Why you really shouldn’t panic buy a Voiceover

Yes yes, there’s been plenty of posts about telling you not to panic buy – meaning DO panic buy.. This isn’t one of those.

BREATHE

The UK is (for various reasons – pick your favourite) once again having a bit of a panic. Lack of drivers means that supplies of fuel to petrol stations are very limited.

Everyone needs their fuel for their cars for their own reasons, I’m not here to argue about who shouldn’t get their petrol as a priority but what I am here to say is we are pretty good at creating our own panics.

Panics lead to poor decision making.

When we get ourselves into this flight or fight mentality it means we are reacting rather than responding. Rarely was a considered decision made this way.

The decision to hire a Voiceover artist is in general a good one – which of course I endorse – but it’s not one to make in a panic.

Hiring in a panic means that you maybe haven’t considered all aspects of what you actually NEED.. the decision as to whether your project requires a male of female Voiceover Artist isn’t enough to make sure you get what the project needs.

Take your time to consider your audience, what do THEY need to make them respond, take action and get on board with your story?

If you need a VO with an accent – take time to find the VO artist who can deliver that accent for you perfectly.

If you need a Voiceover with their own studio – take time to check out their studio.. is it actually a studio or a bad sounding space that you’ll hear on your recording for years to come?!

Voiceovers with good studios are always happy to talk about it with clients – I even have a camera in my booth hooked up to Zoom so you can see it!

Panic buying a Voiceover also means that you aren’t likely to shop around – you’re more likely to settle with the first VO you come across that roughly meets your brief.

Take time to shortlist a few, get them to send you a sample (I’m always happy to do this) and have a listen to how they handle your script – as well as their existing reels.

Making the right considered decision about hiring a Voiceover Artist means that your content will stand the test of time with your audience – you’ll be as happy with it in the months to come as you are relived to receive a recording.

This way, you are saving yourself the time and money that might be required to get the VO recorded again when the heat has gone out of the panic. EEK.

There will often be pressure to hire a voice with a tight turnaround time.

This is perfectly normal and everyday for VO Artists who work full time in their studios, in fact, it’s part of my job to make sure I can get your file back to you within your deadline (yes, some days are totally crazy).

Without the panic.

So, keep calm, don’t panic buy a Voiceover, otherwise your panic purchase may come back to haunt you!

Clare is a full time British female Voiceover Artist based in her own lovely studio in Kent and also working in studios in London. She likes calm.