Your voiceover copy will either spell out success or failure of your radio commercials or podcasts. Your copy should be convincing enough to gain credibility with your listeners. Be warned though that writing voiceover copies are very different from writing print ads.
Peter Drew, an experienced voice over artist who provides voiceovers via the Internet and for several radio networks, highlights the importance of ‘writing for the ear, not the eye.’ That is, you will want to write very short, concise and succinct messages that sound like a real conversation. At first, this can sound like a very unnatural style of writing – especially if you’re used to creating marketing copy for print ads – however, it is the only way you will truly develop a compelling and realistic voice over segment.
Here are some simple ways to modify your marketing copy and recording strategies that will ensure the voiceover is narrated as smoothly as possible, and that it really does deliver a high-impact message to your target audience:
1. State everything in the active voice. Using active voice in your script will make your ad seem to talk to its listeners in real time. This technique can create instantaneous credibility and rapport with your listeners.
2. Make use of windscreens. Words beginning in ‘B’, ‘P’ and ‘T’ produce a lot of wind or hissing sounds that affect sound quality. A talent may somehow compensate for this but this can lead to distortions in the pronunciation or meaning of sentences. A windscreen eliminates this problem and more by absorbing these unwanted noises. Your talent can focus on delivering a line properly without worrying about distortions.
3. Mark up the copy for inflection. Bolding certain words, highlighting parts of the copy or using something simple as underlines can really help your voiceover artist understand the gist of the message and deliver a quality piece. Read the copy out loud yourself to identify what parts of the sentence you want to emphasize, then mark up the copy so that the artist understands exactly what you need.
4. Spell out phone numbers. Don’t be lazy in spelling out numbers in your copy. Practicing this will reveal any obstructions to the flow of your copy. Read out loud each digit to see any out of placed words and edit your script.
5. Instantly grab your listeners’ attention. Headlines are what lure audiences to listen to any advertisement. Your headline will serve as an opening to your ad’s body. A great headline would be composed of less than ten words and contain at least one compelling benefit or statement.
It is the job of the scriptwriter to ensure that the script or copy will match the talent of the voiceover artist. Each voiceover artist can project a certain personality and this has to fit with the script. Once an artist has been selected, the script can then be altered to match the artist. What’s important here is that the artist voice, personality and quirks should match your message. Also give time for the artist to practice delivering the message. Be sure to apply all of these techniques to create a solid and compelling script.
About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Been Providing the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Companies and Agencies Since’91.
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