Over the years, I’ve received copy from radio salespeople, clients, copywriters and others trying to convey their inner most, poetic salesmanship. The authors wrote on radio, 18-line templates, many times in the wrong sized font, trying to squeeze in more info into a 30 or 60 second spot that was waaaay outside the law of ridiculousness.

I’ve been tossed legal pad versions with crossed-out lines. I’ve had some try and send me emails that were formatted improperly, which turned into gobblety-gook. I’ve even received scripts written on napkins from the corner bar. Who hasn’t?

My point here today is to share some facts that by now we all show know, but some effective new info has come to pass, I wanted to share, to make your copy stand out from the rest and show you know how to write for a VO.

* Forget the 18 line radio template. Align your text to the left margin and each sentence (one thought) is one line, then start a fresh next line.

* Use 14 -20 point fonts. 14 is the most utilized to enable the VO to read copy more effectively.

* Ever since we first started reading books, newspapers, magazines, etc., guess what was the most used font style? Times New Roman. So, our brains learned to comprehend that style all through our lives. And it only makes sense to use TNR as your basic font style, since our brains already understand it and are conditioned to read it more effectively.

* Finally, use Word Count to get the proper amount of words into your script. For 60 seconds, here are the standard word counts to consider: 120 wc for slow, methodical, biblical reads, 150 wc for standard conversational reads. 160-165 wc for nicely paced informational reads. 170-200 wc for fast-paced car spots.

Remember: the less wordage you use, allows the script to breathe. Give your voiceover a chance to emphasize words, show attitude/personality for each specific problem/solution your copy may try to solve. And don’t forget, a pause, is the most effective way to get attention. Bringing your voice to a stop and then follow-thru, garners the attention of the listener. It’s a real secret trick for good writers. (check out the 2nd spot on my Commercial Demo – see if you don’t agree)

What are some of your ideas that have helped you to make your scripts more effective? Love to hear your input. Till then –30–

We know it’s a new year and a new decade. So, is it time to re-evaluate and plot a new course as our industry evolves? In a word, YES, if you don’t want to get passed by.

Our VO industry is changing. Clients are finding voice “talents” that are willing to work with Fiverr standards. Well, ya get what you pay for. Right? I’ve heard from a variety of clients who say, out of the 100 auditions for a job, from one of the Pay-2-Play sites, 80% of the quality of the audio was frightfully bad. Out of the remaining 20%….10% had quality sound, but talent was below par and the last 10% were decent. However, when you’re going through 100 auditions and the quality is so shaky, you begin to lose the will to live. Aaaaggghh!

Over my adult career, commercial broadcast work was my bread and butter up until the late 90’s. Along came narrative projects, eLearning, movie trailers, video games, voices for toys, telephony, (IVR), etc. So many more items have needed our voiceover skills as each day passes. Many voice actors are now adding Audiobook work as part of their repertoire. Add in Messages-On-Hold, In-Store TV Networks, Training videos, cable TV programs, retail check-out scanning prompts, corporate training… the list goes on and on.

Seems like every day there is a new voice item being added to our ever-growing list of potential voice work. I am still supporting my regular clients that send me commercial broadcast and MOH projects, but I’m finding eLearning and Explainer videos have become my favorite forms of voice expression.

Our jobs, as the mouthpiece representing various clients with their variety of products, is an exciting and creative avenue to our ever-changing world, where a human voice is needed to communicate. True, artificial intelligence (AI) has raised its ugly head as an alternative to a live human voice, but a real human voice is still the de-facto majority.

What form of voiceover do you do best? What category excites you? Do your homework and find out who these clients are. LinkedIn is a great place to run category searches. (Thank you Tracy Lindley) Find out all you can about them. Their website, their latest news, their latest products that have gotten press. So many things you can learn about a potential client. Appeal to their love of their company and show genuine interest. That goes a long way if you are as excited about their news as they are.

As one of my favorite motivational people says, “GO GET IT!” _{(Thank you Corey Dissin)}