I know, I'm not cheap: Industry Standard Voice over Rates

"You gave ‘em steak when they wanted chicken."

The life of a freelancer is a constant slog of pitching yourself, auditioning for jobs and direct marketing. And often, you’re connecting with other companies whose budget may not align with your own rates. 

THAT’S OK!

I know that, as a voice actor, I’m competing against many other talented actors- some of whom are very experienced and some are newbies. That’s the nature of the game. I was once a newbie myself! Auditions on pay-to-play sites, in particular, are generally open to people of all different levels of experience. And it can be hard when I bid an industry-standard voice over rate on something and I’m competing with a newbie who is bidding ⅕ (or less) of my rate, just to book something.

'Industry standard', by the way, is often referring to rates that align with the Global Voice Actors Association (GVAA) rate guide, country rates listed with Gravy for the Brain or even ACTRA or SAG-AFTRA rates, if a voice actor is a union member. But these are just guides and have their variances, as do actors with the rates they charge.

Now, I know I'm not cheap to hire. When bidding against low-ball quotes, those of us who have been in the game for a while just hope that the client sees our value (which includes experience, voice versatility, professional sound quality and business sense, among other things) and agrees that yes, paying market rate is worth the value this experienced professional brings to their project.

But it doesn’t always go down like that.

Sometimes, I’m willing to negotiate because I realize all companies have different budgets and, like me personally, everyone wants to get a deal. Other times, the lowball offer is so ridiculous, I have to pass. Think: $200 for an entire audiobook, $15 for a 10-15 minute narration, $25 for a meditation script with music added. No, thanks.

I know there will be a voice actor who agrees to those rates and I get it: they’re likely less experienced than I am and want to build a body of work. Or, maybe they’re just doing voice overs ‘on the side’ for some coffee money. You’ve gotta start somewhere. But honestly, at that point, the client likely doesn’t care what it sounds like- or perhaps they can't discern for themselves. They don’t care - or realize- if the voice or audio quality is poor, they may not even care if it’s human! They just want to get it done. I think those are the jobs that us voice actors will lose to AI.

But Rachel, isn’t SOMETHING better than NOTHING, especially when you work for yourself and need at least some money coming in?

This is where things get tricky. Yes, something is better than nothing. It can be really disheartening when my business is in a slow down and I’m turning down jobs that don’t align with my rates but I have to believe the work will come eventually- it always does. 

I do have clients that I work for at lower-than-market rates. Those clients are my ongoing, almost daily clients whom I adore. I value my ongoing relationship with them and the work is good. Again, I’m willing to negotiate, especially for bulk work like that. But there are lots of one-off jobs that I turn down because the rate is below my minimum or just plain insulting. 

Listen, I know that my services aren’t cheap. They’re not meant to be. I’m providing a high-quality service which will make your project sound amazing; of that I am sure.