talent user guide

2012

Lin ParkinCustomer Service [email protected]

Voices.com Talent User Guide

The Complete How-To Guide For Voice Talent Members of Voices.com

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Service & SupportNorth America 1-888-359-3472

International +1-519-858-5660Email [email protected] http://www.voices.com

Global Headquarters150 Dufferin Ave.

Suite 800 London ON N6A 5N6

1. Joining Voices.com

2. Navigating Your Account

3. Creating Your Profile

4. Showcasing Your Demos

5. Replying To Jobs

6. Receiving Job Offers

7. Reviewing Your Messages

8. Participating In The Community

9. Going For It

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Congratulations on making the decision to join the #1 voice-over marketplace, Voices.com. Ready to get started? Lets go!

Learning About Voices.comMore than just a marketplace, Voices.com is the premiere destination for quality, professional voice-over and audio production services. As a talent member, you’ll feel right at home using our award-winning web service. We’ve designed it with you and your needs in mind. Our website will be a practical and enjoyable part of your voice-over operations and promotional activities.

Experiencing First-Class ServiceWhen you work with Voices.com, you’ll receive the best that the industry has to offer in customer service, technology, hundreds of voice-over job opportunities per month, and a wealth of industry resources.

Creating Your AccountSigning up for a membership at Voices.com is easy. There are paid subscription options with unlimited service as well as free, basic accounts to help you meet your goals. Within minutes you could be auditioning for voice-over jobs!

http://www.voices.com/talent/plans_and_pricing

1. JOINING VOICES.COM

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My AccountMy Account is the landing page when you sign in to your account at Voices.com. It is the headquarters for managing all of the activities you do at Voices.com. You will find links to edit your profile information, upload an image, and demos. You will be able to view how many times your demos have been listened to, and how many times they’ve been favorited. You can also find links to manage your jobs, payments, and inbox messages.

Account DetailsThe Account Details area houses your membership type, membership options, and the type of services included with your membership. You will find numerous helpful links including access to eBooks, podcasts and our library of articles. There are also links to our Frequently Asked Questions and access to customer service and support.

Billing PreferencesYour membership status, registration date, credit card information and billing address are all stored under your Billing Preferences. You can upgrade your membership, put in a cancellation request and select your preferred method of receiving SurePay payments.

Email PreferencesUnder Preferences, you can opt to be automatically logged in upon visiting the Voices.com website, the kind of email you receive from our team (plain text or HTML) and budget ranges for Job Notifications.

Edit PasswordYou can make changes to your password in this area of your account. Simply entera new password, confirm and hit save.

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2. NAVIGATING YOUR ACCOUNT

Your Profile is your resume of work and your personal advertisement in our marketplace. Visitors and potential clients can learn about you, your experience, and the services you offer. They can view your profile, listen to your demos, read your ratings and reviews and request a quote from you.

Your profile also determines how jobs are filtered to you. This is based upon settings such as languages, gender, skill categories, age ranges, union affiliation, budget ranges, and demo tags.

So, be sure your profile is 100% complete!

We've made that really easy for you! All you need to do is login to your account and click “Edit Profile.” Let’s go through each section in detail now.

Uploading an ImageYou can upload a photo of yourself or an image that represents your business. If you upload a photo of yourself it is ideal to use a professional headshot. This will represent your voice-over services in the best light and help you present a professional, polished image. For best results, upload a square image with equal dimensions.

To upload your picture, it needs to be saved to your computer as a .gif., .jpeg or .jpg file.

1. Once logged in to your account, click Profile. Hover your mouse over the placeholder image. Click on the words "Change"

2. Browse your computer for your image file. Select it. Click open.

3. Click the Save Changes button.

The file should now appear on your profile. If it does not load, you may need to change the file format or you may need to size down your image in order for it to upload properly.

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3. CREATING YOUR PROFILE

Contact InfoBe sure to fill out all of your contact information so that we can reach you when necessary. The only details publicly displayed are your name, city, State/Province, and Country.

HighlightsThe Highlights portion of your profile is where you’ll write a brief description about your voice and your capabilities. Try to weave in descriptive key-words that apply to your voice so that your profile will come up in key-word related searches. Examples: announcer, authoritative, caring, conversational, fatherly, motherly, funny, girl/guy next door, warm, urban.

GenderThis fairly self-explanatory. Select your gender and you will be notified of jobs matching your gender and those who want to hear from both male and female talent.

LanguagesSelect your first language and then select all other languages which you fluently speak. There are often different dialects of any given language so be sure to choose all that apply. Examples: English and English (North American), English and English (British), French and French (Canadian), French and French (Parisian), Spanish and Spanish (Castilian), Spanish and Spanish (Latin American) and so on.

AccentsEnter all of the accents you can perform. If you’re capable of performing a non-regional accent include, for example, Standard Non-regional English American.

AgesSelect the all of the age ranges that you can perform. The more versatile you are the more opportunities you will see.

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Special SkillsSelect all of the voice-over categories that you’re interested in working in. Ideally, you will also have a demo in each area of interest.

ExperienceList or describe voice-over work you have done in the past or are currently working on. This is the ideal place to list brand names you have voiced for. If you are new to the industry you can list any complementary experience you have such as acting, singing, audio recording, script and copy-writing skills.

Years of ExperienceSelect the number of years you have worked in the voice-over or broadcasting industry.

Credentials Enter any professional training you have received in the credentials area. That includes training you’ve undergone at University, College, workshops or seminars. If you have received any professional designations (e.g.; SaVoa) include that in this section as well.

AssociationsNon-union is the default selection. If you are a member of SAG, AFTRA, ACTRA or Equity be sure to select your appropriate union affiliation so that you will receive notification about corresponding jobs.

StudioClients want to know that you can get the job done! Enter your all of your studio equipment including Microphone, Computer & Software, Special Equipment, Delivery Methods, and Turnaround Time.

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Service Description This is the best place to describe what kind of work you can do and how you perform your services. Try to think of it as though a client were asking "How does your service work?" and write a detailed response.

You might consider elaborating on the facility that you record in (home based studio, local recording studio, your own production studio, etc.) your estimated turnaround times, satisfaction guarantees, availability, file delivery options, explain what an ISDN Line or Phone Patch is if you use one.

This is also the ideal area to list any complimentary services you offer such as copywriting, post production, music and sound effects library, etc.

TestimonialsIf you have a client base already established with references or testimonials that you can use publicly, enter them here. Clients have told us that reviewing testimonials can be the deciding factor in whom they award their project to.

Client ListThis is where you can enter a point form client list. Many experienced talent opt to enter a partial list primarily containing brand name clients they’ve voiced for.

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Recording a DemoIn order to be found in our search engine you must have at least one demo uploaded to your profile. Record and save your voice-over demo on your computer as an MP3 file. If you haven't recorded a demo yet, download our free PDF guide. http://www.voices.com/documents/How-To-Make-A-Voice-Over-Demo.pdf

Demo SettingsAll demos and audition files need to have a bitrate of 128 kbps and a sample rate of 44.1 kHz in MP3 format. Your original file names should only contain letters and/or numbers and should not include any special characters or spaces.

Incorrect: Radio Demo #1.mp3

Correct: RadioDemo1.mp3

Uploading Your DemoLogin to your account at Voices.com and go to Profile, click Demos, click Add New Demo. 'Browse' your computer to find the MP3 file that you want to add from your computer.

Title: Add a descriptive title that reflects the nature of your demo, i.e. Commercials, Real Estate Listings or Phone Prompts.

Language: Select the language of your demo from the drop down list provided.

Category: Choose an appropriate demo category using the handy drop down list provided for you.

Description: Your description is a written preview of your demo. You’ll want to include brand names, characters, accents,

styles of voice-overs contained on each demo.

Featured Demo: Click this box if you want the demo to be the demo displayed on your main profile page.

Order on Page: You can change the order in which your demos are displayed by entering a numerical value in this area. If

you want it to appear first on your demo page enter the number 1.

Tags: Tags are keywords that improve your search results. To select multiple tags, hold down your CTRL or Option key

while clicking. You can select up to ten tags.

Click the "Save Changes" button. You're done!

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4. SHOWCASING YOUR DEMOS

http://www.voices.com/documents/How-To-Make-A-Voice-Over-Demo.pdf

http://www.voices.com/documents/How-To-Make-A-Voice-Over-Demo.pdf

FeedbackOnce you have completed a job through SurePay, you and your client will have the opportunity to leave star ratings and feedback for each other. This information is publicly displayed on your profiles and acts as a valid reference since feedback can only be left for each other through real jobs awarded through Voices.com.

ThemeChoose your desired colours for your profile under Theme. There are eight colours to choose from which will enhance your website and compliment your personal branding.

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JobsGuest talent are able to reply to Private Jobs at Voices.com. Premium and Platinum members are able to reply to all job opportunities they are qualified for, including Public and Private Jobs. Let’s explore the differences.

Public JobsA Public Job is a job posted by a client that all eligible subscribers can apply for. Usually dozens of talent will apply for these job postings. Clients who post Public Jobs would like to hear from as many voice talent as possible before awarding the job. You will know that it is a Public Job by the subject line of the notification email.

Private JobsThere are two types of Private Jobs. There is a Private Job where only you and perhaps a handful of other talent were specifically requested by the client to audition. Then there is a Private Invitation where the client has requested that you audition for their public job posting.

Clients who post Private Jobs are likely to have several voices in mind and simply want to compare responses from those individuals rather than open themselves up to dozens of replies from a variety of voice-over talent. Private Invitations are usually sent when a client wants to hear a wide variety of samples but is particularly interested in hearing you audition for their job.

Private jobs are noted in the subject line of the email notification and by the envelope icon in your Hiring Folder.

HiringYou can navigate directly to a job posting by clicking the "Reply to Job" link in the email notification or by logging in and clicking on Jobs > Hiring, in your Voices.com account. You can sort Jobs by using the available columns which include Job #, Language, Gender, Budget, Match, Status, and Deadline depending on your preference. You can also search for a job by ID number Search Jobs search bar in the right hand corner of your job listings page.

5. REPLYING TO JOBS

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http://voices.com/

http://voices.com/

VoiceMatchAll talent at Voices.com have a VoiceMatch score to each job posting. The VoiceMatch score is out of 100 and puts a numerical value on your direct match to the job posting. The score is indicated on the main job listings page as well as on the job details page. This helps take the guesswork out of how likely you are to be considered for that job, saving you time when auditioning. Many talent do not apply for jobs where they have a score of less than 95%.

VoiceMatch shows a number out of a possible 100% perfect match. Here's how the points add up:

First Language 25 Second Language 20 Third Language 15 Fourth Language 10 Fifth Language 5 Gender 25 Skill Category 5 Age Range 10 Union Affiliation 5 Budget Ranges 5 Demo Category 15 First Demo Tag 5 Second Demo Tag 5

TOTAL 100%

Note: A job can only have one language, so the better matched a talent's language is, the more points they are assigned.

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Replying to a Job PostingThis will bring you to the page that fully describes the project requirements, script, budget range and deadline. Under Tools on the upper right hand side of the job description you will see some additional details including your VoiceMatch score, the job status, and “Submitted X of X Responses" which indicates how many people have already responded to the job posting.

Prior to submitting your audition you will see a 0 because you have not submitted an audition yet. Once you submit your audition and review it from your Answered tab you will see your actual placement in the total number of responses received by the client. You can also print the job posting, report abuse if you find the job suspicious, or delete the job.

If this project interests you, click on 'Reply To Job.' Once you have clicked on 'Reply To Job,' you will land on the audition page to submit your proposal, quote, and audition demo.

You can only submit once to a job posting so please do not reply to the job until you are ready to send them your audition demo.

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Proposals The most rewarded auditions that clients consider when they are looking for a voice include custom written proposals for their project. A persuasive and relevant note will catch more eyes quickly than even the most creative demo. Here is a sample proposal that you could use and personalize:

Hello (Client Name),

Thank you for reviewing my audition submission. I've had over X years of experience recording (type of recording). Some of my past (type of recording) clients include Company 1, Company 2 and Company 3.

I'd be interested in working with you on your project and I can have your recording done in less than 24 hours.

If you are also interested in working with me please click the Award job button to get started.

Warmest Regards,

(Your Name)

PS. If you don't feel I'm right for this project but may be right for future projects you can add me to your Favorites and reach out to me later!

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Providing a QuoteYou must submit a quote when auditioning. Whenever possible provide a quote within the client's budget range. Try not to quote less than their minimum budget and if you quote above their minimum budget explain why in your proposal.

Quote FieldAs an example, if you would like to receive $200 for the job enter 200 into the 'Your Fee' field and the 10% SurePay escrow fee will be added on top of your fee which covers credit card processing, file delivery, mediation and dispute resolution services if needed.

To be clear, you will always receive the full amount you quote in the ‘Your Fee’ field. The SurePay fee is charged to the client, not to you.

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Audition DemosA demo must be included with your audition. You can send either a custom demo which you've recorded specifically for the job OR an MP3 that you have already uploaded to your website. You cannot send both.

Custom AuditionsIf there is a script with the job posting it is recommended that you record a custom audition using a portion of the script provided. You do not need to record the entire script when auditioning, 30 seconds is usually plenty. If it’s a short script you may want to change the wording slightly or send a stock demo in the corresponding category.

To upload a custom demo, click on the 'Browse' button to locate the file on your computer hard drive. You will receive a confirmation that your audition was submitted successfully once you have clicked on 'Submit' to conclude the auditioning process.

Stock Demos as AuditionsIf there is no script with the job posting you can submit a demo that you have previously uploaded to your demo page at Voices.com.

Select one of your demos from the 'Existing MP3' option. This will give you a drop down menu of all files uploaded to your demo page. Click on the file that you would like to audition with, and then click 'Submit' to conclude the auditioning process.

A copy of your audition will be recorded in your 'Answered' jobs area for future reference.

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Answered Jobs and StatusesIf you’ve auditioned for a job, the status of that job will change to “Answered” and be filed accordingly under Answered Jobs in your account. When the job's deadline date has passed or the client decides they’ve received enough auditions the job be listed as “Closed.” You may still be hired for the job after it has switched to closed so don’t delete it at this point.

Once a job has been awarded to someone you’ll see the statuses change to “Finalizing,” “Working” and “Completed” as they move through the SurePay process. Once it’s switched to one of those stages it is safe to delete it. If a job is awarded to you we will notify you via email and the job will move to your “Awarded” tab.

Awarded JobsWhen a client hits Award Job on your audition and makes a deposit for your services into SurePay the job will move to your Awarded tab. It is under this tab where you will manage all of the aspects of the hiring process from accepting the job, denying the job, finalizing the details, delivering the files, reviewing payment details, and leaving feedback for your client.

Completed JobsAll jobs you've completed through Voices.com are stored under your Jobs > Completed tab. You’ll be able to instantly view the job ID number, title and click through to view the details of the job, payment, and feedback.

Deleted JobsWhen you delete a job posting from your Hiring or Answered tab it will be stored under Jobs > Deleted. There is no storage capacity and the jobs are permanently stored there. This allows you to easily search your deleted jobs to relocate them in the event a client contacts you down the road about a job you had previously responded to.

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There’s nothing better than getting a job offer in the world of freelance services! Discover more about job offers at Voices.com.

Hiring ProcessAt Voices.com, we have a brilliant service in place that will help you manage all aspects of accepting a voice-over job... it’s called SurePay.

SurePay is an escrow payment service that enables a client to make a full deposit upfront for your services. We hold the payment until the files are delivered to the client and the client authorizes us to release the funds to you. This service guarantees the clients satisfaction and guarantees that you will receive payment for the work you provide. Win, win!

The Job OfferThe process starts with the client clicking Award Job on your audition response. This prompts the client to immediately make a deposit into our SurePay system to secure your services and finalize the terms of the job such as the delivery deadline. They can also attach the full script and provide any other special instructions at this time.

Terms and FilesWe will send you an email to notify you of the job offer and provide a link directly to the Terms page where you can view the job offer and either accept or decline the job. Once you have accepted the job it will open up our file delivery service which will allow you to upload any file type required by the client, up to 250mb in size. If the client requires multiple files, we recommend uploading them all at once in a .zip file.

6. RECEIVING JOB OFFERS

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File Approval and Requesting ReleaseOnce you have uploaded all the files for the job, the client is notified that they have files waiting for their approval. The client will then login, listen to the work provided, click Approve File and click Release Payment. You will have the ability to click Request Release, which will send the client a reminder that they need to approve the files and authorize the payment. We recommend giving the client three business days before clicking the Request Release button. If it’s been over seven business days, please contact Voices.com at [email protected] and we will follow up with the client.

FeedbackOnce the client has approved your files and released the payment both of you will have the ability to leave feedback and a star rating for each other. Feedback is publicly displayed on the Feedback page of your profile.

PaymentsIn this area of your account, you’ll see two sections including “Held in Escrow” and “Payments Sent.”

Held in Escrow contains invoices for jobs that you are currently working on. If you click on the title of the job, you will see the printable invoice containing the details of the job and the clients direct contact information.

Payments Sent contains invoices of all jobs you’ve completed through Voices.com’s escrow service. You can click into each one to view and print the invoices for your records.

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

InboxYou can manage all incoming and outgoing messages sent to you at Voices.com through the internal messaging system. Clients can initiate a conversation with you from your audition response by clicking Ask a Question or Send a Thank You Note.

ReceivedAll new messages sent to you will be filed in your “Received” folder in your Inbox for easy reference and archiving. The number of messages you have waiting for you will be indicated in blue brackets beside the word Inbox.

SentIf you’ve replied to a client email or have sent any messages using Voices.com, they will be filed in your “Sent” folder in your Inbox.

DeletedAll messages which you have deleted from your sent or received folders will be archived in your deleted folder. You can restore the message if you need to reply again.

TemplatesWhy reinvent the wheel? To save time when auditioning you can create templates for your proposals which you can personalize each time you audition. Create as many as you like to help you address the different types of voice-over jobs you will be auditioning for.

7. REVIEWING YOUR MESSAGES

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Voices.com is home to a strong and supportive community where you’ll find first class support, educational tools, resources and more.

AnswersVoices.com Answers is a continuously improving collection of questions and answers that are created, edited and organized by the community here at Voices.com. Answer or pose an industry-related question here:

http://www.voices.com/answers

BlogsVoices.com offers a number of blogs including the industries most trusted voice-over blog “VOX Daily.” The VOX Daily blog offers a daily dose of voice acting news, articles, tutorials, interviews, intelligent conversation and business ideas for voice talent and voice actors. To visit VOX Daily now, go to:

http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/

PodcastsA podcast is like an online radio show with the bonus that it is available to you whenever you want to listen. The Voice Over Experts podcast, our most popular podcast, is recommended for professional development and business ideas. You’ll hear from some of the top voice-over instructors, authors and voice acting celebrities from around the world as they share some of their knowledge with you, free of charge. To listen to some podcasts now, go to:

http://podcasts.voices.com

8. PARTICIPATING IN THE COMMUNITY

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http://podcasts.voices.com/

http://podcasts.voices.com/

Resources

One of our most comprehensive sections is the Resource section, where you can download a multitude of helpful products such as Voices.com Apps, articles, and eBooks such as the Telephone Systems Kit. You'll also find infographics, the music and sound effects library, rate sheets, scripts, and more.

To view our Resources, visit: http://www.voices.com/resources

Help Section

Located in the upper right hand corner of every screen at Voices.com, you can access a database of over 500 industry related questions.

To view the Help section, visit: http://www.voices.com/help

Frequently Asked QuestionsIf you have a question about how to use the website, how much to budget for your voice-over and so on, you can search our FAQs from the Help section. This help is ready when you are and is available 24/7. If you can’t find the answer that you are looking for ask us via email, telephone or live chat and a live person will be happy to help!

To browse the frequently asked questions, visit: http://www.voices.com/help/faq

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http://www.voices.com/resources

http://www.voices.com/resources

http://www.voices.com/help

http://www.voices.com/help

http://www.voices.com/help/faq

http://www.voices.com/help/faq

Now you have tools and knowledge - put them to use!

Ready to take the next step? Start your experience today by joining Voices.com, the #1 voice-over marketplace. Enjoy access to voice-over opportunities, friendly customer care representatives, and create your very own voice talent website for free to showcase your voice and highlight your abilities. To launch your career, create your free account at Voices.com now!


9. GO FOR IT

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TV COMMERCIALS EXAMPLES

Voices.com was established in 2004 and is now the technology and industry leading website that connects businesses with professional voice talents. Radio and television stations, advertising agencies and Fortune 500 companies rely upon the Voices.com marketplace to search for, audition and hire voice talents with the assistance of our innovative SurePay™ escrow service and our Web application.

The winner of several awards, including the 1to1 Impact Award, Customer Relationship Management Elite Award, and the DigiFest New Voices Award, Voices.com has raised its profile significantly this year ranking on the PROFIT Hot 50 recognizing 534% growth over the past two years. In 2012 Voices.com won “Business of the Year” from the Chamber of Commerce.

Clients include NBC, ESPN, PBS, The History Channel, Reader's Digest, Comcast, Bell Canada, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, ING, Western Union, Ford, GM, Jaguar, Firestone Tires, American Airlines, the US Army, the US Government and thousands more.

ABOUT VOICES.COM

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talent user guide

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