Introduction
Whether you are in marketing or are simply an ordinary consumer, you probably hear voices in your head sometimes, voices from a video or advertising that struck you to the heart. People as customers form an extremely emotional attachment to voices associated with their favorite brand. This connection is very difficult to break, even over time.
It’s really a challenge and to obtain that effect is an immense talent. Today, we are going to study the matter a bit and share some tips on how to choose the right voice over artist for an explainer video. After all, the right voice essentially becomes the voice of your brand – one that can make or break the video. According to TechSmith investigation, more than 25% of viewers watch a video until the end because of good audio. What is more, visuals supplemented with high-quality voice overs make the message more influential. The table below demonstrates this.
So, let’s check how a proper voice over for an explainer video can help you speak directly to your audience and establish long-lasting relationships that will pay dividends for years to come 📣
Summary:
- What Is an Explainer Video Voice Over
- Tips to Consider when Hiring Voice Actors for Explainer Videos
- Final Thoughts
- Our Experience
What is an Explainer Video Voice Over
As a reminder, an explainer video is a universal video aimed at increasing conversions during the first three stages of a sales funnel: awareness, consideration, and decision.
Generally, such a video clip is usually 1-3 minutes long and tells what problem a product solves, how it does it, what user pains it closes, what benefits it has. An explainer video calls the viewers to a certain action which is why it’s important to take at least 2 perception concepts into consideration: visual (animation and graphics) and audio (voice-over, music, SFX). Choosing the right explainer video voice over can make your clip more engaging and add color and emotion to the story.
Let’s define what a voice over actually is. It’s a technique used in radio and television production, film making, and presentations when a voice is needed. There are synchronous and asynchronous voice overs. The former is set on top of the video being recorded in advance, dubbing it at times, while the latter explains the story displayed. However, both variants allow you to add a personal touch to your video explainer through the audio recording.
The key function of a voice over is to provide information, set a certain rhythm to the story, and attract the viewer’s attention to what is happening. It reveals the essence of the whole clip: its plot, as well as its visual range. In fact, voice over accompanies what is happening in the video, but usually does not demonstrate an emotional component.
At the same time, voice overs engage the viewers and allows them to better understand and trust the new product or service that is described in a video. When a voice is confident and localized, the viewer can better trust your brand or product, and e more easily responds to a call to action (if the video contains it). In a sense, the viewer forms a certain connection between the brand and the voice over. It becomes especially noticeable when you have a series of videos or the voice is specific, attractive to the viewers somehow, etc.)
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Let’s now check how to choose a voice over artist for the explainer video.
Tips to Consider when Hiring Voice Actors for Explainer Videos
In hiring voice actors for explainer videos, you should aim to find a narrator who will make a long-lasting impact on your audience and will become the voice of your brand.
To choose an ideal explainer voice over artist, consider the following 7 tips we have prepared.
1️⃣ Rating and feedback
If you are going to look for a skilled actor on Fiverr, or other similar platforms, pay attention to the artist’s rating and the feedback about his or her work. Top Rated and Top Sellers are those in demand.
2️⃣ Scope of Services
Check the scope of services a person offers in the gig and the answers to the following questions:
- Will the audio be cleaned of background noise?
- What file format will be provided (Should be .wav)?
- Is a proofread included?
- How many revisions are possible (1-2)?
- Who will own the commercial rights?
- What does the license cover (TV usage, or internet-only, etc.)?
👉 A quick tip – also pay attention to the average time an artist takes to respond.
3️⃣ Gender
Decide what gender you are seeking for your voice over. The majority of Blue Carrot clients tend to order female voice overs – women often sound softer and more compassionate, while the male voice sounds more authoritative and serious. What is more, the ideal gender is often determined by the target audience, the artist would better represent it to make a better connection with the viewers.
However, everything depends on the precise case and topic. Recently, a Blue Carrot team gave preference to a male voiceover artist for an explainer video about female violence to demonstrate that men are not indifferent, but care about the problem.
4️⃣ Language and Accent
Make sure that a voice over artist is a native speaker or close to it, and be certain to consider the accent as well. These 2 factors determine how well your audience will understand your video.
Our clients from the United States tend to choose actors with an American accent, while Europeans give preference to the British or neutral variant. If a client wants to appeal to a specific audience, a regional accent may be more appropriate. Narrative elements are as important as grammatically and phonetically correct interpretation.
👉 Anyway, while making your choice, you should keep the focus on the target audience and the theme of your video.
5️⃣ Demos and Samples
Check the demos the artist has, and determine if a candidate has experience with a wide range of variable voice work.
Outline the features and parts of samples, which you’d like to imitate in your project. Consider it a reference 📌
A professional should be able to give a range of samples where you can find parallels with your own project, product, or service. At this stage you can ask a narrator to make a recording of several sentences from your script, it’s free as a rule, however, it’s a good chance to get acquainted with an actor and to take the final decision whether to hire a candidate or not. Look for adaptability and flexibility in an actor.
6️⃣ Key Characteristics of Your Video
Select 2 or 3 adjectives that describe your future voice over tone and emotion most accurately. You can take confident, conversational, corporate, enthusiastic, for example, — these are the most usual characteristics we pay attention to. When choosing among different explainer video voice actors, watch out for the chosen characteristics in the first turn and select an artist whose voice best embodies those emotions.
7️⃣ Phonetic guide
In case your video script contains some specific terms, abbreviations, and numbers, you should share the phonetic guide with the potential voice over actors for the explainer video you plan to produce. It increases your chances to get a good voice over from the first time.
When deciding how to voice over an explainer video, longevity is an important aspect to consider. Forming an emotional attachment with your target audience you need to see a bigger picture and think about a voice over artist who will be able to represent your brand in the long term as well. It’s an aspect worth to be discussed from the very start.
Final Thoughts
A properly made voice over is able to deliver your message to your audience correctly and professionally. However, choosing the right explainer voice over artist is important but challenging. We have shared some important tips above for those searching for a VO actor themselves. However, Blue Carrot provides a full cycle of video production: from just an idea to completed video creation. We take care of all the nuances and help you avoid the most common animation mistakes.
Mind also that a good voice can’t make up for a bad story and that some people may watch your video without sound. That’s why the originality and the quality of your video matter.
👉 A professional explainer video company, Blue Carrot can solve all these questions for you. We deliver best explainer video services and create an efficient animated video for your business marketing.
EXPLORE OUR CASE STUDIES:
🥕 Boosting sales for AUKA app with our minimalistic video
🥕 Stylish video for promoting DreamCo agency
🥕 Increasing landing page conversions with our video for Scrathpay startup
Our Experience
To give you an understanding of a perfect combination of the animation and the voice over, we’ve prepared some cases to share.
🔹 Touch-type-Read-and-Spell. – This case is characterized by a confident and calm voice-over that motivates to study the subject.
🔹 MyScrapNook.- This story is livened up with the different voice assigned to every character.
🔹 Onfo Revolution. – A deep voice used in this promo video case study underlines the plot’s tension. Pauses and SFX make an accent on the visual line dynamics, creating the overall specific video atmosphere.
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