ARE YOU GETTING READY FOR THE RUNWAY…OR RUNNING AWAY?

A new month…a new reminder. What are you planning to do this month to market yourself? What did you do last month? If the answer is…uh…ah…um…nothing, don’t waste time feeling guilty—move; do something…right now! Like what? Glad you asked…

If you’ve been procrastinating about on putting up that website, start working on it tonight. (You can always DVR Idol, if you really must.) Start mapping it out. Think about what it will look like; what you should include and what to skip. If you haven’t looked at other voice actors’ website lately, take some time to do that. Find ones you like: that are super-easy to navigate, and match up well with the talent’s voice and style. Bookmark those. If you’re going to need technical help with the website, do some research, call some friends, or put a post up on Facebook to let everyone know that you are looking for a good, reasonably-priced web designer. (You’ll probably get a few good leads that way.)

If Sam has told you that you’re at the point where you’re close to doing your demo, e-mail or call to find out the next steps you need to take to set the process in motion. In the meantime, start going through your copy to look for scripts that showcase your strengths. And if you don’t know what your strengths are, you need to start figuring it out NOW. (A good place to start is with your fellow voice actors. You may be surprised by what others think you do well.)

If you’re looking for representation in other markets, start googling around and look at the websites of voiceover agents in other locales. Listen to the quality of their talent and the types of actors they represent and consider whether you would really be a good match. If yes, look up their submission guidelines and find out if they accept solicitations from out of town talent (more and more agencies do nowadays.) By the way, if you submit, make sure you follow their submissions instructions to the letter. Many agents use this as a basis for weeding out applicants—if actors can’t follow simple rules, they’re not interested.

Have you looked at craigslist or other casting websites to see if any voiceover jobs have been posted recently? If you’re not on Voice 1-2-3 or Voices.com, find out what you need to do to get yourself listed and do it, if you’re interested.

That should help get you started, and there are many other self-projects you can come up with if you try.

If any of you have any interesting or helpful stories to share about your marketing efforts, we’d love to hear them. Please email them to voicetrax@voiceover-training.com.