If you want to book voice over jobs, you need more than just a pretty voice.\u00a0 Way more.\u00a0 Acting chops.\u00a0 Good timing.\u00a0 Articulation (but not too much).\u00a0 And an understanding of the voiceover script.\u00a0 This tells the writer or producer that you GET IT.\u00a0 How exactly will they \u201chear\u201d that you \u201cget\u201d the script?\u00a0 You tell them in each and every sentence by emphasizing the most important words.\u00a0 How do you know what the most important words are?\u00a0 (cue the ironic laugh here)\u00a0 You cross your fingers, pay attention to what you\u2019re reading, and learn a little bit of detective work here at Voiceover Gurus.\u00a0 Today we\u2019ll go over some possible strategies (and why there is no \u201cexact\u201d strategy) and we\u2019ll also dissect a few scripts.\u00a0 Ready to peel some voice over onions?\u00a0 Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n
First, let\u2019s talk about the \u201cish.\u201d\u00a0 There is no specific formula for understanding what the key words are in each sentence, and this is mostly due to the fact that none of these thousands of writers are following an exact formula themselves.\u00a0 Writers are creative, which means they go by the beat of their own drum, or pen.\u00a0 Or laptop.\u00a0 But after casting, coaching, and analyzing my way through thousands of scripts, I\u2019ve begun to compile a few tools for identifying keywords that amounts to a method\u2026of sorts.\u00a0 Method-ish.<\/p>\n
One aspect to finding what is at the heart of the sentence is to determine what is good about the product\u2026.what the benefit is.\u00a0 This aspect usually only applies to commercials, so I promise to cover aspects that are universal to other voiceover genres as well.\u00a0 These keywords can be adjectives, point out an aspect of the product that is unique to the market, or perhaps even speak to a solution it provides to a common problem.\u00a0 These are just a few of the possibilities to keep your eyes open for.\u00a0 While you want to focus on as few keywords\u00a0 as possible per sentence, there will be exceptions.\u00a0 Sometimes writers are looking for drama.\u00a0 This means emphasizing a few words that seem to drive home the point harder.\u00a0 Another case will be when there are commas in the sentence (see the Traditional Medicinals example below). \u00a0Commas are essentially used as a pause, when a writer has a separate, but connected point to make.<\/p>\n
One thing that is most likely NOT a keyword is the word \u201cyou\u201d or \u201cyour\u201d (with a very limited amount of exceptions.)\u00a0 The reason for this is that most people who are listening to a commercial automatically know that they are the potential \u201cyou\u201d that is being addressed.\u00a0 But what they are really listening for is what\u2019s IN IT FOR THEM.\u00a0 That means you haven\u2019t arrived at your keyword yet on an empty word like \u201cyou.\u201d\u00a0 Same thing goes for words that are repeated \u2013 by the nature of their repetition they are already being emphasized.\u00a0 It also sounds awkward when you emphasize the same word twice in one sentence, almost as if the listener may be dumb and didn\u2019t \u201cget it\u201d the first time.\u00a0 Example:\u00a0 \u201cThe phones you want, for whatever you want.\u201d\u00a0 Try reading it out loud emphasizing just the \u201cyou\u2019s\u201d or just the \u201cwant\u2019s\u201d.\u00a0 It will sound absurd.\u00a0 Now emphasize phones and whatever (the product and its benefit).\u00a0 Better?\u00a0 Let\u2019s get back to more of those keywords we want<\/em> to find\u2026.here\u2019s a commercial script for Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat tea:<\/p>\n If, like us, you\u2019re vocal about sustainability, you\u2019ll like that we partner with rural Appalachian families who harvest limited amounts of slippery elm by hand to help, well, make you even more vocal.\u00a0 Literally.\u00a0 Plant power for a better you.\u00a0 Traditional Medicinals.<\/p>\n So \u2013 we\u2019ve got our work cut out for us here on this first monster sentence.\u00a0 Several commas mean several individual points being made by the writer.\u00a0 If there\u2019s a stand-alone word then obviously it gets attention\u2026.you don\u2019t really have to \u201cpunch\u201d it or emphasize it in any special way since the pause after it that comes with acknowledging the comma will be sufficient enough to put it on its own platform.\u00a0 After that you have a choice between the words like or us.\u00a0 Given what comes after it I would choose us.\u00a0 The first reason is that they\u2019re clearly creating a connection between their company\u2019s stance on sustainability with your own. \u00a0If you\u2019re not convinced, I covered that as well on my second reason \u2013 I read it aloud and punched the word like instead.\u00a0 It sounds as if you\u2019re using it incorrectly, as if you\u2019re talking about someone \u201cliking\u201d them.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t stand up when actually tested.\u00a0 The best way to believe this is to record yourself.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to hear yourself while you\u2019re in the act of performing\/being.\u00a0 Next I would say the heart of the whole spot is here in the word sustainability, however I would also raise my inflection up higher on the word vocal, as it creates a leading sound\u2026.it creates expectation on the part of the listener.\u00a0 It makes us perk up (thinking\u2026vocal about what?!).\u00a0 Next I would choose limited and by hand.\u00a0 I think Appalachian families are important, and we\u2019ll still hear it no matter what, but the exact execution of that sustainability they were promising comes in the form of the \u201climited\u201d and \u201cby hand\u201d points they\u2019re making.\u00a0 The last point in that sentence comes in the word more.\u00a0 It can\u2019t be vocal, because we\u2019ve already made that point.\u00a0 It\u2019s redundant.\u00a0 As was just saying that.\u00a0 The last line before the product is mentioned may break some rules.\u00a0 It reads like a tag line, and that usually means they\u2019re making their biggest, most memorable point.\u00a0 The most impactful here if made to choose would be plant and better, because it sums things up in a concise cause and effect manner.\u00a0 Let\u2019s explore more possibilities with this ad for Naturtint:<\/p>\n Unlike most dyes, Naturtint\u2019s ground-breaking formula brings maximum color and shine to your locks without harsh chemicals like ammonia and resorcinol.\u00a0 Enriched with natural ingredients like non-GMO corn, oat, and soy, Naturtint provides strength and vitality to even the most damaged hair.\u00a0 With 29 exclusive shades, what color will you choose?<\/p>\n First keyword here is most, as they are setting up a comparison.\u00a0 Next would be Naturtint, \u00a0maximum, and without.\u00a0 It obvious we are speaking about color and shine when we are speaking of hair dye, but THEIR dye brings out the MAXIMUM effect.\u00a0 Same goes for the chemicals.\u00a0 There are common chemical culprits in the world of hair dyes, and the benefit to using their dye is that you don\u2019t have them(without!). I ignored empty promises like ground-breaking in favor of the RESULTS of that formula.\u00a0 Same would go for the next sentence \u2013 I would favor the actual ingredients over the promise of \u201cnatural ingredients\u201d \u2013 non-GMO corn, oat, and soy.\u00a0 Then it would be strength, vitality, and perhaps damaged.\u00a0 Lastly, \u00a0we have 29 and exclusive (every dye company offers shades), and then (rule breaker alert!) YOU.\u00a0 The reason is that color is a given, as we know, and choices are obvious given the \u201c29\u201d, so by default you can assume they just want to draw the listener in and give them ownership of this possibility.<\/p>\n For one more example of keyword dissection, as well as an understanding of what else it takes to nail a voiceover performance, check this out:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/?p=80<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you want to book voice over jobs, you need more than just a pretty voice.\u00a0 Way more.\u00a0 Acting chops.\u00a0 Good timing.\u00a0 Articulation (but not too much).\u00a0 And an understanding of the voiceover script.\u00a0 This tells the writer or producer that you GET IT.\u00a0 How exactly will they \u201chear\u201d that you \u201cget\u201d the script?\u00a0 You […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[19,8,7,6,14,11],"class_list":["post-432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-voice-over-gurus-blog","tag-voice-acting","tag-voice-over","tag-voiceover","tag-voiceover-auditions","tag-voiceover-strategy","tag-voiceover-technique"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=432"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":433,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432\/revisions\/433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceovergurus.com\/guru_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}