by Jeremy Daley

Most TV commercials you see, radio commercials you hear, training films, and more use the voice of a professional announcer. In the media industry, these much sought after voice pros are called Voice Over Talent.

A fine voice over talent can give you a warm, friendly read that not only entices prospects to take an interest in you, but effectively urges them to buy. A good voice can accentuate just the right words, stress the right phrases, and literally create an emotion in the listener.

In the past, many producers both large and small avoided working with top voice over talents because (1) they were hard to contact, (2) took weeks to finish the job, and (3) were very expensive.

The usual method was to contact an advertising or talent agency who set up a session with the voice over talent. Not only could this take days, weeks, or even months for some top talents -- the fee could range from several hundred to thousands of dollars and more.

Today the old system in still in place, but other top voice over artists are making the experience MUCH easier, quicker, and affordable. As a busy voice over talent, I offer voice services from my web site and often have the client's job finished in as little as one hour. Fees are low enough for even the solo web site owner to afford a professional voice for their site's greeting or flash presentation.

Here are a few things to look for in a voice over talent:

(1) The voice should be friendly and personable.
A warm, friendly voice immediately creates a warm feeling for most people. That warm feeling can quickly translate into sales, sign-ups, and higher customer satisfaction.

(2) You don't need a "voice of god."
That's the term a lot of people in the media industry use for those super deep voiced announcers you hear at the movies and sometimes on the radio. Studies show customers and prospects are more likely to connect with a voice that sounds more like a regular person.

(3) But unlike an everyday person, professional voices know how to accentuate a word, stress a phrase, and create a mental image for the listener. This ability is probably the number one thing you should look for. Listen closely how the talent reads a script. Is the reading flat or are they bringing the script to life?

(4) Don't blow your budget on an overly expensive voice over talent.
Getting the agency's top voice may be impressive to your friends, but saving the money and using a high quality but affordable voice over artist will give you as good or better results. You can use the money you save to enhance other aspects of your project, giving you a better shot at success.

Finally, keep in mind most people act on their feelings, not necessarily their logic. Nothing stimulates emotions like a good voice. Using a professional voice over talent makes a lot of sense.

Jeremy Daley is a nationally known radio personality and voice over talent. See his wide range of popular voice over services at http://www.JeremyDaley.com Hear his samples and check out his very affordable rates.