How Much Do Voice Actors Make?

When you invite an acquaintance who isn’t a voice actor to visit your studio, the first thing they ask is perhaps “What is this used for?” while having a look at your shotgun microphone. Then they will follow up by asking how much you are earning from that gig.

It is easy to say that voice actors get paid on a per job/project basis, but it is not easy to give a definite answer as to how much. Because as much as you want to get what you’re worth, you also want to be fair and realistic.

The earnings of a voice actor vary greatly depending on the type of voiceover job, the size of the project, your niche, your experience as a voice actor, your location and your marketing skills. Some voice actors are worth millions. Others can make as little as $30 for a simple radio commercial in a small market. Most professional voice actors fall in between.

Ways To Calculate a Voice Actor’s Pay

Word Count and Length of Recording

There are a few ways to calculate how much voice actors get paid. The most common method is the ratio of the number of words to the duration of the recording. However, this is still not a standard basis as the speed of the voice and the length of the words are two variables that affect the duration. Nonetheless, it’s the most basic measure to use. You can rely on the script calculator by The Voice Realm to give you estimates that consider the speed of the voice, from a slow to a regular to a fast pace.

Usage

Where and how the voiceover material is going to be used is also taken into consideration. For instance, your 150 word, minute-long voiceover is going to be used on your offline e-learning application. For a non-union rate, that would cost roughly $115. If the recording is going to be broadcast online as non-promoted content, the rate will increase slightly, to $140. But if the content is going to be used to advertise a product or service on websites, a minute long recording would cost $250. One good example of this usage is a voiceover recording that plays on YouTube before the actual content begins.

Rates are buyouts (unlimited usage) except for radio, television and internet commercial spots, which have a 12-month license from the date of recording.

The Voice Realm Rate Card will give you a better understanding of how voice over rates fall on the industry scale.

Let’s Check Some Figures: Voiceover Average Salary

The following figures change over time and may vary by country, but they briefly illustrate the differences on how voice actors get paid.

According to ZipRecruiter’s compensation estimate, as of June 2019, the average annual pay for an experienced voice actor in the United States is around $90,000.

Average Voice Actor Salary in the US

25%: $31,000 and above

75%: $166,000

Lowest to get: $14,500

Highest to get: $223,500

Five things that move your rate © The Voice Realm

Factors That Determine a Voice Actor’s Pay

Size, Type and Usage of Voiceover

As mentioned above, the biggest indicators of a voice over rate are the type of voice over job, the size of the project, and whether it will be broadcast externally or not. Size of the project means the duration of the voiceover and the number of words in the script. Type and usage denote who the audience will be, where the voiceover will be aired (local, regional, national, or international), and how it is going to be used, which can be either of the following:

Non-broadcast Usage:

E-learning, Educational, Medical, Training, and Gaming

Non-broadcast, Corporate Internal, Cinema, Apps, Independent Films

On hold, Phone Messages, Voicemail, IVR

Podcasts: Opener and Closer

Audiobooks

Live Event Announcer

Broadcast Usage:

TV and Radio Commercials: vary depending on the region

Internet and Online Commercials: paid to be promoted (YouTube, Spotify, Hulu, Pandora, etc.)

Niche, Skill Level and Experience

The voice acting business branches out into an array of industries: Advertisement agencies, Telecommunications, Podcasts, Event Announcers, TV & Radio Commercials, Explainer Videos, Production Houses, Publishers, Video Games, Theater, Web Developers, E-learning. You name it, you have a lot to try.  But first things first: know your voice type so you can set your niche. This process may take time.

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Your rate depending on your skill level and experience is usually proportional to your niche. Novice actors usually start out in easier genres like small, non-promoted commercials and general corporate voice overs before specializing. Once they’re skilled enough and have gained more experience, actors start to dedicate themselves to one niche that will determine their acting career path, perhaps trying to voice characters and soon moving into video game voice acting, animation and audiobooks.

Take note that the more difficult the niche is and the more experienced you are as a voice actor, the higher the rate you can demand.

Location: Union vs Non-Union Voice Acting Work

Union

How much voice actors make will depend on whether it is a union (SAG-AFTRA) or non-union job. Unions don’t exist in every country, but in the United States the union is SAG-AFTRA. Voice actors who are members of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) are paid according to union guidelines. Know more about Union Rates.

Non-Union

If you have a good head for business, you can do extremely well. In other words, your ability to get paid the kind of money you want (even parity with Union rates) is directly proportional to how much you prepare, and what kind of opportunities present themselves at any given time. Then you need to seize those opportunities.

Voiceover Agency Listing

Getting listed by a voiceover agency is one of your must-haves as an actor. You cannot do it all alone when building up your career. So target those top agencies that can give you a steady stream of well-paid work. A few of the most notable are Abrahams and Atlas Talent Agency in NY and LA, EM Voices in Australia, and Hobsons in London. However, these agencies are hard to get into, as they take only very well established voice actors.

But there are lots of second tier voiceover agencies who can expose you to the market. Before you eye these agencies, make sure you have put together a portfolio of your good work and outstanding demos, which are your resume when you go to an agency.

Marketing Skills

Equipping yourself with the right practice of marketing is one of the biggest indicators of how likely you are to get better pay. By having all your marketing platforms calibrated (Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Casting Site, Casting Agency, Peers, Network), you can gain a steady footing in the industry, which means good exposure. And good exposure means many clients can see your work and are likely to land you a gig.

One important thing to note, though, is that marketing yourself as a voice actor is not an overnight activity. It is where most of your effort goes while you’re not working on projects: you build your profile and extend your network to meet more clients. You get more work when you keep on building relationships and continually developing and marketing your personal brand.

So how much do voice actors make? Many general claims and estimates are sprinkled all over the net, but the definite answer will come from you.

Sources: ziprecruiter.com.