Yesterday, I was reading through my Google Alerts, and came across a Craigslist ad placed by a seasoned VO pro.  I’ve re-printed most of it for you to see below the line-break.  The ad came complete with a graphic, phone #, website address, a map to his major U-S city address, an email address, a long list of genres, and an equally long list of satisfied customers.

Craigslist is perplexing.  Some voice actors refuse to “stoop” to Craigslist ads.  One of my blogs guest-written by a Craigslist expert was by far my most widely-read article.  [See: Cracking Craigslist].  Usually voice actors patrol Craigslist looking for opportunities, not to sell their own wares, but these days, one must be creative.  I mean, think about it from the POV of the prospective voice-buyer who is not tapped into the talent agent system.  They might not have even heard of V123 or the other P2P’s.  But who hasn’t heard of Craigslist?   It’s the giant want ads for the world.

I can think of many voice actors I respect who’ve found the occasional gem on the Craigslist ads.  Can it hurt to keep an eye on ’em?

That’s the point I’m trying to make in this article.  How many tried ‘n’ true methods/rules/formulas have you seen for voice-over success?  The well-meaning coaches and mentors who offer these solutions are quite often sincere, and their recommendations work….FOR THEM.  Does that mean it’ll work for you?

Not unless you have the exact same set of skills, knowledge, passion, experience, funds, outlook, chutzpah, and creativity as the said person offering the solution for success. 

Sure there are some basic ground rules that make sense for everyone, but beyond that, ya gotta find your own path.  Maybe it’s mailing postcards.  Cold-calling could be your thing.  Standing on a street corner with a sign worked for Ted Williams. 

I know a guy who is killing it with Facebook ads.  Another is a whiz in finding foreign clients.  Could  SnapChat be the next new frontier for VO prospecting?  I can’t even think of what might be YOUR sweet spot, ’cause it’s YOU…not me.  Forget what other voice-actors are saying worked for them for just a minute.  That’s been tried.  And because it worked for them, others are doing it too.

What creative, never-before-tried, tailor-made-for-you tactic can YOU come up with???  Chances are it’s not being done (yet), and that makes it unique, appreciated, special, and a standout from the crowd.  My guess is SOMEONE will notice, and appreciate the effort and creativity that went into it, and will give you a try based on that merit alone.

The rest is up to you.  Your talent.  Your business acumen.  Your professionalism.  Your relationship.

CourVO

(see the Craigslist ad below.  Identity shrouded to protect the innocent)
______________________

I provide provide (sic) professional voice-overs for:

*Narrations
*Trainings, Tutorials & eLearning courses
*Medical narrations
*Presentations
*Explainer videos
*How-To videos
*Documentaries
*Videos
*Commercials
*Voicemail & Phone trees
*On-hold messages
*Podcasts
*Announcements
*Audiobooks
*Any project where you need a professional voice talent or narrator

My voice has been used by a wide range of companies and organizations such as:

*AT&T
*PepsiCo
*Halliburton
*Johnson & Johnson
*Lockheed Martin
*U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
*American Express
*HP
*The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
*Nationwide Insurance
*SAP
*National Institutes of Health (NIH)
*U.S. Department of Defense 
*Verizon
*Harvard University
*National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
*Agilent
*a more complete list is available at: http://XXXXX.com/

I’m a [some big American city] voice talent, but from my digital recording studio I can record your voice over project, no matter where in the world you’re located.

Want to add music and sound effects to your project? I can provide royalty-free effects and music beds.

If you want to hear how my voice sounds with your script, I’m happy to record a FREE custom audition for you. Just email me a portion of your script and I’ll send you back an mp3.

What will it cost? Every project is different, but I guarantee my rates are very competitive and are always negotiable