The Top 5 Reasons I Book Jobs as a Commercial Voice Actor

The modern commercial landscape has shifted dramatically from the booming, announcer-style delivery of the past to a more natural, relatable approach. But, most recently, I’ve seen a slight shift back to some announcer influenced reads. Here are five crucial qualities as a commercial voice actor that I think enable me to book great work like this national campaign for Stanley Steemer.

1. Authenticity with Professional Polish

The cornerstone of contemporary commercial voice acting is the ability to sound genuinely conversational while maintaining professional standards. A voice actor should ideally demonstrate:

A speaking style that feels unscripted and spontaneous, even when working from carefully crafted copy. While at the same time, be able to have fun and lean in to the feeling behind some of the critical adjectives in the script.

I try to master the micro-inflections and subtle vocal variations that create the impression of natural speech while still maintaining clarity and purpose.

2. Emotional Intelligence and Relatability

Today’s commercial voice actor must possess sophisticated emotional awareness that enables them to:

Read and reflect the subtext of the copy, understanding when to dial up the enthusiasm and when to pull back for more intimate moments. This natural emotional scaling is crucial for maintaining credibility. In this particular 15 second spot, there isn’t a lot of room for this. The expectation is to hit the nouns hard at the top of the spot and lighted it up as we introduce the solution to the problem

I try to create an immediate emotional connection with listeners through vocal warmth and personality, relating to their problems in a way that make it personal for me too, as a homeowner myself.

If I don’t directly relate to the problem being solved, I have to adapt my persona to match the target demographic while remaining authentic. That wasn’t necessary in this instance as I didn’t have to become someone I’m not.

3. Strategic Vocal Versatility

The best conversational commercial voice actors possess specific vocal capabilities:

A flexible vocal range that can move seamlessly between friendly and authoritative, casual and professional, without losing authenticity. This includes the ability to maintain a conversational quality across different energy levels. I’ve done some spots for Honda that sound so much different than this Stanley Steemer commercial that, when I posted the other spot, I had one longtime friend confused because they didn’t even recognize my voice.

Strong control over vocal placement, knowing when to use chest voice for warmth and head voice for excitement, while keeping everything feeling natural and unforced is a must.

The ability to maintain clear diction while sounding completely relaxed and informal is also a delicate balancing act. We naturally mumble some words when we speak which might actually also work in a commercial setting but definitely NOT when it comes to the name of the product or service or a critical moment of the script that must remain clear to the listener. I must know which words can be softened or combined in natural speech and which must remain precise for legal or branding purposes.

4. Technical and Creative Adaptability

Modern commercial voice actors need sophisticated technical and creative skills:

When auditioning, I must be able to quickly identify key message points while maintaining natural flow and come up with an overall tone that matches the expectations of the writer. This can be a guessing game unless you’re in a directed session and they can guide you down the precise path. Usually, I just have to go with my “gut” which is really just an instant recall of what worked in the past to book gigs in the same or similar advertising category.

It’s also great if you can provide multiple viable takes with different interpretations, giving creative directors options while maintaining the conversational quality throughout. One of my tricks here is to imagine a slight change in my environment. If in my first take, I imagine I’m talking to one person, my second take might be like I’m holding court amongst four of five friends at lunch.

Technical understanding of microphone technique and how to adjust my delivery for a video, audio, or social media spot is also key. I could get deeper into the unique elements of each but that can easily take up a post of its own.

5. Professional Conduct

Success in commercial voice acting, like any other business(!), requires strong professional qualities:

When I book a session, I’m on time or early (virtually or in-person)! When revisions are needed, I drop everything if I can and get right to them. A voice actor is almost always the last step in the creative process. If I can deliver last minute tweaks as if I’m sitting in an audio booth right next to someone who could be thousands of miles away, sweating over a deadline, I know I’m very likely rising to the top of their list for future consideration. They know I’m someone who appreciates their time and works as hard as they do to meet deadlines.

TLDR

Wanna book national commercial campaigns? As a modern commercial voice actor, I must know exactly where to walk in the delicate balance between professional voice and casual authenticity. The hard-sell announcer is still out there but largely on the periphery. A nuanced approach that prioritizes genuine connection with the audience, at many different energy levels, is key.

The best conversational commercial voice actors make the difficult job of promotional reading sound effortless, creating the impression of a friendly, knowledgeable person who just happens to be enthusiastically sharing something they believe in. This natural credibility is what makes the delivery effective in modern commercial contexts.