As a freelance voiceover artist, one of the most important things you can focus on is learning how to set your voiceover rates. This includes becoming familiar with industry standard rates, quoting your services appropriately, and making sure you’re never undercharging or overcharging for the work you will do. Being both a savvy business person and a skilled voiceover artist will increase the likelihood that you will work consistently and make lasting connections with clients in the industry.
Key Takeaways:
- Set rates that indicate that you know your worth as an artist.
- Quoting within the industry standard increases your ability to book quality voiceover jobs.
- Knowing the industry standard rates can boost your confidence as a professional.
- Learning how to properly quote and negotiate will help you recognize when a client is undercutting you.
- Quoting and negotiating is part of the voiceover industry, and all artists should be comfortable doing both.
It’s likely that you’re seeking this information because you have a great foundation of voiceover training and are ready to book more professional work! Most voiceover coaches like me always recommend starting by familiarizing yourself with the GVAA Rate Guide and Gravy For The Brain. These are two valuable resources that will help you start getting to know the industry standard rates for various jobs in the voiceover world. I always recommend starting with these because there are other online guides that suggest much lower rates, and that can be super confusing to voiceover artists and the clients that book them.
Categories to know…
Most voiceover jobs (outside of animation and video games) generally fall into two usage categories. Understanding them can help you quote properly when communicating with clients. Commercial voiceover jobs are for TV, radio, or online/digital broadcast with the express purpose of advertising. Non-broadcast voiceover jobs include internal or organic content that is not used in paid advertising, even when it sometimes promotes a product or service. Once you are familiar with these categories, you can ask yourself the following questions to prepare yourself to quote properly.
Questions to consider before providing a quote:
- What type of project is it?
- How many scripts are there?
- How will the audio be used?
- How long will it be used for?
- Is there an exclusivity requirement?
My opinion on voiceover jobs and rates is that everything is negotiable. You should, of course, always be prepared for a client to say no to your requests, but you get to decide what you will and won’t agree to when it comes to rates and usage.
Tips for setting rates as a freelance voiceover artist:
As I mentioned above, it’s so important to familiarize yourself with industry standard rates. If you’re not informed, it makes it easier for potential clients to undercut you without your awareness, and we definitely don’t want that!
And it’s not that clients are even trying to sell you short; many of them truly don’t know standard rates for voiceover jobs, so it’s crucial that you know. This will give you the confidence to build your case by demonstrating your value and showcasing exactly what you bring to the table as an artist.
At every possible opportunity, practice your delivery and negotiation skills and decide in advance what you are and are not willing to accept. What is your bottom line as an artist? Be confident in it and always get everything in writing!
If a client isn’t willing to work with you on your preferred budget and terms, get comfortable walking away. Just because a job has been offered to you doesn’t mean you need to do it, especially if it doesn’t meet your standards and those of the industry as a whole.
What does “in perpetuity” mean?
If a voiceover project’s usage is listed as being “in perpetuity,” it basically means it can be used by the client forever. It’s important to note that you, the voiceover artist, will likely be paid only once for the work, but the clients can profit from it for an indefinite period of time. In perpetuity is common and expected when it comes to non-broadcast work, but commercial projects should have an end date when it comes to usage.
Sometimes jobs that are in perpetuity seem scary or off-putting to voice actors, but in my opinion, you don’t actually have to avoid them. What you really need to do is find out all the details and then negotiate what your participation will be. This may include discussing things like buyouts and additional compensation to make it worth your while and ensure you’re being fairly paid for the specific type of project and usage.
Collecting payments and how to get it done:
Most voice actors know that sometimes collecting payments can be a bit of a project. Many of us feel, at times, that we are chasing down the payments we agreed upon. This can become overwhelming when you’re doing several different projects for various clients. I would suggest trying to set your payment terms before you record a single word. Let’s say a client’s payment window is 30 days. If you wait until day 31 to reach back out to them, it’s already too late to get paid on time. Consider checking in once a week or once every other week to be sure that you get paid on time.
If you haven’t received a payment within 90 days, message the client with all the “receipts” you’ve been collecting, including dates, emails, other correspondences, time stamps, and anything you had previously agreed upon. Unfortunately in this industry, we often have to be the ones to hold the client accountable for disbursing payments in a timely fashion.
Know your worth!
You should never feel bad or awkward about quoting what your voiceover services are worth, even when your rates are over a client’s budget. Always remember your level of experience and the industry standard rates and stick to them! You also don’t need to feel bad for negotiating a better rate or usage terms than what was originally offered or proposed. Additionally you should always feel confident in setting the limits and boundaries for what you are actually willing to provide for a client.
While we want to always create lasting and harmonious relationships with clients, please remember that the client is not your boss. They are someone who is hiring you to provide a specialized service. If a project does not work for you for any reason, it’s always ok to walk away. Most importantly, all freelance voice actors need to maintain a knowledge of and respect for their worth as artists.
So go forth and quote with confidence!