This whole weekend, I wasn’t feeling especially well. I’ve just been tired. Am I sick? Who knows. My only real symptom is being tired enough to nap for a few hours in the middle of the afternoon, which…is definitely not normal for me.
But I read an article that mentioned that vitamin B-12 deficiency could be the culprit, and so, since you can’t overdose on B-12, we’re just going to go for it. That, and adding a Vitamin D supplement back in as well. I haven’t been outside a whole lot lately.
It’s a little bit the same trying to diagnose people’s voiceover problems—not booking? You might need coaching, you might need a new microphone or space, or you might just need some confidence! It’s honestly pretty hard to diagnose why someone isn’t booking without looking at everything they’re doing, and even then it’s a little bit trial and error.
At least a few times a week, a friend or acquaintance in the voiceover industry messages me with a dilemma about whether or not they should buy (“invest in”) something or another. A course, a software, a new mic, etc.
I get it. A few years ago, I was in the same place. Thinking “If I just buy this thing, maybe I’ll fix this problem that I have.”
But so often, the problem is not solved by that purchase.
When I still lived with three roommates and two cats in a house under a flight path with neighbors that REALLY loved working on their lawns, I thought that a new mic or a booth would be the solution.
When I was getting started learning to market myself, I thought that each next course would have the magic spell that would make putting myself out there easier…but none of them did. It’s just uncomfortable and hard work that you have to learn to do if you want to book more work.
“Unfortunately, Sharon, you have terminal readitis…it’s incurable.”
It can be really tempting to skip the diagnosis step and go straight to trying a cure, however, if that “cure” is going to mean wasting time or money, you’d be better off going to the right person to figure out from the start what the problem really is.
For instance, if you skip straight to spending $1000 on a mic, when it’s your space that’s really the problem…
Or you get a marketing program, but the real reason you’re not booking is that you haven’t trained enough to be competitive…
You’re going to get frustrated quickly when things don’t turn out how you hoped.
“We’ll take you into editing and have you all fixed up in a jiff, Mrs. Johnson!”
Here are the industry’s best docs to diagnose your VO woes:
When you’re sick, you often go see a general practitioner first, because you might think that there’s something wrong with your voice, but really you have acid reflux. A general practitioner can help you get to the root cause of a problem before you find a specialist to do further analysis.
Not sure where to even start or what might be holding you back? I recommend doing a consult with Tom Dheere. Tom does 15 minute consults for free, and offers business coaching, mentorship, and marketing help.
I’ve not worked with any of them yet, but I’ve also heard great things about Gina Scarpa, Brad Hyland and Emma O’Neil.
If you’ve been told you don’t sound “conversational” enough, head to Hugh Klitzke for coaching. Hugh does free consults before beginning coaching, so he can assess where you’re at skill-wise.
If, on the other hand, your focus is animation, video games, promo, audiobooks, e-learning, or another specialized genre, you’d be best served by finding a coach that works in those genres. There are so many to choose from and in so many different genres, I’m not going to even try to list them here.
Not sure your recording space is up to snuff? Make an appointment with a sound engineer who can help you assess your raw studio sound. Click here to get a FREE home studio evaluation from Uncle Roy Yokelson.
George Whittam, Jim Edgar, and Dan Friedman all come to mind as additional industry pros you can trust.
Maybe your editing is the problem? Do your audio files sound muddy? Are there mechanical or robotic sounding artifacts in your voice? There are a lot of courses out there to make sure you’ve got a handle on the tech.
Uncle Roy offers his “2 Hour Life Changing Adobe Audition Set Up & Training” for $375
Jordan Reynolds offers his Audio Ninja Master Class (a pre-recorded, go at your own pace webinar)
Jim Edgar offers audio classes through VoiceOne (click here for current offerings)
Struggling to book on the pay-to-play sites? It might be your performance, or it might be your sound. Get those checked first! And if you’re still struggling, there might not be anything wrong. The P2P sites can be notoriously fickle. If you want help specifically with Voice123, check out Natasha Marchewka and Katherine Tole’s V123 Pros course for help navigating the most difficult algorithm in the industry.
Did I miss anything?
Next week, I will share the 12 things I’d want my true love to get me for Christmas (if I didn’t already have most of them). Tune in next week for a full rundown of my most coveted VO gifts that are definitely better than a lot of birds.
Until then, stay healthy, friends!
P.S. If the problem is none of these things, but is simply that you have trouble following through on taking steps toward your goals? I’ve got you covered! Sign up for ten weeks of accountability coaching in a group setting, and make 2025 the year you make real progress!
Early bird pricing ENDS 12/15! Sign up here for only $250 until 12/15/24.
