Online marketplaces for voiceover work, also known as pay-to-play sites (P2Ps), provide an invaluable opportunity for voice talent of all levels in the modern era and are now THE go-to place for Voice Actors to find work. While there are many options, both paid and free, there is one that tends to stand above the rest both because of the access to jobs Voice Actors have and its two million users, and that’s Voices.com. Voices has the largest pool of talent and clients of any online marketplace for voice talent.

It’d be great if talent could sign up, audition, and immediately get jobs, but that’s simply not how things work. It takes many auditions and a solid profile to set yourself up for success on the site. While these tips are specific to Voices, many of them can apply to other P2Ps.

So, here are my top 10 tips for making the best voice talent profile on Voices.com.

1. Completely fill out your profile

If you click the Voices logo after you log in, you can see the progress you’ve made on your profile under “My Profile Checklist.” Click the suggestions and complete them. Profiles that are complete do better on average than those that aren’t.

This is particularly true for the number of auditions you’ll see available to you. Be sure you have selected all the skills, voice ages, languages, and accents you can authentically do well in your profile and when you tag your uploaded demo samples. Fill out each of these sections up to the maximum options allowed, if you can. The more you have filled out here, the more auditions you’ll see listed daily. And the more auditions you send, the more work you’ll get, which leads to more options and work you’ll have to add to these sections later on.

2. Be honest about everything you post

While no one really knows if you have a specific mic or a home studio, if you say you do, and you get hired, and you DON’T have the tech or software you’ve listed, this will play out poorly for you. So, rather than fake it til you make it, be honest and make it authentically.

3. Maximize the amount of text you publish

So many talents don’t utilize all of the places where text can be added to its full extent. In your profile under sections like “Overview” in the “Personal Info” portion and “Service Overview” under “Voiceover Services,” you have 500 and 1000 characters at your disposal, respectfully. Use all of them! Talk about the styles you can offer, your vocal range, and anything else you can think of that works as a keyword when clients go to search for talent. Voices has resources on this as well so check those out on their site.

4. Choose a high-quality profile picture

This may seem obvious, but no one wants to see a picture of you and your dog here. We know it’s cute, but your profile is all about you and your work so include a nice, high-quality photo of you looking at the camera. If you don’t have a professional headshot, that’s fine, just a nice, quality photo of you will do.

You may ask, "W**hy does this matter if it’s for voiceover? No one cares what I look like. I’m being hired for my voice." While this is true, we all like to humanize our work and other people. Putting a face to a voice could give a client who is on the fence the nudge to hire you because, even though they don’t know you, they can get to know you a little more by seeing your face. I’ve had a couple of clients tell me they chose me over another good talent for projects because they thought my profile pic looked professional and they felt I’d take their project seriously. So, don’t doubt the power of a good profile picture, especially in a professional online space.

5. Upload good-quality demos

Many clients looking to hire voice actors will search the talent database based on the specifications of each project. So, if a client is looking for a "relatable voice between the ages of 18-35 years old," and your demo comes up first but has an echo or isn’t edited for mistakes, breaths, the client will most likely stop listening to your demo and keep searching for an actor who has a better quality demo that matches what they’re looking for.

Here’s the deal - if you are unsure if your demo is up to snuff, ask a seasoned Voice Actor friend or colleague, someone you trust who has the experience and will be honest with you, to review your demo and offer feedback. This is mostly relevant if you have a self-produced demo and want to get your foot in the door with voiceover. But high-quality audio is an absolute must to be successful on this platform and in voiceover.

6. Publish demo samples that directly reflect the audio you’ll submit to clients

First thing first, get real about your setup.

Do you have a decent mic? Are your settings properly set up? Be sure to test your sound to be sure any lack of momentum when it comes to getting hired isn’t because of your recording setup. It’s way better to take the time to assess your studio now than later when you’ve spent a ton of time auditioning.

My rule of thumb is to provide an audition not only based on what the client is asking for in the project description but also to be sure the audio submitted is exactly like what I would submit for the final project. I.e., Edited out breaths, mistakes, etc., and with a little EQ to polish it off.

If you aren’t super familiar with your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) or how EQ works, do some research, and I’d even recommend taking a class if you’re still unsure. Tim Tippets is a great resource for quality voiceover audio for Adobe Audition, and he’s referred to as the VO Tech Guru, and Mike Russell at Music Radio Creative is an Adobe Audition expert.

7. Offer single demos per voice type or character

If you have a single demo with multiple spots, that’s fine, but it’s extremely prudent and helpful to have single spots in multiple audio files uploaded in the demos section of your profile as well; it puts you at a better chance of being found through the talent database organically.

8. Label each demo sample thoroughly and accurately

For each sample you upload, you can tag up to 10 different styles portrayed in your demo and up to five roles. If you have multiple samples, you can get even more specific about the type of style, role, and age your sample is showcasing, giving you more of a chance to be found. Your demo samples directly influence the kinds of jobs and amount of jobs you’ll see in your auditions list. If you label your samples completely and with relevant terms, you’ll be way more competitive on the platform and have more job opportunities coming your way every day.

9. Listen to the uploaded demo samples of other talents

This may seem odd or even… scary! But don’t fret. This is actually a strategic way to see not only how other Voice Actors set up their profiles on Voices, but the types of demo samples they’ve uploaded, what they sound like, how they’ve labeled their samples, etc. I listen to many other talent demos for inspiration in my work regarding producing demos for other Voice Actors, insight into how I might deliver an audition or script I’m working on, and so much more. This is a valuable technique for any Voice Actor wanting to up their game. It also allows us to hear and see how we fit into the vast voiceover landscape among other people doing the same things we are.

10. Audition as much as you can

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s proven to be pivotal in my career and so many others because so much voiceover, and a lot of freelance work in general, is a numbers game. I recently spoke with another Voice Actor on my podcast, and she mentioned that when she coaches talent, one of the first questions she asks when they say they aren’t getting any work is, “How many auditions do you submit per day?” When they say 3-5, she knows exactly where to start their coaching because successful voice talent, especially on pay-to-plays, audition for at least 15-20 auditions per day. It seems like a lot initially, but this is the only way to start putting yourself out there fully and get some stats under your belt like your booking ratio (jobs you audition for vs. jobs you’re hired for).

Something that's really helped me get into the right mindset when it comes to auditioning is something I once heard an actor say, “Audition until it’s no longer special.” It doesn’t mean that we find our profession boring or that any single audition doesn’t mean something to us, it’s just the opposite: it means that if we want work and we enjoy what we do, we should be auditioning every day to the point where it is a normal part of our daily routine and not an exception to it. Voice Actor, Dani States, shared with me on my podcast, “If you don’t like auditioning, don’t be a Voice Actor.”

To wrap up

Pay-to-play sites are the new agent for what I term the New Wave of Voice Actors. They offer global opportunities for voice talent at all levels, which can’t be beaten. Remember, you gotta keep showing up to have a chance at a piece of the pie. A few auditions here or there won’t cut it. The competition is too massive and fierce, but if you take these tips and use them for your Voices profile, with consistent auditioning, I promise you will see results.

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