A fellow voice actor recently reached out to me on LinkedIn:

Hey Paul!

I was wondering if you had a quick minute to help me price a VO project. I'm not great at pricing things, tbh, and I don't know what to do with the GVAA rate guide when it comes to multiple usages. I could really use your guidance!

It's a [foreign] production company that's doing a [category] campaign. They want a :90 script with multiple cut downs, a :20 script, 5 years, worldwide, all media.

I'd love your thoughts on this!

Let’s discuss the All-Media Buyout.

business, rates, mindset, messagingPaul SchmidtMay 26, 2022buyouts, all-media Comments

Quoting Voice-Over Rates: Abundance vs. Scarcity

I’ve been pretty vocal on social media about so-called “coaches” in this business who purport that Fiverr, Upwork, Craigslist (for chrissakes), and the like are the key to a career as a professional voice actor.

My problem is not with these sites. My problem is with the scarcity mindset and the so-called “coaches” who teach it.

How To Respond to Nasty Voice-Over Prospects

If you’re a voice actor long enough, and you’re reaching out to enough people daily, no matter how diligent you are about targeting the right people, occasionally, rarely, (one in hundreds or thousands), you will get a nasty, mean, or otherwise rude response.

business development, marketing, messagingPaul SchmidtMay 12, 2022rude, nasty, mean, prospects Comments

The 3 Biggest Voice-Over Marketing Mistakes You’re Making and Why

We have a very passive industry. We suck at marketing ourselves. We’d much rather sail hundreds of auditions into the ether on the pay-to-plays than sit down and do the work to reach out to people.

Here are the three biggest mistakes you’re likely making in your voice-over marketing and why you’re making them.

How To Handle Lowball Budgets – 2 Real World Examples

It can be very confusing trying to figure out how to handle casting notices that come in that are well below the going rates.

This week, I thought it might be useful to show two real-world examples I’ve received very recently as well as my actual responses so that you can see how to handle these less than ideal requests.

business, rates, work, working with a VOPaul SchmidtApril 28, 2022lowballers, marketing, quotes, rates Comments

The VO Freedom Master Plan - Now Accepting Applications

Back in February, I recapped my research talking to almost 70 voice actors last Fall, and announced the development and launch of The VO Freedom Master Plan (VOFMP).

Here’s an update on what’s happening right now.

Setting Client Expectations

In this post, we’re going to talk about how to engage prospects who have potential projects (hot leads), and how to properly set and manage expectations to that we can provide a quality experience for that client so that they will be more inclined to work with us again.

working with a VO, work, businessPaul SchmidtApril 14, 2022expectations, relationships, pickups Comments

The Biggest Secret in Voice-Over

There’s no way around it.

You can rationalize, make excuses, laugh it off, sweep it under the rug, and flat-out refuse to believe it.

The truth is (and there are very few truths in voice-over) it’s a numbers game.

One or two sit ups a day won’t make you fit.

business development, marketingPaul SchmidtApril 7, 2022wins, marketing, secret Comments

Social Media Overwhelm – What To Do

The idea that you need to be everywhere all the time on social media is simply not true. And it’s not healthy for our industry because of the individual overwhelm and compromised quality of the collective content we’re producing.

social media, marketingPaul SchmidtMarch 31, 2022social media, LinkedIn Comments

You Don’t Know What Impossible Is

Too many times, we start to dream a dream, and we tell ourselves, “That’s impossible.” And too many times, we let ourselves believe that bullshit.

A Journey of Becoming

We do the work. We build the habits required. We put in the time, training, sweat, failure, education, and long hours. We do the hard shit. We do what it takes.

And when we do that consistently and long enough, eventually, we see improvement. Progress. Successes. We start to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. We have those days you just can’t beat when we get those gigs that just make your whole day, or week, or month.

And a funny thing happens along the way…

Don't Quit

I know things are dark for you right now. I get it. I’ve been through it. There was a time I literally did not know where the rent was gonna come from. I’ve had those sleepless nights. And there are many that have had it way tougher than I and made it through.

Comparison is Killing You

We all do it. Voice actors included. Newbs and veterans alike.

We look to the left, and to the right, and we see our colleagues doing well. We see their wins. Their successes. Their triumphs.

And then that little green goblin of envy and jealously starts to rear its warped and ugly head.

We get insecure. We feel less than.

We start to believe that because we don’t have their successes and wins and triumphs that somehow that makes us less successful.

We compare ourselves to others. And it’s killing us.

“Quality Audio"? Who Cares.

As you can imagine, I talk to a lot of voice actors and follow several hundred on social media. As a result, I see a lot of messaging from voice-over talent.

One trend I see across social media is the strong tendency to wave a paper sword in their messaging.

Huh?

Laser Targeting voice-over Leads

Can Google be a good source of leads? Sure. It’s by far the world’s largest and best search engine. Stands to reason that if you’re searching for something on the Internet, Google is usually a good place to start.

Except it’s not. Because the thinking is backward.

business development, marketingPaul SchmidtFebruary 17, 2022leads, LinkedIn, Google Comments

My Chats with Almost 70 Voice Actors: A New Mission

My original hypothesis that people are getting stuck and quitting is very real. There is commonality around the frustrations and sticking points. The problem is definable.

Which means the solution is definable.

Confidence with No (or Little) Experience

One of the most common concerns for new voice actors as they begin their voice-over journeys is, “I don’t have any (or very few) credits to my name. I haven’t worked with anyone (or very many) clients yet. How do I still market myself and what do I do?”

It’s the classic college grad’s dilemma, right? “How will anyone hire me with no experience and if no one hires me how will I get any experience?”

What's Keeping You Stuck

We’re highly adept at blaming external circumstances and other people, and not so good at looking inward, analyzing our beliefs about ourselves and the world, and adopting… choosing… beliefs that free us and allow us to realize our potential.

True for humans. True for voice actors and freelancers.

But how do limiting beliefs show up in our psyches and businesses as voice actors? Here are some examples…

The VO Pro Blog