There are over 30 million active bloggers in the United States alone – with blogs ranging from food, fashion, sports, politics, personal ramblings, and business or industry blogs. From a reported 3 million bloggers in 2005, it has grown exponentially in the last 10 years.
From a simple “web-log” by Jorn Barger (editor Robot Wisdom in 1997) in his attempt list daily the links that he logged into in the web it has become a hit with writers and the online reading public who were looking to write and read something different other than the more formal news and reports read all over the world-wide-web.
So why is blogging so popular?
For starters, writing a blog gives any writer (established or would-be) a chance to self-publish and write anything that appeals to them. Whether they wish to impart wisdom or a life-lesson, or to just share their daily grind or passion, writing a blog gives them an outlet to do that.
Beside from feeding the constant need for information, blogs appeal to readers because it is simple, specific and personal – and it is not just personal to the blogger but also to the reader as they can interact, comment, express their own experience about the topic and be part of the whole appeal of the blog.
And the voiceover industry is not lacking of great bloggers. But with so many bloggers in the industry today, how does one become popular? What qualities will distinguish a blog from the massive congestion in the blogosphere?
We asked some of the best bloggers in the industry today on how they all got started into blogging, and to share their most successful blogs to date in the hopes of inspiring those VO talents looking into sharing their wealth of experience through writing.
Rob Marley
What got you started doing blogs, and what your purpose or aim for doing so?
Originally I started doing movie reviews. I had teamed up with an established website and was being sent to review mostly B-grade flicks that the editor and his buddies didn’t want to see. They would review the blockbusters, I would do the art-house stuff. I didn’t mind too much because I got to see some pretty good movies for free. I felt that most reviewers reviewed movies from a very high-brow point of view that made the writer seem like a self-important snob. “I’m smarter than you because I use terms like ‘mis en scene’,” that sort of thing. My style was much more down to earth. I wrote for the average person – explaining little details about the business that people might not be aware of, while also throwing around a considerable amount of snark about the whole industry. It was a great way to focus my brain and help people hopefully learn something. Later on I decided to run my own blog and cover both film and TV. When I started getting more involved in voiceover as a career, it was a natural progression for me to continue writing a blog to help educate people.
What are the topics you like writing about the most?
I love to write for the noob. There’s a lot of people that are interested in being a voice artist, but don’t know the first thing about how to become one. My blog tries to help people separate what they think the business is about, versus what the industry really is. I certainly don’t know everything, but what I do know is my own personal experiences and pitfalls that might be able to help people dip their toe in the water and see if voiceover is something they really want to do.
What was your most successful blog to date? (Check out the link to learn why)
Interestingly, my most successful blog article is also my shortest. I wrote a piece about why just setting a goal is not enough. You always hear business experts extolling the importance of setting goals for your success. It’s utterly cliché. I got tired of hearing that every time, because I knew that there’s a lot more to it than just writing down “I want to be a successful voice artist” on a piece of paper. So I threw a quick post together – really more of a rant, honestly – which has ended up being my most popular article.
Why Just Setting a Goal is Not Enough
What is the best advice you can give to voiceovers, newbies or old timers alike?
That’s simple: Be a sponge. There is so much to learn and so much information to sift through about this business. When you’re first starting out, you need to learn as much as you can, as quickly as you can. Technology drives the industry. Styles and techniques change constantly. The faster you can absorb the knowledge, learn the skills and erase any pre-conceived ideas of what you thought voiceover was, the faster you can be on the path to being a truly successful voice artist.
Debbie Grattan
What got you started doing blogs, and what your purpose or aim for doing so?
I started writing articles mostly to improve my website’s search ranking. Now that I’ve been writing for a few years, it’s become a more fun and creative thing to do beyond just the SEO benefits.
What are the topics you like writing about the most?
I like writing about what it’s really like to be a full-time working voice over talent (from my vantage point), and find topics that are universal to talk about that relate to the VO profession. I also like covering voice over related information that prospective clients would be searching for or wanting to learn more about.
What was your most successful blog to date? (Check out the link to learn why)
If we’re measuring success by traffic, this article got most clicks:
Celebs Are Taking VO Roles Away from Voice Over Community… Really?
If we’re measuring based on number of comments, then it would be this one:
Is Your Voice Over Talent Website Mobile-Friendly?
What is the best advice you can give to voiceovers, newbies or old timers alike?
Assuming you have the talent, skills and abilities to do the recording work and win over clients on an ongoing basis, learning how to market yourself effectively is the hardest and most critical key to your long term success.
Gary Terzza
What got you started doing blogs, and what your purpose or aim for doing so?
I was receiving so many enquiries from beginners wanting to get into voice overs, that I thought writing a blog would help crystallise my thoughts and opinions about the VO industry. Writing articles seemed the perfect solution.
What are the topics you like writing about the most?
I don’t have a particularly favourite area, because I like to explore all aspects of the business. So if the online chatter is referring to lowball rates, or the pay to play sites, I will expand the topic providing context, depth and my own personal view. It’s not that I am right or wrong, it is just me working through the subject step by step and trying to see the other side of the issue.
What was your most successful blog to date? (Check out the link to learn why)
This question inspired me to check my stats and out in front is, Your Voice Over Showreel Is Not As Important As You Think
I was quite surprised this did so well, but I guess it’s because it is quite contentious and not your typical ‘how to make a showreel’ type of article.
What is the best advice you can give to voiceovers, newbies or old timers alike?
If you ain’t got anything to say… don’t write a blog.
Abbe Holmes
What got you started doing blogs, and what your purpose or aim for doing so?
I’d been working as a voiceover coach for almost 6 years, running in-studio workshops, before I built a website. Even though I had a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing, the task of writing the content for the website and creating my first voice over blogs was daunting.
My web builder was incredibly helpful about the purpose of blogging; to build an audience by sharing valuable information. He shared some templates and, armed with those, I started writing.
It was really difficult at first. What will I say, and to whom? What do people looking at my website want to know?
That was 6 years ago and when I look at some of my very early voice over blogs, they’re all a bit average really. Over time, my approach became more automatic. I would just think of titles and content when I was out and about, and when I sat down to write, ideas just flowed.
What are the topics you like writing about the most?
It didn’t take long for me to realize that people wanted different things. Some wanted insider information. Those who were just starting out wanted it demythologized. Those who worked in voiceover wanted to know that they were on the right track.
What was your most successful blog to date? (Check out the link to learn why)
Everyone wanted technique blogs. These have been my most popular to date and every time I write a blog that has tips and techniques, I get great feedback and comments.
These comments help shape what I write. Here’s a link to one I wrote earlier this year that attracted a lot of attention: Voice Over Script Techniques
What is the best advice you can give to voiceovers, newbies or old timers alike?
Voiceover is never easy to break into. If you have the energy and the passion, coupled with the skills, then go for it.
To become successful, you need to know who you are as a voice actor, and what is it that someone, when listening to your disembodied voice, hears?
If this is your passion, you need to make a study of what’s out there, read all you can about and then seek the right advice from a coach. Make sure it’s someone working in the business.
Paul Strikwerda
What got you started doing blogs, and what your purpose or aim for doing so?
You can have the best business in town, but if nobody knows who you are and where to find you, you’re not going to attract any customers. So, you need to do something to get people in the door. Once your customers have found you, you have to gain their trust. Nobody likes to do business with people they don’t trust.
My blog does a number of things. It brings thousands of people to my website every month. That’s a big deal. It means that out of all the voice-overs sites they could have gone to, they go to Nethervoice.com and stay there for a while.
Why do they do that? Because they find something of value that makes them come back again and again. My blog. And when they read that blog, they get to know me, and they learn about my take on the business I’m in. It’s a way for me to position myself in the voice-over market place as someone who knows a thing or two about voice-overs. This builds trust.
I call this approach “under the radar marketing.” I’m not putting up ads that say:
“Better call Paul. He’s the Best! If you need an international voice, he is your man!”
People have become allergic to this kind of in your face, self-congratulatory marketing.
Instead, I write reviews; I give advice, and I tell stories. Most people hate ads, but they love a good story!
Does this approach work for everybody? Absolutely not. I happen to love writing. I’ve been doing it for most if my life. If you don’t like to write, then a blog is not for you. Perhaps you should do a weekly podcast. Others love making videos, or put out a picture diary.
The important thing is to do something that excites you, and that fits you. People can sense whether or not your heart is in it or not.
What are the topics you like writing about the most?
In general, I blog about the business of being in business as a freelancer, as seen through the lens of a voice-over professional.
One of the things I like to do is to write about topics that are timely and make them timeless. News is outdated the moment it is published. Analysis lasts much longer. If you want to give your content more staying power, you have to use specific examples to make a general point.
A few weeks ago week I wrote about World Voice Day, an international event on April 16th. I used it as an opportunity to write about vocal health. In the past I have written about the Voice Arts Awards. I used that story to talk about the pros and cons of competitions. I wrote about Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson who was fired after physically and verbally abusing a producer. I used his story to identify seven traits of successful colleagues, and the ways they treat the people they work with.
What was your most successful blog to date? (Check out the link to learn why)
It’s called: Five Reasons Why You Should Never Become A Voice-Over. It has had over 10,000 views as we speak.
What is the best advice you can give to voiceovers, newbies or old timers alike?
In terms of blogging: If you want to appeal to a wide audience, have a unique point of view.
In terms of voice-overs: Treat it as a full-time, for-profit business.
The voiceover industry is ripe with stories to share, as every experience with a client, every project worked on, every session in the recording booth, and every journey to become a voiceover actor is different. But having a great story to tell or an experience worth reading and sharing is not enough to become a successful voiceover industry blogger.
Having a popular VO blog does not happen overnight. It requires passion and single focus on what inspires you and what you really enjoy. The blog is kept fresh, up to date, and interesting to its readers, as readers are a significant factor in building the blog’s popularity. Interaction with them is essential as building a community with the readers makes the blog more credible, and helps the site become more than just one blogger writing into space. It is personal, yet gives a venue for multiple voice, opinion and experience. Allowing interaction to happen in your blog site builds loyal fan base and then this translates to loyal readership.
Take that first step and test The Field of Dreams theory: If you build it, they will come. Slowly and steadily.
Are you voiceover industry blogger? What tips can you share with those aspiring to be one?
Or are you an avid VO blog reader? What stories or information would you love to read about?
Share it with us by commenting below.
