Whenever I get asked to quote voiceover projects, I usually start with the comprehensive GVAA Rate Guide.

In voiceover, there are 3 main things that need to be considered when preparing a quote:

Type of Work. Session Fee. Usage.

Type of Work:

“Type of Work” refers to the voiceover category that the job falls into. Here are a few examples:

• Commercial (radio, TV, web)

• Automotive (radio, TV, web)

• Non-broadcast narration (eLearning, corporate, B2B, usually not consumer-facing)

• Broadcast narration (in-show)

• On-hold messaging (OHM, OOM, LLVM, LVM)

• TV / Radio promo

• Video games

Session fee:

The “Session Fee” covers the actor’s time in session, preparation, session set-up, use of their equipment, insurance, and their own home studio’s operational / maintenance costs.

Usage:

A flat rate usage license that specifies for how long (duration) and in which media format(s) the spot(s) will run on. For broadcast, commercial spots typically run in 13-week cycles, sometimes up to 1-year or more.

Here’s a quick usage checklist to help get you started:

• If the usage is commercial broadcast, (:06 sec. - :90 sec.) how many spots / scripts will we be recording?

• How many weeks (duration) will the spots run?

• Which cities / markets will the spots air in?

• Will there be any additional cut-down’s, lifts, edits, or new versions made from the original spots?

• Are there any additional usage requirements? (paid web, streaming platforms, social media pre-roll)

  eLearning

• If the usage is eLearning, what is the total word count of each module/script?

• If the eLearning project is something that will be sold for profit, a 1-year continuous use fee is usually negotiated and should be factored into the final cost.

• Are there any additional services required like editing, clean-up, mixing, or file splits?

If you have any questions about quoting for a voiceover project or about the process of recording, reach out to me anytime! No project is either too big or too small and I’m always glad to help.