Voiceover acting may be — at least in my mind — one of the most universal side hustles. I mean, almost all of us can speak, right?
My guest this week, Carrie Olsen, assures me there’s a little more to it than that, but also says it’s a business with low startup costs and low barriers to entry.
Carrie went from her first audition to quitting her job in a span of just 4 months. Since then, the freelance artist has done work for big brands like REI, Disneyworld, and AT&T, all while enjoying a location independent lifestyle.
On this call we get in to how Carrie broke into the voiceover business, how she landed her first clients, and how she’s grown her business over the last year and half.
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Learn
- How Carrie got started in this business and her recommendations for newbies.
- The upfront investments she made in launching her voiceover career.
- How she landed her first clients.
- The “pay-to-play” talent marketplaces she found the most success with.
- How to rock your auditions.
- The hardware and software she uses to sound great.
- Carrie’s #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation.
Links and Resources
- CarrieOlsenVO.com
- The Voiceover Success Intensive Course (coming soon)
- Alyson Steel
- Voice123.com
- Voices.com
- TheVoiceRealm.com
- Bodalgo.com
- ACX
- AKG Perception 120 XLR condenser mic
- Voice Acting Mastery podcast
Download the Free PDF "Highlight Reel" from this Episode
With all of my guest's top tips and resources included.
Enter your email to access it now:
Success! You just unlocked the highlight reel from this episode ... AND over 200 other subscriber-only bonuses. Check your email for details :)
(If it doesn't show up in 5-10 minutes, check spam/promotions.)
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All i can saw is wow. You never cease to bring side hustlers that over deliver Nick. This one’s a classic. I loved Carrie’s energy, spunk and sheer hustler spirit. Keep up the good work guys. I’m gonna put this on my list of side hustles.
Let me know how it goes Chi!
Hi Nick,
The link to teachable isn’t working. Can we get an updated link?
I really enjoyed the session with Carrie
Thanks Todd! And sorry for the trouble. Try this one instead?
Hi Nick,
Thanks for a really interesting conversation! I liked hearing about what, for me, was a side hustle I’d never even thought about. I went to Carrie’s site to hear some of her demos and it’s amazing how many different voices she’s able to use. Her Teen one is pretty funny.
Thanks Ivy, happy to hear it!
Well, have done radio shows for 10 years so I’m clearly not ‘mic shy’. The only issue is that my English accent might seem a bit weird (I’m Romanian). Even if I am fluent, there’s a bit of an accent. Anyway .. I could try at least, no harm done.
I wouldn’t consider your accent an “issue”… I love the Romanian accent :)
Freelancers should always look for new ways to diversify their business. Voiceover work can be a great way to do that if you know what you’re doing and can find the right clients. It’s not that much different than other types of freelancing which is something to keep in mind.
Both my daughters do voiceover. It is indeed very lucrative!
How did they get started?
I’ve got a lot of jobs through Voice Realm. Other websites have talent bid against each other which of course pushes the price down.
It’s been a hobby to begin with while I learnt how to control my voice and take direction from clients.
But now it’s paid off!
Thanks for the insight!
Sweet!
Fabuloso!
I watched a Bollywood classic the other day and as a freelancer wondered how to get into voiceovers as a career. Thanks for this article, it really helped point me in the right direction!
I definitely think this is something that requires some skill. It’s certainly not something just anyone can do. Ideally you need a background in acting. An understanding of how to use the voice well and convey imagery and a clear message through vocal expression. Not everyone would have the voice for it – at least without some good training anyway. Many people have dead boring voices in their podcasts and YT videos – and speak way too fast with no sense of connection to an audience.
One thing many people fail to realize is that in addition to a voice-over career, they can use the awesome power of speech recognition on their smartphones to create content for their side hustle blogs. Their smartphone alone can be their full-time career when they use the speech recognition function combined with a blank Google Docs document to right content in rough draft mode using their voice. All they have to Simply do is activate the speech recognition program, talking to their phone as if they’re having a fluent conversation with another human being so no one is around and they’re having a conversation with themselves by talking into the phone, and watch the words appear in a blank Google Docs document. They can then go back and revise what they’ve said using their voice and proofread for grammar and spelling Corrections. When the final copy is complete, all they have to do is copy and paste to a new WordPress blog post or use as a Blog comment like the one that you see here. The blog comment you’re currently reading was created using a smartphone. Lastly, if a person purchases the right type of laptop, the laptop will enable them to use Microsoft Cortana and the built-in microphone to create content without attaching a headphone to the laptop. This makes the job of side hustle blogging and voice-overs easier for the side hustler to achieve.
Wow, u can always increase what your doing, u can always get better, whether your Bill Gates,or living in a tent in downtown LA! I want to get to the point where i can live my life. not worrying about money , most importantly, helping the world do the same thing. thats the main deal for me.
Getting hold on something tough starts from yourself. When it comes to voiceover acting, you can start a career from your home. Just need to have some ideas and technology. Voice over job market is indeed huge.
Debbie it’s Peter how did you get started in voice-over and how long have you been doing it? I’ve been taking some marketing courses fron a conpanyvoice which is in New Jersey