Recruitment, internal comms, external brand awareness, culture building … there are many reasons your company could be looking to produce a corporate video. As the person elected to be in charge of this exercise, you’ve got a hell of a job ahead of you – pulling together all the different elements that go into creating a polished product that captures your company’s brand.

One of the most important factors to consider is the voice actor you choose for the video. This voice actor will literally become the voice of your company. What voice do you want? How do you choose from the hundreds of talented actors in our database? It’s damn hard, right?

No worries. We’ve put together these 5 tips to help you find the perfect voiceover actor for your corporate video.

1. Get emotional about your brand

When you think about your brand, how do you feel? Don’t answer that you feel like a drink – instead, think about the emotions your brand conveys. Do you make people feel happy, secure, positive, calm, excited, or organised? Write down as many emotions as you can think of. It might be a good idea to get the rest of the marketing team involved to help you brainstorm.

Now that you’ve got this list, compare the voices of each voiceover actor you’re considering, and focus on those that perfectly articulate these emotions.

2. Choose a gender

Is your brand a male voice, or a female? It’s really hard to decide which is a better choice. There aren’t many conclusive studies suggesting which works better for what company. However, a general rule of thumb is that if your primary audience is male, then use a male voice, and vice versa.

One good idea is to record with both a male voice and female voice, and then A/B test the videos on your audience to determine the best result for your brand.

3. Consider the pitch

Here’s a hint if your audience is in an older demographic. People over 59 frequently develop a hearing condition called “presbycusis”. It’s extremely common, and means they’re less able to discern higher pitches. If you’re trying to reach the older crowd, stick with a voiceover artist who has a deeper pitch.

4. What about accents?

Again, think about your audience. You may enjoy the sexy timbre of a thick Scottish accent, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to help you get the right message across in your video. If you’re trying to reach an international audience, then it’s usually best to adapt a middle American or British accent. If your video will only be produced locally, or you’re wanting to highlight a particular region or demographic as part of your message, then choosing an accent from that region or country makes perfect sense.

5. Test your demographic

Just because you like a particular voice, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to appeal to your audience. Why not find out what voices they like by hosting a poll, survey, or informal focus group. You can test different genders and voice types on your script to see which one has the most appeal.

6. Long-term representation

While your video may have a specific audience and message, your brand will probably want a cohesive brand voice and message they can employ again and again. For this reason, it pays to consider which voiceover actor will work not just for the single video, but as a long-term investment in the company’s marketing message.

Check your artist is available in the future and interested in working on similar projects. 

Need a voice actor for your next video or animation? Browse the talent available right now on BigMouth Voices.