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Ever wondered how to become a voice over artist?
Have you ever been told you have a great voice? A unique voice? A soothing voice?
Maybe you just like reading books to your kids and thought that it would be great to get paid to narrate books.
Today I’m interviewing Julie Eickhoff, Voice Artist and Trainer!
Julie has been working from home doing voice overs since 2011. She has narrated and produced around 100 audiobooks.
She now teaches others how to do the same. By the end of this interview, you will get an idea of all the different options for voiceover work and how you can get started with some free voice over training!
Work From Home Doing Voice Overs as a Voice over Artist
Hi Julie! Tell Us a Little About Yourself
Well for starters, I’m from Iowa. I have a BS degree in English and Secondary Education. Out of college, I was a middle school English teacher for one (really long) year.
My career from there has been kind of crazy, thanks to wonderful mentors and people who encouraged me to try new things.
Over the years, I have been an Employee Relations Manager at a Bank, the Chief Meteorologist at a TV Station (I went back to school for meteorology), co-hosted a morning radio show, I was an advertising executive at a TV station and a Realtor.
While I was a Realtor, I also became a mother…which changed everything.
With different priorities at home, I needed to find balance with work and home and I started down the trail of figuring out how to work from home. And this is where I currently am…working from home doing voice overs!
How Did You Get Involved Teaching People How to Work from Home Doing Voice Overs?
While I was a Realtor (and working 24/7) my husband starting traveling a lot and we had a baby at home. I reached my breaking point of stress. There was no way I could work as much as I did, manage the household and have any meaningful time with my family. So, I knew I needed to come up with a way to work from home.
My broadcasting career came in handy here. I knew that voice artists were working from home and I knew I could do the work. So, I contacted a friend who knew about the biz, ordered my equipment and started learning everything I could. The learning curve was steep and long. But eventually, I had a legitimate business and it’s been working out great every since.
Along the way, I’ve had lots of friends and family ask how they too could learn how to do voice-overs. I decided to put my teaching, my on-camera skills and my voice over skills to work together and I developed the course, “Work from Home doing Voice Overs.” and the free mini-course “Intro to Voice Overs“.
The free course, Intro to Voice Overs, will show interested students what’s involved in becoming a voice artist. It covers, on a basic level, what equipment you’ll need (which is surprisingly inexpensive!), your recording space in your home, how voice artists get paid and lots more.
The goal of the free course is to give students enough information for them to know if this is a path they want to go down.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Voice Over work check out the FREE INTRO TO VOICE OVERS MINI COURSE.
What are Some of the Benefits of Being a Voice Over Artist?
Where do I begin? You can work from home, the flexibility is amazing, it’s creative, you get to run your own business, you can do it on the side or full-time.
I love being home when my daughter gets home from school, I love being there during holiday breaks and summer, I love not having to commute in bad weather ( I live in Minneapolis now – we have loads of snow!), I love the ease of scheduling doctor appointments, my dog loves having me home.
I have time to exercise and cook meals. I feel in control of my life, which reduces stress for everyone in my family.
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Is Voice Acting for Everyone?
Probably not everyone, but gone are the days when the only voices you hear are booming male voices on the radio.
We need all kinds of voices. Listen to all the places where you hear voices…web videos, telephone systems, movie theater ads, e-learning modules, audiobooks, podcasts, explainer videos, tutorials, video games, live events, etc.
We need male, female, child, high, low, soft, loud, accents, motherly, salesy, sweet, motivating and on and on and on.
How Much Can the Average Voice Over Artist Earn?
Voice artists are paid per project and the range can be quite wide depending on the usage of the project.
A voice-over on a commercial that runs nationally is entirely different than a voice over for a corporate office that is only going to be used internally. Many voice artists like to get their feet wet with audiobooks. So, I will use that as an example.
With audiobooks, you can get paid two ways or a combination of both. There are royalties (where you get paid a portion every time the audiobook sells) or you can get paid per finished hour for narrating/producing the audiobook.
Rates vary here, but you can easily find projects that pay $100-$200 per finished hour. So, a 5-hour audiobook with a rate of $200 per finished hour would be $1000.
Do You Primarily Narrate Audio Books, or Do You Work on Other Types of Projects Too?
I have done a ton of audiobooks and will continue to do so, but I also do lots of other types of work…e-learning modules, radio commercials, movie theater ads, and telephone follow-up surveys.
Is There Anything Else You Would Like Readers to Know?
If you’re wanting to find a way to work from home and/or if anyone has ever told you that you have a nice voice, going through the free intro course will give you a great idea if this career is a possibility for you.
Sign up for the free course, it won’t take much time, and then decide if you want to proceed.
If you do, then the full course, Work from Home doing Voice Overs will be perfect for you. It takes you step by step through every part of getting up and running.
I took all my research and experience and made it efficient for students to get equipment, set up their recording space, learn how to use recording software, practice mic skills, recording skills and so much more. It’s easy to follow and fun.
When you’re finished, you’re ready to move forward and I’m always willing to answer questions and help you out.
THANK YOU JULIE!
What do you think? Are you going to sign up for the free training? Have you done voice-over work in the past or been interested in doing voice overs?
Leave a comment and share your thoughts!
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Voice over work sounds fun. I always try to guess what famous person is the voice over in the commercials when I can tell I’ve heard the voice before but I’m just not sure which one it is.
We listen to audiobooks a lot and the voiceovers and people who deliver the story can make or break the entire book. We normally listen to children’s books.
Thank you for sharing this unique work at home idea!
Voice over work sounds great and perfect for someone wanting to work from home. A great side hustle, maybe even a full on career. Thanks for sharing.
I keep trying to get my husband to do voice-over work, since he has a great voice. Maybe I can get him to sign up for your course!
Very interesting, thanks for all the information.
I want to learn voice over but not necessarily work from home. No professional experience apart from throwing my voice all over the house and reading children’s books in funny voices or different accents. I think I have a talent but nothing to use it on.