Voiceovers is quickly becoming one of the best ways to support and deliver messages to an audience online. Not only do listeners become familiar with your expertise but they are also introduced to a brand’s personal style and delivery. Voiceovers also falls nicely into the exercise of acquiring expertise and giving it away as a strategy for becoming a recognized expert in your field. All in all, voiceovers are a great way to position yourself as an authority and find an audience of people interested in exactly what you have to offer.
In another article we’ll discuss the tools necessary to begin voiceovers. You can find that article by visiting my website or viewing my author profile. As a quick summary, you’ll need a microphone with a foam-rubber pop filter, an RSS hosting account and you’ll need some recording software. None of this stuff costs a lot of money and you can get the basics setup easily within an hour or two.
This article will discuss the steps involved in recording your very first voiceover. Keep in mind I went through this entire process in only a few hours when I first got started. I discovered voiceovers on the same day that I recorded and posted my very first one. I say that to assure you it’s just not that hard if you put your head down and get it done. But with the following tips, you’ll also save some time down the road.
The first thing you should do is write an outline for the first 20 voiceovers you want to introduce. That might seem pretty daunting at first but don’t be intimidated just yet. I’m talking about a title and 3 or 4 bullet points for each voiceover; nothing fancy. The idea is to get an idea how your expertise will unfold in the series. Each voiceover should build on previous voiceovers, allowing your audience to learn in a chronological way. It also encourages them to subscribe to your series, automatically receiving future voiceovers as they become available. And by the way, I would plan on posting one voiceover each week if possible.
The second step involves scripting out your first voiceovers. You should already have an outline and this step requires you beef it up enough to begin recording. For some people (including me), I actually write out the entire voiceover as a Word document. Your task is to get your thoughts organized. Often, once I’m finished typing it all in, I go back and add paragraphs where additional explanation is necessary. But this may not be required for everyone. You might be able to speak freestyle with only a few notes in front of you.
I actually have the Word document open on my laptop screen with the microphone plugged into the front, allowing me to read along as I make my recording. It’s good to know the length of your voiceovers ahead of time to stay in control of your time. Your speaking rate might be about 145 words per minute so a 2800-word voiceover might take you about 19 minutes to record.
Once you’ve made your recording, upload the MP3 file to your RSS hosting account and then register the feed URL with iTunes.. You’ll need an account to submit your feed, but it’ll only take you a minute or two. Also find a platform that can syndicate your voiceovers to save time from going to each platform and uploading them individually.
Voiceovers is nice because listeners will find you all on their own. Now, if your content is weak, they’ll abandon you as quickly as they joined. But if you have good content, you’ll be surprised how quickly you develop an audience. Want thousands of visitors and service request and a fascinating journey; a journey that can completely change your life.
