Have you ever listened to a commercial or radio broad cast and cannot hear the message for the distractions of the voice or voice work? Choosing an On-Hold message Voice is important An irritating voice is an infuriating distraction. I don’t want to have to try and ignore how much I hate the way someone is reading something; I want to listen to what they’re saying!
It’s the same with your Message On Hold production. At On Hold Systems we have been voicing production quality messages for over 35 years. Why do we bring this up? Well we have over the years collected a stable of voices that have stood the test of time and have not been distracting to the listening ear. Our diverse pool of voice over artists has been selected to offer you voices that are going to suit specific productions. We want callers to be able to listen to our productions and really hear what’s being said, rather than be distracted by the way our voice talent sounds or the way he or she says specific words.
In the copywriting department, we take the time to work out how tricky words like brands, surnames or places are meant to be said so they sound the way they should On Hold. We may not know how certain medical words, towns or people’s names are pronounced, but we have clients in those areas. You can bet their callers would be distracted if they heard their medical words, people’s names, town or suburb name read incorrectly.4 Things to Know Before You Hire Cheap Voice Actors
Let’s look at the top four considerations when hiring voice actors for any budget – large or small.
1. A synonym for a cheap voice actor is a boring voice-over
If you want to hire cheap voice actors, they are probably not charging much for their services because they haven’t invested in their equipment or vocal training.
Most professional voice actors are qualified actors or performers and have spent many years honing their craft.
Experience and training make all the difference to how your message is delivered. Trained performers will inject a cadence and energy that keeps viewers engaged. In contrast, if you hire cheap voice actors, they will sound flat and monotone. Yep, boring.
At On Hold Systems, we focus on casting by ‘Tone’ because tones work across various styles. For example, an Authoritative tone works equally well for a commercial about a market-leading tech product or a banking app. A Nurturing tone is ideal for educational material and charity promos alike. And a Conversational tone for social media promos, explainers, and radio adverts is frequently the best choice.
Trust me. Start casting by tone, and you won’t look back!
2. Voices are NOT sound engineers
You may not be looking for cinema-quality sound for your website explainer video, but you still want it to be appealing, right?
Unfortunately, there is a vast swathe of voices on many platforms with very little audio engineering know-how. They get a USB microphone and Audacity and consider that ‘enough’. It’s not. Their audio will be noisy, and this will immediately impact product quality.
Even many experienced voice actors with home recording studios costing thousands won’t know how to get the best sound out of their equipment.
Training as a qualified sound engineer takes years of practice.
So, if you’re spending $1500+ on a video, allocate at least a third of that budget on the best sound quality possible. High-quality audio makes all the difference. Check out our promo to see what I mean:
At On-Hold Systems our expert engineers verify home recording studios to offer a quality guarantee to our customers. Look out for the blue tick on profiles.
Our service also includes additional engineering time to clean, edit, and perfect the audio before delivery.
3. To get noticed is to be distinct
If you want to hire cheap voice actors for a promo video or commercial, please, I urge you to reconsider.
Getting noticed is getting heard. And to generate engagement via more views or clicks, you need a vibrant video, succinct script, and a distinctive voice-over.
You could get lucky and find a cheap voice actor who sounds perfect for your project. But how many other scripts have they voiced that year if they are so cheap? Hundreds? Thousands?
You aren’t memorable if your ads sound like everyone else’s.
Focusing on a specific accent, voice characteristic, or pitch is easy with On-Hold Systems. There are tens of billions of combinations in 1700+ accents. Niche down and find a professional voice that gets your brand noticed. Even if it’s a little more expensive than initially planned, the extra investment will provide a far superior product to the competition’s efforts.
4. The casting platform you choose matters (a lot)
With various freelancer sites offering cheap voice actors, how do you avoid amateurs with bad performances and poor-quality equipment? Choosing an On-Hold message Voice is important to your success.
Easy. Start with a dedicated voice-over platform. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you can’t find a quality voice actor on more generalist freelancer sites like Fiverr or Upwork. Still, it’s much easier to browse a platform specifically dedicated to hiring affordable voice actors. You’ll save valuable time, and saving time = saving money.
But even dedicated voice-over platforms aren’t all built equally. Some want you to ‘post a job’, so you’ll have to do all the work yourself (yawn) and listen to countless bad auditions before finding the right voice. Many platforms also do not vet the voice talent, meaning you could end up with someone who sounds ok but working with them is a nightmare.
Here at On-Hold Systems, we’ve built our incredible search filter to make hiring the voice actor in your head easier. When you can search, favourite, and request a quote in the blink of an eye, you won’t look back.
Do you wish there was a voice-over company that could take care of all your voice over needs no matter what they are?
There is. We’re right here! Whether you’re looking for e-learning narration or a commercial, affordable verified voices are our speciality.
Choosing an On-Hold message Voice is important! Whether you’re thinking about becoming a on –hold systems customer, or you’re already one, it’s always a good idea to head over to our gallery of messages Have a listen to the voices and when you’re working with us in scripting, let us know how you’d like specific words pronounced. Don’t distract callers from your production’s content – enhance it by selecting the right Voice messaging company.