for the premium. The quality of auditions and pay you’ll get on voices will be higher than the other two sites, so if/when you book something it’ll get you closer to breaking even financially with a bigger gain (in my opinion) of just practical skill. Thinking of it almost as a ‘class’ was helpful for me. So unless you don’t have very much experience and/or have an undeveloped portfolio of work you might stand to gain more from voices. If however you’re just getting started and want a lower stakes investment, the others are good bets.

[@pdc398]

@@jaymyersvoiceover Definitely on the beginning end of things. I mainly do music production as a hobby so I have all the gear and a professional background in sales and marketing meetings so articulate communication and delivery is a strong point so I thought Id give this a try. It does seem like you could make your money back very quickly. You’ve definitely given me so much to think about. You have amazing videos as well. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge with the community.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Of course! Happy to help, and if anything pops up feel free to drop me a line.

[@venturejay]

$500 plus 20%!!

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

In practice it's more so a bit of sticker shock in my opinion. Just add the 20% on top of standard rates just like you would for an agent/manager and it's a wash.

[@VM-oi3dk]

Most mere mortals don’t even stand a chance. They have more unqualified talent than jobs that they would be willing to expose their clients to.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Partially true. Going in with no training or experience and expecting immediate success would set you up for failure for sure. However if someone wants to go for it and is willing to put in the work behind the scenes, I think it’s doable.

[@GMS444]

Most other professions you would be FIRED for a 1% success rate.

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Such is life. Once you become more focused in genres as well as more experienced that ratio goes down considerably however.

[@zgab5835]

dude what are the things on your wall acoustics? sound proof? Can you link it? I have no idea how to set up my room to do something like that :(

[@jaymyersvoiceover]

Sure! I have a Studiobricks VO booth which has built in acoustic treatment and sound isolation. You can check their website to see more details. If you want more tips on how to set up your space here’s a video I made in just that Your FIRST Booth -- Voiceover for Beginners -- Part 2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZrIi3RtjrhshM0