The rate card is great, but sometimes, clients want to get charged some other way. When it comes down to it, you need to figure out what is a fair rate. I found this useful tool from freelanceswitch which offers a ready reckoner for figuring out what you should charge on an hourly basis.
We just got this very cute voicemail from Dominic Monot that put a smile on our faces. Have a listen.
Click here to listen
P is a rockstar. Not only does she look great in a dress, but she also keeps us on the right side of the law and afloat by looking after all the finances @ Piehole. Along the way we’ve picked up a few tips and tricks to help Voiceover Actors do the same thing. Questions we get asked all the time include
“When will I be paid by the advertising agency?”
“How much should I charge?”
“What do I do when people don’t pay up?”
We’ve put all our best answers together into this ebook financial special for your perusal. Have a look and tell us what you think.
J
We’ve started a new collaboration with advertising agencies in Dublin to promote creativity in radio advertising. Basically, we think that most radio ads come out sounding cr*p, and there’s no good reason Irish radio can’t be better. We’re launching a radio ad of the year competition - any ads can be entered, whether they ran on air or not. So start sending us your work. If you’re a VO, and did a gig recently - tell us. We’ll promote it on the blog. Watch this space.
It can be a pain in the *ss to put together - unless of course, you’re a computer nerd. Piehole are offering their customers a FREE personal website (i.e. yourname.com) when you upgrade to the piehole Ray plan.
YOUR OWN WEBSITE MEANS:
- having your own email address (you@yourname.com)
- being able to host your headshots, CV and demo in a professional setting
- having your own domain name
- being able to edit your own information whenever you like
Plus you’ll have all the benefits of being on the Ray Plan - premium listing for a year, plus biz cards etc etc for €499 per year. Email j@piehole.ie
So here we are at last night’s Net Visionary Awards. It was a blast. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted for us. We didn’t actually win, by the way. Just stole a real winner’s trophy for the pic. Thanks anyway.
(My mum made that dress for me. Anyone like a copy?)
but we rock!! We’ve just been shortlisted for a Net Visionary award!! Besides wanting loads of glory/gloating opportunity/bragging rites, etc, it’s also a great chance to get more publicity for the website - especially in the digital marketing space, as there are more and more voiceover opportunities opening up every day in this area. PLEASE HELP US CREAM THE OTHER GUYS AND VOTE HERE.
As a voiceover, you need to constantly market yourself. Or find ways and places to advertise on. All successful businesses advertise to attract new customers. You should do the same to get voice jobs. Even if you have an agent. I’ve already said this, but it stays true: the more people you have promoting you, the better.
So, trawl the web and register on as many directories as possible and also put your name/demo out there in the real world. Email people, call people and bribe people - do what you must.
You need to treat your VO work as a business and set an advertising budget.
The larynx works best when it is moist, like the inside of your mouth, so drink plenty of water, daily. 6 to 8 large glasses of water a day are usually recommended, especially for a voiceover. The thin mucus that lubricates your vocal folds (and your nose, throat and chest) depend on the water content of the body.
Without plenty of water it becomes thick and sticky. The vocal folds may become dryer and stiffer making them more vulnerable to damage through excessive or inefficient voice use. The sticky mucus can also cause irritation leading to coughing or throat clearing which may further damage the vocal folds.
And there’s nothing worse than trying to get a smooth read from a voiceover when they sound like the Sahara.
Today’s tip touches on a bit of a controversial area… aesthetics. Surely your face doesn’t matter when you’re in radio? J Well, weirdly enough, it does.
Make sure you have a decent photo on your business cards, and online profiles. People with photos get 5 times as many hits as those without! Don’t have a cheap-looking, homemade photo from the 1980s either. Get a fancy, black and white, professional one. There are some 20 buck professional photo deals out there… leave them. They look like 20 bucks.
