7 Tips for Finding the Best Voice Actor for Your Audio Ads

The voice that delivers your message is just as important as the message itself, whether it’s a local accent that your consumer can relate to, multiple voices that sound like those of their friends, or a single voice that commands the room (or your headphones). Audio advertising requires many components to work together in harmony, and the right voice can personify your brand and breathe life into your message. Think of it this way, a stand-out voice actor can’t make up for a poorly written script just as a stellar script can’t make up for ill-fitting voice talent.

Whether you’re advertising on streaming audio or podcasts, let’s talk about why and how you should find the perfect voice for your brand.

Why Is It Important to Find the Right Voice Talent for Your Audio Ads?

Time and again, listeners report that they prefer ads that are relevant to the context they play in as well as their preferences. To personalize a listener’s ad experience, keep their desires and needs in mind throughout the ad creation process, from script writing to voice casting. When listeners connect with voice talent, it can build a world through sound that feels personal to each listener. This intimate connection leads to better ad performance and stronger brand recall.

Brand Personality

Your brand voice likely matches that of your ideal consumer. Is your brand voice female or male? Younger or older? Someone based in a large city on the West Coast or a smaller city on the East Coast? To put this in context, a fun and exciting startup geared towards younger audiences probably doesn’t match up with an octogenarian for its spokesperson.

Audience Alignment

Since your voiceover actor will serve as a conduit between you and your audience, the talent has to be just as aligned with them as they are with your brand. Put yourself in your target consumers’ shoes and factor in how they view themselves, who they surround themselves with, and their local community. Here’s a fun fact, some listeners are more open to content and advertisements with voices that sound like their own. For instance, 56% of diverse listeners are more likely to relate to ads that reflect their cultural identity and experiences. This could look like your brand enlisting a bilingual voice actor or someone with a regional accent. But it’s critical that you find a voice actor who can genuinely reflect these nuances—authenticity is key.

What Types of Ads Use Voice Actors?

Voice actors are used in a few different ad types across a few different media. Here are the major ad types that leverage voice talent.

Podcast Ads

If you’re not yet ready to take the plunge into host read territory, utilizing ads with voice actors can be an equally effective (and budget-friendly) choice.

Announcer-read ads: Just like this ad type’s name, it’s read by well, an announcer (i.e. a talented voice actor—not a “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday” AM/FM announcer). Announcer reads share the same intimacy as host reads while offering scalability. This ad type doesn’t require as much creative production as pre-produced brand reads, which means the voice that’s used can be front and center.

Brand-read ads: Also known as pre-produced ads, this ad type gives advertisers full control and creative freedom. You can implement anything from a dramatized dialogue to a full-blown audio masterpiece with sound effects and music. Have a brand spokesperson or traditional voice actor deliver your message, and sit back and watch the voice become synonymous with your brand itself.

Streaming Audio Ads

Standard audio ads: The traditional audio ad is likely what first comes to mind when you think of an ad type that leverages voice actors. If it fits your brand, the right voice talent can inject some humor into your brand message or speak conversationally to help your ad perform better. What’s more, streaming audio ads offer key advantages over AM/FM, from their shorter and less intrusive ads, to the addition of visuals, to the ability to tailor messaging.

3D audio ads: 3D audio takes traditional sound to a whole new level. Imagine hearing what sounds like a mix of footsteps around you or a rushing waterfall in front of you. With the combination of surround sound effects and a voice actor to drive the message home, your ad isn’t just grabbing attention—it’s commanding it.

Dynamic audio ads: This ad type stands out as brands can create multiple versions of the same audio ad, which you can tweak in real time using advanced adtech. With the listener context in mind, brands can change the script, tone, and background elements based on any number of data points—from weather, to location, to time.

7 Tips for Finding the Best Voice Actor

Now for the promised tips. Here’s how to find the voiceover talent that best showcases your brand to your audience.

1. Focus on Authenticity and Friendliness

People listen to streaming audio and podcasts because these channels are authentic, trustworthy, and generally improve their mood. The voice talent you choose should reflect those same feelings to your listeners. Forget the traditional radio announcer voice and the salesy tone—today's listeners connect better with authentic, friendly delivery that feels both natural to the platform and who they are. Voice talent should be part of the equation that makes listeners feel like they're part of a one-on-one conversation rather than being talked at.

2. Emphasize the Brand-to-Listener Connection

As much as listeners appreciate ads that fit within the content of their podcasts and playlists, they are even quicker to recognize what feels out of place. Without a proper connection between voice talent and the listener, the consumer is left scratching their head and wondering how your product is relevant to them.

3. Find the Voices Your Audiences Want to Hear

Think broadly when it comes to casting. Remember that 79% of podcast listeners favor ads that feature a diversity of voices. Your perfect voice match could be Black, Spanish-speaking, or a regional accent specialist. Choose voices that authentically connect with your target audience.

4. Make Voiceovers Complementary to Sound Design

Create an immersive experience by thoughtfully combining voice talent with sound effects and music beds that enhance rather than compete with the message. Your voiceover shouldn’t overshadow the sound effects and vice versa.

5. Use AI Strategically and Thoughtfully

While AI technology is already present in voiceover work, it's important to find ethical ways to use it while prioritizing authenticity, sensitivity, representation, and transparency. As much as the technology has evolved, audiences are still turned off when they sense something amiss in the voices, which could come in the form of cultural appropriation or mishaps. Don’t disregard AI where it can help, but make sure that humans with relevant knowledge and expertise are at the helm. The human touch is still needed for understanding nuances and maintaining responsible AI usage.

6. Keep It Simple

Skip the complex scripts and focus on clear, direct messaging that resonates with your audience. And it goes without saying, but give your voice actors clear instructions and pronunciations for your brand names, URLs, and CTAs. Remember, a straightforward approach can sometimes yield better results than overly elaborate productions.

7. Turn to Studio Resonate for Voiceover Talent

The creative team of Studio Resonate, our in-house creative agency, is equipped to deliver the perfect voices to the perfect audience. To see their talents in action, take a look at this past campaign.

Studio Resonate teamed up with Pepsi to launch an innovative regional campaign where they created distinct audio ads for 10 cities nationwide. The campaign utilized 22 different voice actors to capture each area's distinctive vocal characteristics and regional accents. The ads celebrated each city's signature dishes that complement Pepsi, weaving in region-specific humor and references to connect with local audiences. This geo-targeted approach perfectly showcases the importance of voice talent (and authentic representation) in audio advertising.