Have you been told that you have the voice of an angel? Or, on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, has your voice been compared to Gilbert Gottfried’s? Either way, your unique voice is a gift that can be turned into a side hustle. Whether it’s high or low, melodic or raspy, beautiful or downright scary, there are tons of ways to make money with your voice.
Best of all, many online side hustles on my list can be done from the comfort of your own home. All you need is an internet connection and a good microphone.
So, without further ado, let’s get into the best ways to make money with your voice.
How to Make Money With Your Voice Online
For many people looking for a side hustle, one of the most important factors is the ability to work from anywhere.
The good news is that there are a lot of ways that you can make money with your voice online without ever having to leave the comfort of your home.
These include:
- Selling your services as a voice-over artist on Upwork, Fiverr, or another freelance marketplace. Start your voice-over career on Upwork today!
- Marketing yourself as a voice-over artist on Voices.com (a freelance marketplace devoted solely to voice acting and voice-over work).
- Looking for voice-over, voice-acting, or voice recording jobs on a job search site like Indeed, Glassdoor, or Monster.
- Looking for jobs recording audiobooks for popular apps like Audible or Storytel.
Regardless of where you choose to market yourself, the competition in the freelance voice-over/voice-acting industry is fierce.
That shouldn’t discourage you from trying, but it should encourage you to make your profile and demo tape as impressive as possible. Naturally, you should also give 110% to every gig you get.
Remember that the first thing a potential client will see is your demo tape and/or voice samples, so you’ll want to polish these to perfection.
Once you’ve landed a job, try your hardest to impress your client. Good reviews can make a huge difference and can help you start earning some serious cash.
How to Make Money as a Voice Actor
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, voice actors have given us some of the most memorable cartoon characters and pop cultural references — from the legendary Mel Blanc (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, to name just a few) to Tom Kennedy (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson).
Although showbiz is a notoriously difficult field to break into, with time, effort, and a little luck, voice acting can be a majorly rewarding and fun career.
Much like screen acting, voice acting requires actors to work on developing a unique character. To see how they do this, you can check out YouTube videos of successful voice actors as they record their characters.
In addition to having a knack for developing unique voices to match a character, you’ll need to have an innate understanding of comedic timing, pacing, and clear enunciation and diction.
To break into the voice-acting field, you’ll also need to record a demo tape. This will require you to either own the proper recording equipment or book time in a professional studio to record.
Keep an eye out for auditions and casting calls, and go to as many as you possibly can. Remember that having a great, up-to-date demo tape that includes any and all work you’ve done in the industry can make a huge difference.
How to Make Money as a Voice-Over Artist
Voice-over acting is closely related to voice acting but more broadly includes providing voices for content such as video games, corporate videos, training videos, advertisements, and more.
Basically, if a video or audio content clip includes a human speaking, there’s a strong chance that a voice-over artist worked on it.
Doing voice-overs for videos is a great way to make money with your voice from the comfort of your home — all you need is a proper setup with a good microphone.
There are lots of voice-over acting platforms online where you can create a profile and advertise your services for a specific price.
You can also check out voice-over job opportunities on employment platforms like Indeed and Monster.
To cast as wide a net as possible, you might also want to create a profile on a freelance marketplace like Upwork or Fiverr and sell your voice-over services as a freelancer.
To stay in the loop with new opportunities in the industry, it’s a good idea to join voice-over acting forums and groups on social media as well.
If you’re interested in doing voice-overs for commercials, you’ll definitely want to create a demo tape that you can show to potential clients.
Breaking into the commercial voice-over industry is a bit more competitive since you’ll be working for a brand that has a specific image in mind for advertising its product (for example, the Geico Gecko and his unmistakable British accent).
As such, it’s important to practice, hone your craft, and get as much industry-relevant experience as possible to make yourself attractive as a candidate for commercial voice-overs.
The same goes for recording radio ads, another great gig that can be done from home as long as you have a good microphone and a space with some decent soundproofing.
For more information, check out my full guide to becoming a voice-over actor.
More Options: Making Money With Your Unique Voice
There are some people, like the legendary Michael Leslie Winslow, who can change their own voices to sound like just about anything or anyone. However, most of us have a general vocal range that we can’t stray too far from.
As such, how you can make money with your voice will largely depend on what kind of voice you have. Let’s take a look at the options available to different types of voices.
If you have…
1. A Deep Voice
Fun fact: according to research from several studies, men with deeper voices are more likely to earn a higher income on average. Similarly, women with deep voices are often described as seeming competent and capable.
But regardless of your gender, if you’re wondering how to make money with a deep voice, a few of your options are:
- Voice-overs for commercials
- Audiobook recordings
- Radio ads
- Recording audio for news articles (like Audm)
2. A Good Singing Voice
Do people compliment you when they overhear you sing in the shower? Are you the envy of all your karaoke night friends?
If you dream of making money with your singing voice, the good news is you don’t have to wait for your music career to take off to start earning.
You can make money with your singing voice by:
- Forming a band.
- Offering your singing services on a freelance marketplace and getting hired for parties and other gigs.
- Making a monetized YouTube channel and singing cover songs (or originals — hey, it’s how Justin Bieber got started!).
- Voice acting.
- Selling vocal track acapellas on Voclio.
- Offering singing lessons.
3. A Regular Speaking Voice
Don’t worry if you’re not a singer or if you can’t do a perfect Darth Vader impression. If you simply have a pleasant voice that’s nice to listen to, you can still make big money with your speaking voice.
Here are a few ideas for how to make money with a good voice:
- Radio ads and televised commercials
- Audiobook or article recordings
- Record audio for online videos
FAQ’s
Summary: Making Money With Your Voice
All in all, there are tons of great ways to make money with your voice, many of which never even require leaving the comfort of your home.
As long as you have a good microphone and a room with decent soundproofing and acoustics, you’re ready to start your side hustle as a voice-over artist, voice actor, or recording artist.
Make no mistake: because of the competition in the field, this isn’t a side hustle for someone who wants to earn some quick cash without putting in much effort.
However, if you do want to put in the work, making money with your voice can be a majorly rewarding experience. Don’t wait any longer. Create your Upwork profile and embark on your journey now. Click here. Best of luck!
References
- Voices.com – https://www.voices.com/
- Audible – https://www.audible.com/
- Storytel – https://www.storytel.com/
- Deep voice statistics – https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/how-your-voice-affects-your-income
- Audm – https://www.audm.com/
- Voclio – https://www.voclio.com/
