×

Customers

USA: +1 332 2131 466

UK: +44 (0)203 603 3676

sales@voquent.com

Talent

USA: 1 332 2131 466

UK: +44 (0)203 603 3676

talent@voquent.com

Guides

5 Steps to Optimise your Voquent Profile

Al Black

Al Black

11 April 2022

5 Steps to Optimise your Voquent Profile - Voquent

Optimising your profile will help you stand out from the crowd and make yourself easily discoverable for the top voice-over jobs.

TL;DR To fully optimise your profile for maximum visibility, use all of your Demo Sample allowance (65/65 Samples when backlinking to Voquent or 45/45 without a backlink), and add your best audio in various styles, tones, languages and more. Unlock and add 6/6 Reels and feature these among the top 6 in your list (your ‘featured’ Demos) to demonstrate your versatility.

There are many ways to get heard on Voquent, and this article will empower you with the information you need to get the most from the platform. First, let’s quickly explain how Voquent works for clients.

Dual search capability

Casting directors have two primary ways to conduct their search on Voquent.

Talent Search allows users to search for voices speaking any language in a target region or city location. For example: if you want a German-speaking voice in London, Talent Search makes it easy to find them. We include each talent’s top 6 featured Demos on their Talent Search profile.

Demo Search, in contrast, is all about searching for a specific set of vocal qualities and being able to listen to dozens of matching Demos. Auditions become unnecessary when users hear a vocal sound they like, saving everyone time. Demos offer talents the opportunity to rank in hundreds of search combinations.

Both search types empower users with a media play bar to quickly listen to Demos, and when they land on a Demo they like, they have instant access to the top six featured Demos by that talent in the media play bar. Casting has never been this easy or fast.

Every Demo is an opportunity for YOU.

Every Demo you add to your Voquent profile sells your voice-over skills and empowers you to reach clients looking for a specific vocal sound.

Just one of your Demos alone—which is unique to you—could prove highly lucrative to you and a client.

A combination of quality Demo Samples and Reels is essential to get selected for the best paying voice-over jobs.

Let’s look at the best ways to optimise your Voquent profile to increase your chances of being heard by clients worldwide.

Find voice over scripts for your Demo Samples and Reels.

 

1. Check your profile is accurate and use your full Demo allowance.

An outstanding portfolio of Demos that wows clients isn’t much use if our producers can’t get in touch with you! Believe it or not, this is a common problem. Please double check your contact details and keep them up to date to avoid missing out on opportunities!

You can edit the information using the tabs at the top left of your profile – navigate to the account & settings section.

Nativity, Gender, Year Started, Birthyear and Nearest City are locked after registration. If this info is incorrect, please email voices@voquent.com.

The Working information section details your experiences and skills, such as recording Time-Sync or Lip-Sync. Include a basic session rate (this is a ballpark figure that is only visible to our staff) to give us an idea of what you expect to be paid. Here you can also let us know if you are in a Union and whether or not you are open to non-union work.

Have a Home Studio? – Tell us! 

Filling out your home studio information in the Recording section of your profile page and listing your equipment and software will increase your ranking in Search! Some jobs require a fast turnaround, and others may not have the additional budget needed for studio hire. Your home studio can be a tremendous competitive advantage, but only if we know you have one!

If you have a home studio, we’ll verify it when we work with you for the first time, awarding you with a blue badge. Optionally, you can fast-track verification by ordering a dedicated engineer review.

Learn more about how to Get Voquent Verified >

Use your full Demo allowance

When you first register with Voquent, you can upload 45 Demo Samples. The importance of a strong line-up of Samples cannot be understated. The detailed attributes and qualities that are assigned to Samples specifically will vastly expand your visibility in searches site-wide in comparison to Reels.

Every Sample you upload makes you more discoverable in Demo search. Filling your profile with Demos in all your best styles and tones markedly increases your chances of being shortlisted.

If you work in a competitive language like American English, you will find it more challenging to attract attention if you don’t maximise your Demo allowance.

Update your sample portfolio regularly. If you’ve just finished working on something exciting and new, it might be the sound a casting agent needs! Additionally, voices who have added at least one Demo in the last six months will get a boost in the search rankings.

Try to find your samples using the Demo Search; remember to filter for the Sample’s language, accent, nativity, age and gender. This is a great way to check out the competition.

There’s also a chance that the Samples you’ve uploaded are less in demand. You can check how many plays/shortlists your Demos get in your profile. If a Demo isn’t getting played, likely, it’s not appearing high enough in search, or it contains attributes clients are not currently seeking.

Top Tip: You can also change the Sample picture to reflect the character, vibe or tone better to help your audio stand out in the search. Here’s an example.



2. Make sure you have Demos in all 12 Tones & 13 Styles

Tones

Voquent offers clients a searchable database of voice Demos, covering multiple genders, languages, accents, characteristics and, most crucially, vocal tones. Why focus on tones?

Tones are more important than styles because you can perform a tone across many styles. For example, a nurturing tone is valid for commercials, B2B and narrations alike. The tone is what producers and casting directors listen for when they browse Demos because they evoke a specific emotion in the audience.

Voquent offers 12 searchable tones in the advanced search filters. Here’s a list with synonyms to help describe the emotions behind each. Use these descriptions to help you match up your Demos before you upload them to your profile, and follow the links below to hear examples added by other voices:

Top Tip: The top tones for business / commercial projects are Authoritative, Conversational, Eloquent, Enticing, Inspiring, and Nurturing.

 

Styles

Whilst we prioritise having a broad range of Tones, it’s good to have Demo content in the most frequently searched Styles: Promotional/Commercial, B2B, Explainer, Education, IVR/Guide, and Host/Announcer.

This is vital if you work in more competitive markets such as American Standard English or British English/RP. When Search returns an abundance of results, casting agents are more likely to use advanced filters like Style and Tone.

 

  • B2B – Internal corporate videos, B2B Presentations, B2B Sales promotions
  • Characters – Animations, Video games, Audio drama
  • Documentary – TV, Radio or Internet Documentary, Factual Reporting of a specific subject
  • Education – E-learning course, Educational Application, Training Video, Teaching aids
  • Explainer – Product or Service Explanation, Whiteboard Animation, Brand identity
  • Guide/IVR – Telephone Interactive Voice Response systems, On-Hold Messages, Tour guides, Step-by-Step instructions, Guided experiences
  • Host/Announcer – Event host, Presenter, Passenger/In-store/Public Service announcements
  • Narration – Audiobook, Fictional podcast, Audio Series, Storyteller, Autobiography
  • News Anchor, Reporter, Newsreader, Broadcaster, Bulletin, Weather report
  • Promotion/Commercial – Selling, TVC, Internet Advert, Radio Advert, Video marketing
  • Singing – Any content where singing is the main focus of the Demo
  • Comedy – Any content where being humorous is the primary function of the Demo
  • Impressions – Impressions of historical figures or celebrities

Remember: If you want to receive work requests for character parts, impressions, singing or fictional audiobook narration, you need to demonstrate that you can perform in these styles by adding appropriate Demos.

Top Tip:  Ensure your Samples and Reels are tagged accurately. Every piece of information on Demos is searchable, and if they are not correctly tagged, they won’t get heard!

 

3. Include Demos of all the languages or accents you fluently speak

Most experienced voice-over talents can authentically deliver performances in at least two accents. That figure will likely be even higher if you’re bilingual or multilingual.

As you can appreciate, clients will typically choose a genuine native speaker over someone who can ‘approximate’ an accent.

In contrast, please DON’T upload Demos in languages you can’t speak fluently (unless it’s clearly for Comedy or an Impression).

Clients want to hear authentic pronunciations, and for this reason, we will reject inauthentic Demos.

Top Tip: We’ve got hundreds of accent combinations for the principal languages. Stand out from the crowd by adding Demos in authentic regional accents too. For example, an American voice based in Alabama, USA, could upload Demos in General (Standard) American and General Alabama (Southern) accents – as long as both sound authentic to natives.

 

4. Get more Demo slots and unlock Reels

If you’ve run out of space for Demos, get another 20 Demo Sample slots by linking to your Voquent profile from your website or social media and email the Talent Manager (voices@voquent.com). At no cost, we’ll increase your Demo Sample allocation to 65.

Additionally, if you have a minimum of 15 approved Samples or a Voquent Verified home studio, you can upload up to 6 Reels. Maximise both allowances and update your profile regularly with your best Demo Samples and Reels.

Top Tip: Voices with 45 Demos on their profiles get 697% more views than voices with five or fewer Samples.

 

5. Featured Demos are a great way to demonstrate your versatility

Your Featured Demos are the first 6 Samples or Reels on your profile.

Featured Demos also appear on your profile in Talent Search and are playable in Demo Search via the media play bar. They can play the featured Demos by selecting them under the timeline in the play bar. Don’t waste this opportunity to impress!

Quickly seal the confidence of customers by arranging your best Reels and Samples in your top six.

Top Tip: Remember, you can easily re-order your Demos by dragging and dropping them in place.

 

FAQs

Q: Will background music on my Demos help me get more work?

A: For your Reels, yes. You want top-notch music and sound effects, but the background soundtrack isn’t always necessary for Samples. Clients often tell us they want to hear your voice on its own (dry). The reason is that they might want to test your ‘dry’ recording (audio without effects) against the music they’re planning to use for the project. Having a background track interferes with that. We recommend keeping it low in the mix if your tracks include music, so your voice pops and isn’t diluted by other sounds.

Q.How long should my Samples and Reels be?

A: Our Recommendations are as follows:

  • Samples: 30-45 seconds duration, 4Mb file size maximum
  • Reels: 2-3 minutes duration, 10Mb file size maximum

However, the average client will listen to only a few seconds before deciding to listen to more or hit next. Keep this in mind and start speaking immediately. The truth is that casting directors are busy people and simply don’t have the time or patience to listen to music for the first 10 seconds – they’ll just skip your Demo. Make the start of each Demo awesome, and you’ll vastly increase your chances of getting shortlisted.

Please remember the above is only guidance. We will accept Demos of longer duration if they are within the 4Mb file size limit for Samples and the 10Mb file size limit for Reels.

Q: Can Voquent edit my Samples for me?

A: Yes. But we do have a charge for that (because we receive hundreds of Demos every day). If you’d like to use our Demo editing service, please email voices@voquent.com.

Q.Can I get paid more on Voquent jobs if I do all the editing/post-production?

A: Sorry, no. We already have experienced full-time engineers working here. We love a clean audio file delivery, but not all voice-over talents have the equipment or time to do an edit to our quality standards. Plus, if you were to raise your rates to incorporate this work, you may price yourself out of a job.

Q: I’ve won awards for my voice-over skills. Why aren’t I winning more jobs on Voquent?

A: That’s great! Awards certainly give artists a sense of recognition and personal pride – and are an excellent marketing tool. But unfortunately, they aren’t a vital deciding factor for the clients using Voquent. It’s about whether you’ve got the right voice for their project, which makes optimising your profile with your best Demos is the best way to get jobs on Voquent.

Q: I’ve followed Voquent’s guidance and filled out my profile with Demo Samples and Reels. Why am I not getting jobs?

A: The voice-over industry is highly competitive, and there are more practising voice artists in the world today than ever before. It is impossible to guarantee work. Some voices may be lucky enough to have a trending style/tone combination which means they get booked immediately. But even those who’ve enjoyed immense success in the industry and have a diverse array of Demo Samples and Reels may wait longer.

Here are a few reasons why this might be:

  • Competition is fierce. Use niches: Voquent offers voice-overs in over 600+ languages and 250+ countries. So, there’s a lot of competition for jobs requiring standard accents in popular languages. Try uploading additional Samples with authentic regional accents to appear in more searches and stand out.
  • Your Samples or Reels don’t use the top styles: Commercial, Business and Narration styles offer you the best chance to get heard. If your profile is too character-focused, you’re unlikely to get many commercial or corporate work opportunities, where most of the jobs (and money) are.
  • Your profile is out of date: Keep your profile updated. If you’ve got great new Demo Samples or Reels, upload them to Voquent asap. Frequently updating your profile will make your Demos appear higher in search, increasing your chances of getting shortlisted.
  • You speak a rarer language or accent: Not every language or accent is highly sought-after by our clients. It doesn’t mean we don’t get jobs in these dialects, but there are fewer to go around. On the flip side, you’ll probably have less competition for the job than in popular languages.
  • Voquent is still new: in comparison to many old, established sites and agencies, we remain a relative newcomer to the industry, launching in mid-2018, and we’re still getting the word out to customers worldwide.

We do not advocate relying solely on Voquent for work opportunities. The worldwide web is a big marketplace with many places to advertise your skills. Given the competitive nature of the industry, it’s always best to get the word out to all the top sites. Our 101 Voice-Over Websites list will help to get you started.

 

 

Understanding Your Visibility to Clients on Voquent

Al Black

By Al Black

Al has over twenty years of experience in audiovisual translations. A Voquent co-founder, he has produced tens of thousands of voice-overs and translations for education, advertising and entertainment projects.

More from this author

What Will It Cost to Dub My Content?

Production

What Will It Cost to Dub My Content?

By Al Black

1 February 2024

The Top 10 Translation Companies in the US & UK

Guides

The Top 10 Translation Companies in the US & UK

By Al Black

6 October 2023

Sometimes we include links to online retail stores such as Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, if you click on a link and make a
purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Read more from the Voquent Blog

Audiobooks vs Reading: Riding the Literary Waves

Ideas

Audiobooks vs Reading: Riding the Literary Waves

By Megan MacBride

13 March 2024

How to Make Explainer Videos: The Ultimate Video Editing Guide for 2024

Production

How to Make Explainer Videos: The Ultimate Video Editing Gui...

By Victoria Greywing

12 March 2024

How to Start a Podcast Like a Pro

Guides

How to Start a Podcast Like a Pro

By Talha Nisar

26 February 2024

How to Become a Video Game Voice Actor: Advice from a AAA Voiceover Director

Guides

How to Become a Video Game Voice Actor: Advice from a AAA Vo...

By Dylan de Koning

19 February 2024

The Problem with YouTube CPM: Discover the REAL High-Earning Languages

Production

The Problem with YouTube CPM: Discover the REAL High-Earning...

By Dylan de Koning

15 February 2024

Why Animated Marketing Videos Work: Insights From a Video Production Studio

Production

Why Animated Marketing Videos Work: Insights From a Video Pr...

By Tim Aleksandronets

13 February 2024