Voiceover Acting Isn’t Just One Job
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Earlier About Voice Reels for Actors
When I look back at my own start in voiceover, the thing I wish someone had told me earlier is that voiceover does not have to be one job.
I think, as an actor, I saw it as something you could do. You might do a voiceover job. You might book a commercial. You might get the odd audition. But I did not realise you could have a whole career as a voiceover artist.
And there are plenty of people who are not even actors, or who are not interested in acting in front of the camera, who make a very, very good living out of voiceover.
I just did not know that when I first started.
That would have helped me so much, because once you realise voiceover can be its own career, you start treating it differently. It stops being this extra thing you might get lucky with, and starts becoming something you can actually put time, care, and thought into.
Finding Out it was Possible
I was really lucky, because quite quickly I found the wealth of voiceover communities online.
People were posting about how possible it was. People were sharing little things, like how to set up your own studio, what microphones they were using, how they handled auditions, and what they had booked.
Even just seeing voiceover artists post about the jobs they had booked helped me. LinkedIn is a gold mine for that.
Sometimes it made me feel like, ‘Oh... this is possible.’
Other times it gave me a kick up the bum, because I had been saying I wanted to do this and I just had not done it. I had not touched my microphone. I had this voice reel done and it had just been sat there.
And I think I am a person who really likes to take control of things rather than just waiting for someone to give me opportunities. I will wait sometimes, of course. We all do. But the way I see it is, if your agent takes 20%, that is 20% of your career they're essentially in charge of.
The other 80% is all you.
That does not always mean money. It can be investing in your skills, your equipment, your knowledge, your confidence, your reel, your outreach... all the bits that make it easier for someone to actually hear what you can do.
I think I was grateful, when I first started, to find that on the internet. To find those people. To find those support groups.
It made the whole thing feel less impossible.
The ‘Voiceover Voice’ Problem
A really common mistake I see when people are starting out in voiceover is coming into it with this idea of a ‘voiceover voice’.
Lots of people come to me saying they have been told they have a good voice for voiceover.
And they do.
But if you put extra on top of that, and you start going...
‘Spotify Premium... once upon a time...’
Maybe in 2023, or before that, that would have been really popular. And don’t get me wrong, those reads still exist. You still hear those big adverts. You still get reads that are huge and shiny and very produced.
But the industry has changed.
If you really want to sell yourself, and if you really want to separate yourself from your most obvious traits, you have to ditch that voiceover voice.
For me, I am white, young, female, with a light Northern voice. That gives people a starting point. But if I only give the most obvious version of that, I am not showing enough.
You have to find something truthful to you.
Which sounds annoying, I know. But it is the annoying truth of what I have seen. The more genuine you can be to yourself, the more useful you become.
Start with you, then Show Where you can Go
People ask me a lot about accents.
Should they stick with their own accent? Should they show American? RP? Scottish? Welsh? Should they do everything they can do?
And when I first started making reels, based on the knowledge I had then, I would always say: stick with your own accent, especially for commercials. Go up and down the scope of what you can do, but start there.
To some extent, I still think that applies.
Commercial, roughly in your own voice, give and take.
But what I have learnt from the job I am currently doing at the moment, which is a video game, is that they love accents. The casting calls I get will quite often start with something specific, like East Midlands, and then they are looking for someone who can do East Midlands, General Northern, American, RP, Scottish, Welsh...
Because it is easier for them, ultimately, if they can find a voiceover artist they like to work with who can move around.
So now, especially with gaming and animation reels, I often lean towards starting with that one sample, just so I know who you are. Then, if you are great at accents, I really recommend it.
Leap around as much as you can.
But without losing who you are.
I once listened to someone’s gaming reel first, then went back to their commercial reel and thought, ‘Oh, you’re Scottish. I did not know that.’
Which is not necessarily a bad thing. But if you are looking for an agent in particular, I think it helps to pull those things together. Start with who you are, then show how far you can go.
You May be More Ready than you Think
One of the number one questions people have is whether they should wait until they feel ready.
And I get it.
Even when people have booked a reel with me, one of the first things they will say is, ‘I do not have any experience in this.’
And quite often I am thinking... well, do you have a degree in acting? Do you know character? Do you know performing? Have you talked to a person? Have you watched a film?
Then you have somewhere to start.
I have seen fantastic people come into sessions and make me question almost everything I have spent on acting classes and coaches. Some people can just walk in, imagine, feel it, and absolutely fly.
Someone once told me that acting is subconscious. You make it conscious to make it subconscious again.
I love that.
Because that is exactly what you are doing. You learn the tools. You learn what the director wants. You learn where the thought changes, where the breath sits, where the line lands. Then you have to make it look like you are not thinking about any of it.
Voiceover is the same.
So no, I do not think you have to wait until you feel perfectly ready. I think you have to be supported enough to try.
Why the Room Matters
For me as an actor, I will act better if I feel supported.
If I feel like I can make a mistake and it is not going to cost me my reel or a job, I am better. I am less gripped. I stop trying to force the ‘right’ version and actually start listening.
So with Blooom sessions, I try to create as supportive an environment as possible.
I will give everyone extra time. Sometimes an extra hour, sometimes even two hours over what the voice reel will really take. Not because I expect people to mess up, but because I want them to know that if they do mess up, or get in their head, or get stuck on a line, they are not rushed in and rushed out.
They have time.
And then what you find is... they do not need it.
They relax. They stop trying to be perfect. They get out of their own way a bit. And quite often, they get a nice surprise when they go home early.
Investing in Yourself is Hard
The money side is a tough one.
When I talk about underpricing, I do not just mean what you charge other people. I also mean underpricing what you will invest in yourself, which is something I have struggled with so much.
Especially as a working-class creative, the thought of dropping hundreds of pounds, or even more, on yourself can feel horrible.
You think, ‘What if I do not make this money back?’
And then you can end up scrimping, going for somewhere cheaper that is still expensive, and then not getting the quality to get the result you wanted. Then that feeds the mindset of, ‘Well, if I spent £100 and nothing happened, why would I spend £350?’
It is a real tough one.
But a business, which is essentially yourself as a performer, has to be invested in. You are the business, as much as you might not want it to be that.
My mum always says, ‘You have to speculate to accumulate.’
And she is right.
If you do not invest in it at all, nothing will happen.
Your Materials Help People Say Yes
I saw this with my own headshots.
For years, I had headshots that I had taken with my foot on a timer. I would press the button, run back, pose, and hope for the best. And I had this attitude of, ‘I am not paying that amount to take a picture of myself. They can see who I am. If they are going to bring me in, they will bring me in anyway.’
And I still think there is some truth in that. I thoroughly believe in talent first.
But then, on the flip side, since I invested in my headshots and invested beyond the usual pricing, my auditions changed. Not because I suddenly became more talented overnight, but because I was giving casting directors something that helped them see me closer to the world of the work.
Someone once said to me that your headshots are like your front garden.
I think voice reels are similar.
They are not the whole house. They are not everything you can do. But they are often the first thing someone hears before deciding whether to come any closer.
And if they can already half hear you as a voiceover artist, that helps.
Your Voice Reel Should Sound like the Work you Want
I do not ever like my voice reels to sound like a voice reel.
I will ask you what job you want it to be for. What company you want it to be produced by. What kind of advert world it sits in. What kind of game, animation, narration, or commercial space we are trying to make it feel part of.
Especially with video games, I want it to immediately slot into those worlds.
I have learnt so much about video games because I am not a particular video game player, but I know the reel has to fit. If someone listening can already hear you in that world, you are adding something on top of your talent.
That is what you want it to be.
Not fake. Not forced. Just easier for the person listening to go, ‘Yes, I can hear where this belongs.’
It does not have to be Perfect to Work
This is the other annoying contradiction.
The best take is not always the neatest one.
I was re-recording a sample on my own commercial reel recently because I did not like a tiny little croak in my voice. So I went back into my cupboard, which is my voiceover studio, but... cupboard, whatever, and spent ages trying to get it to sound as lovely as possible.
I focused on the resonance of my voice, holding the diaphragm, all of it.
Then I listened to the two samples back to back.
The new one was nice. Fine. Technically cleaner, probably.
But it did not excite me in any way, shape or form.
The old one had the tiny croak, but it had something in it. It had life. So that is the one I would send.
Because that is what books.
Not perfection.
Which is so counterintuitive, but it is the truth.
Of course, your voice reel has to sound professional. It has to be recorded properly, edited properly, mixed properly. The scripts matter. The direction matters. The music and sound effects matter.
But underneath all of that, it has to feel alive.
That is what I want for people when they leave a Blooom session. Not a reel that sounds like a reel. A reel that sounds like them, already inside the work they want to do.
Because voiceover is not just one job.
It can be a career. It can be a skill you build. It can be something you take into your own hands.
And your reel should help people hear that.
Voice Reel FAQs
Do actors need a voice reel?
If you want to be considered for voiceover work, a voice reel gives agents, casting teams, and clients something clear to hear. It can show your natural voice, range, accent, character choices, and the kind of work you want to book.
What should my first voice reel include?
Your first voice reel should usually show your own sound first, then the range that feels useful for the work you want. This might include commercial reads, character work, gaming, animation, narration, or a mix depending on your goals.
Can I make a voice reel if I have no voiceover experience?
Yes. Many actors already have useful skills from acting training, performance, character work, and taking direction. A good session should give you space to try, adjust, and build takes that feel clear, supported, and usable.
Should my voice reel use my natural accent?
For commercial voice reels, it often helps to start close to your natural accent so people can hear your real sound. For gaming, animation, and character reels, accents can be useful if they are strong and believable.
Where can I make an actor voice reel in London?
Blooom offers actor voice reels in London with script support, direction, recording, editing, and a final professional mix. Sessions can be shaped around commercial, character, gaming, animation, narration, or mixed voice reel needs.
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