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Tips for hiring the right voice over artist for the job


gracebjarnson

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I know that it can be hard for those looking for voice over talent to feel confident in their search, and make a decision on who to hire. Heck, the pros have the same challenge, even when they are spending ten times more on other sites. Here are a few suggestions on how to use fiverr to become more confident in your search.

1- CONSIDER THE SELLER’S RANKING ON FIVERR . Fiverr provides an opportunity for those just starting out in the business, with no experience whatsoever, but also for those who know what they are doing, and would be charging you 3 to 10 times more on any other site. The experienced ones who have been on fiverr and have proven their reliability, are going to charge more then $5. Each buyer has a status, or ranking posted on their profile. LEVEL ONE sellers have got their feet wet on the site, and have provided some good work. A LEVEL 2 seller should really know what they are doing, and have a lot of experience on fiverr. If your budget is tight, then look for those that are new on fiverr, but expect that a you are taking a chance. Some are just new to the site, but have a lot of talent and are dependable, while others are not. So if you try a newbie, (which I suggest you do for the heck of it every now and then ) and you get good results, then great! But recognize that you are trading money spent, for the risk. Those businesses who are looking for reliable results, look to someone who has earned a higher ranking.

2- PAY ATTENTION TO CUSTOMER REVIEWS. Someone recently asked if the customer reviews were legit on this site. He was skeptical because he saw a lot of “Great Experience” reviews. Yes, these reviews aren’t as helpful as those that are more descriptive. But that does not mean they are fake. Yes, a few people do hire someone to post great reviews for them. It’s unethical and sleazy. But realistically, they would only do that a few times, and then they better deliver, or others will post bad reviews. Most people work very hard for the reviews they get. It is very hard to get a customer to take the time to leave a review. And if they are a repeat customer, they may leave a similar review just to save time. I have one customer who has order over $1000 worth of jobs over several months, and they have still not left a review. So if you are worried about fake reviews, then think of the qualities you are looking for in your artist (expressive, quick, quality, etc.), and look to see if a variety of customers have made comments on that quality. P.S. This also highlights the importance of your review once you do hire someone. Take a minute to help other buyers understand what they will get from the seller.

3- MESSAGE THE SELLER. After you have narrowed your search to a few candidates, message them. Provide a brief description of the type of job, and word count. Ask them if this is something they feel they could do. Many voice over talents can’t really describe everything they can do in their gig. Maybe they have done a lot of character work, but don’t have a sample of that on their gig video. Don’t send messages to everyone, just the few you are considering. See how fast they respond, see if they are interested, see if they put a few minutes into understanding you or ask more questions. These are signs of what future dealing with this seller will be like. They will understand if you choose someone else. They can spend five minutes on a message. BUT DO NOT ASK FOR A FREE CUSTOM AUDITION! I have another post explaining why this is bad form on Fiverr. What you can ask for is a demo in the area your job is in. For example: “ I was wondering if you had an example of any other phone recording work you’ve done. If so, could you send me an example? ” That is completely legitimate. Those who are brand new on fiverr, and do not have a lot of recordings as examples, may be willing to record a few sentences for you free, but do not count on it.

4- ORDER A $5 CUSTOM AUDITION. Especially on larger jobs, you may want to make sure you have the right person for the job. So ask for a custom audition. Have them send you a custom offer, and you send them the script. They’ll pick out a paragraph to record. Communicate with them as if this was the real job. Help them understand the project. See how well you communicate with each other and learn each other’s language. I have another post about how to get the most out of the money you spend on fiverr. In it I talk about communication and the script, and how critical they are in getting the results you want. So, please try and make it easy for the artist to do their job well. They’ll send you the audition. If you would like adjustments send it back with more descriptions to help them understand what you are going for. See if they can change their approach to better suite your job. If they can’t , then it’s the wrong match and move on to your other prospects. It happens. We don’t all find the right fit right off the bat. It doesn’t mean they are a bad voice over artist, or that you are bad at finding talent. It’s part of the process.

5- POST A REQUEST. This is especially effective when you have specific needs. For example, you need a female voice over artist who can realistically imitate Betty Boop, and you need the voice over delivered within 24 hours. You don’t have the time to scour the site and still get the recording. So you go to the “Requests” tab at the top of your screen and click on “Post a Request” . Please do not skimp on the descriptions or the criteria section. Please include word count, and ask for a link to a reel, or demo they have in the same genre . You will have to cull through your responses, but it will be faster. And you will have a better chance of finding someone who can do the specific job. Remember to be specific so that you do not waste your time, or the talents time. Talent are only allowed to respond to 10 requests a day. So they may hesitate to respond if your request is too vague.
Again, once you discover some talent possibilities, then do your research on them. Look at their ranking, and adjust expectations accordingly. Look at their reviews. Message them, if necessary and see if they can do the job within your timeframe. This way you will have a better chance of having great results.

THANKS, AND MAY YOUR EXPERIENCE ON FIVERR BE AWESOME!

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