One of the most underrated jobs in radio is that of the voice over artist. In fact, it even stretches beyond radio. Artists can feature in movie trailers, video game soundtracks, corporate training videos, television ads and beyond. Every ad break on the radio will contain a selection of voices, each discussing a product, an event or a shop. There is always work available and some artists have a full time career made out of it. Others do it as a freelancing gig to get a little extra cash.

To get a headstart in the business, listen to both radio and television. Notice the style, speed and tone the voice over artist uses. Of course, different adverts will have a different tone. Children’s toys won’t share the same excitement as a charity appeal. Try each of these styles and see which works best for your voice’s tone and pitch.

Practice the current ads on air, but also try some standard ones. If you search online, you’ll find some sample commercial scripts. Practice your own voice with these, and aim to cover other styles. Establish what type of voice over best suits you and concentrate on these.

One of the perks of this job is that it’s very much open in terms of who can get gigs. Some ads will feature young children and some will want older voices. It doesn’t matter if you sound young for your age or old for your age, your voice more than likely suits some type of advert.

Most voice over artists work from their own home studios while others go into stations to record. Setting up your own space would be a great help in getting work done for stations. Make sure to have a computer handy so radio stations can get in touch with you via email.

Like anything, showcasing yourself is very important. Design a website with information about you and your experience and some demos. There are also a number of websites that can list you as a contact available for work. Have a look online and try to join some of these forums.

When this crucial preparation stage is complete, it’s now time to get jobs. Make a demo tape and include a number of examples of what you do and what you’re best at. Then, send it out to as many places as you can. This includes both radio stations and production companies.

Afterwards, all you can do is wait for work to come in. Don’t get disheartened if you do not get anything immediately. It can take weeks or months for someone to get in contact with you. However, if they do it means they like your work and that they’ll consider you for many roles in the future.