Pay to Play sites
This is a pretty controversial topic at the moment and I’ve heard a lot of conflicting views. A lot of established artists will say you should have absolutely nothing to do with them as they underpay and generally devalue the industry overall.
Although I can’t disagree completely, I do think they do have a place in the industry if you’re smart about how you use them. I know a few people who make a full living just from using one or two of these sites and at the very least, they at least can be a great addition to your income.
Whatever stage you’re at in your voice over career, it’s really important to decide upfront what rates you’re happy to work for and stick to them. Once you have that in place, you can start to look at what jobs are out there. I do a lot of work through Fiverr and it’s great to supplement what I’m earning through direct marketing while I build relationships. The great thing about Fiverr is that, although they may encourage you to keep your rates really low, that doesn’t mean you have to! You can set whatever rates you want. I started pretty low when I was new and I first signed up, but now I’m more confident in what I’m producing, I’ve ramped them up to where I’m happy and I’m still getting plenty of orders through.
Upwork is more of a bidding system and yes, there are plenty of people wanting a professional voice over for £20, but don’t be out off by these - you don’t have to apply for them! There are a fair few listings that will pop up with a good rate and again, once you know what you’re happy to work for, you can just keep looking through until you find work that ticks the right boxes for you.
The big play to pay sites such as Voices.com and Voice123 also have a lot of mixed reviews. I’ve heard a lot of negativity from voices.com and as they charge a LOT for a year’s subscription, I thought I’d give it a miss for now. I do however have a FREE account through Voice123 and from what I’ve picked up of their algorithm, this basically means you get invited to apply for less jobs and you’re invited later than those with a premium membership. Even with a free account however, I’ve landed 2 great jobs through this site so it’s worth signing up.
There are a few other site such a bodalgo which is still new but had a fairly good reputation so far. Later in the year I will be doing more research into each site, looking at positives and negatives and picking one to invest in for a year to see what comes of it. I’ll be sure to write up reviews on any that I try.
I think the important thing is to keep an open mind. This industry has changed a lot over the last few years and there are many different ways to earn a living through voice over. Why not try them all!
Sing too loud, talk too much and take care!