Great voice-over artists can do wonders for any piece of media. They can bring personality to an animated character, be a convincing voice that sells a product, or provide clarity when spreading information. But how much does a voice-over artist cost? Generally, the rate of voice-over artists starts at $100. However, this is a buildable price that increases depending on several factors such as duration, usage, and additional load, among others, which is why you can expect to pay between $250 to $3,500.
To maximize the cost, it’s essential to know how to choose voice-over artists for audio so that you find the right one for your project and within your budget. Guru, one of the best online freelance marketplaces, offers hundreds of voice-over talents to choose from, giving you the flexibility to pick based on what you need and how much you’re willing to spend.
What Does a Voice-Over Artist Do?
A voice-over artist uses his or her voice, changing its tone and character, to bring a script to life. They work in various types of media, including advertisements, commercials, animations, shows, and documentaries, among others.
Benefits of Hiring a Voice-Over Artist
Many people overlook the benefits of hiring a voice-over artist, thinking that anyone can just lend their voice to a project and that’d be good enough–but here are some reasons why it’s worthwhile to invest in a professional voice-over talent
Top-Notch Delivery
Voice-over artists have the necessary skills to deliver a script in the way that you’ve imagined it. They can adapt based on the requirements of a project. If you need them to sound a certain mood, situation, or impact, they can do it.
Better Impact
Having a professional voice-over artist on a project enhances the effect of your content. This is especially true for commercials and advertisements; they can bring a convincing voice that’ll help entice consumers to make a purchase.
Efficient Performance
With voice-over artists, you don’t have to worry about much of the technical stuff. They have the training to work with your desired format and medium and can provide results in an efficient amount of time.
How Much Does a Voice-Over Artist Cost?
The cost of hiring a voice-over artist varies greatly. Generally, though, you can find rates starting at $100. However, this is typically just the base rate, and it will go up based on several factors—it’s a buildable bill. So, you can expect your final payment to be somewhere around $100 to $750 for a simple non-broadcast project, depending on word count and finished minutes.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Hiring a Voice-Over Artist
For a better overview of how much you can expect to spend on hiring a voice-over artist, let’s take a look at the different factors that affect their cost:
Usage
Usage refers to where, how, and how long the voice recording will be used. Voice-overs done for non-broadcast projects, such as games, corporate assets, voicemail, podcasts, audiobooks, etc. will be much cheaper compared to media that will be aired with larger audiences.
Length
Put simply, the longer the voice-over recording, the more expensive it will be. A project that’s less than a minute can go between $100 to $250, while one that’s forty-five to sixty minutes can cost over $1,000.
Revisions
Revisions are often considered when an artist gives you their rate, with misreads or performance issues included as the talent’s responsibility (these won’t cost you extra). However, if there are script changes or additional asks after the project has been set, you’ll have to add these in as an extra cost.
Tags
You may want to use different endings to your script to use for different usage types, but know that these will incur extra costs per version.
Additional Loadings
Some texts are trickier to execute, particularly those that require character reads, video syncing, or the use of technical vocabulary. Some voice-over artists will charge extra for these loadings.
Production and Recording
If you require the voice-over artist to record the project on their own (from their own studio or one they rent), then they may charge you additional fees for using other equipment. If you also require them to produce the recording themselves, it will be a bit more expensive.
Hire a Freelance Voice-Over Artist From Guru Today
Many factors affect the cost of hiring a voice-over artist, but once you’ve established what you require and the budget that you have, you can easily find the right one for you from Guru. As one of the best online freelance websites, Guru offers hundreds of professional freelance voice-over talents that can work a variety of jobs at different price points. Hire a voice-over artist from Guru today.
