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No, this doesn’t have anything to do with warm emails vs cold emails.

It applies when you use start using a brand new email address to prospect for business. Like when you set up a new email address for your new VO business, or go from a Gmail. com address to a YourDomain.com address. But it’s also important to use an email warmer, even if you’ve been sending from the same email address for years.

Right after COVID hit, I worked with the illustrious J. Michael Collins to create a medical demo. Then I created a special URL and email address specifically for my medical demo, and commenced to email prospects in the medical field.

Results?

Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nuttin.

Any number of things could have caused it. Sending to the wrong person, sending to companies that don’t use VO, maybe too much email in their inbox. There’s really no way to tell, especially since I didn’t know about tracking open rates at the time.

But what if a great percentage of those emails never got to the inbox? Could I have done anything about that?

Yes!

Today, I learned that if you set up a new email address, you should “warm it up” before you start sending cold emails.

Why? Because you need to show email service providers that you’re a trustworthy user and not a huge source of junk mail.

This helps you improve your email deliverability.

Otherwise, that precious email that took you sooooo long to write may get caught in the dreaded SPAM filter.

Today, I learned about 13 services that will warm up a shiny new email account, or keep your current one toasty warm. Two of them are free, and I’ll use one of them for a separate side hustle I’ve started.

(In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s tough to consistently make a living in VO, especially if all you do is VO. I believe this is why many voice artists have a related side business like coaching, editing, audiobook mastering, or technical consulting. Having multiple streams of income in an up and down business like ours really helps when the inevitable lean times arrive.)

To find out about a 13 different email “warmer uppers,” including the 2 free ones, go to https://quickmail.io/email-warm-up-tools

Their website also has a lot of good info about the do’s and don’ts of email campaigns in general.

Happy sending!

Corporate narration is a broad term covering all the voice over services used internally and externally by a business. Internal examples include onboarding and training videos for new hires, while external examples include website and YouTube videos directed toward potential customers. Corporate narration needs a well-written script and a great voice to deliver your message. And when both of those things come together just right, your brand identity rises above the mundane and commonplace material that audiences expect from corporate narration and becomes something truly inspiring.

You’ll need thought-provoking words to write a corporate narration script that will inspire those who hear it. That will take some art, but there are other things you will need that are more of a science. These are best practices for conveying your message so that it is comprehended and engaging to the audience. The information in this article will list these best practices. But don’t forget that voices are inspiring in and of themselves. That’s why you should always hire a voice actor who knows the art of storytelling and has a voice to match the tone of the material.

Write in a Conversational Tone

Unless your corporate narration is aimed toward technical experts who only want to hear scientific jargon, your audience will likely be turned off by fancy words and flowery language. Inspiration only happens when messages are clear, concise, and engaging. Write your script as if you were talking to one person, and they will feel all the emotions you want them to feel. A voice over artist who can match the tone will enhance the effect. It’s best to find a voice actor who can match the style you are going for and then write as if they were having the conversation.

Stay On Topic

Many corporations have lofty goals in their mission statement, ranging from bettering the communities they serve to being proactive in solving the social injustices around them. That is noble, but unless your narrative piece is a feature film-length documentary, you’ll likely lose your audience trying to enumerate all the great things about your brand. If you are making training material for employees or forward-facing material to show consumers the value of your product, stick to the basics. Audiences today are intelligent and can figure out many peripheral benefits on their own. The great thing about having a professional voice over artist is that the way they speak your script will inspire listeners to make those positive conclusions.

DeepWarmVoice.com

There is an art to writing inspirational words. It must be clear, concise, and engaging to be effective.. The other half of creating a corporate narration that inspires comes from the skill of a talented voice over artist. Greg Thomas is the voice actor you need. His voice over services are highly sought after by companies wanting a tone of authority and inspiration. You may even become inspired yourself when you view his past work at DeepWarmVoice.com.

Businesses and educators that resisted implementing eLearning as part of their training or curriculum before 2020 have probably been forced to after COVID changed the world. There is still an argument to be made that a sense of human connection is lost without in-person learning. However, you can quickly dispel that thinking after hearing an eLearning course narrated by a great voice actor. Hiring the right voice talent is essential to developing an eLearning course that will engage and inspire your audience and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Of course, there are several other benefits of eLearning. The money it saves businesses by being able to have appropriate training material available whenever it is needed is one benefit. That it is easily accessible – especially in this time when remote work and at-home learning are growing in popularity – is another. An eLearning course is also suitable either as an effective supplement to in-person training, or can be the bulk of how your curriculum is delivered. Here is a complete yet simple guide to help you develop an eLearning course with value.

What Key Elements Make a Good eLearning Course?

Content is everything with eLearning, and it must be laid out in a way your students will understand and retain. You can think of the key elements as the bones before the flesh is added, and your online course becomes a full-fledged entity ready to be released into the world. The key elements are what will support all of the final touches – like your eLearning voice over, graphics, UX, etc. Before you begin fleshing out the finer details, ask yourself these questions:

What Are The Goals of My eLearning Course?

The most obvious answer is to teach students necessary information, but you should be broader than this. Ensure that you clearly outline the challenges to overcome with eLearning, what results you expect, and how they will propel students and your company toward the right goals.

A good eLearning course should be built on the training methods that have been used in the past and focus on engaging your audience today. With the former, you need to analyze what methods have been used to teach previously: what were their strengths and weaknesses? Your new eLearning system is an excellent opportunity to eliminate what didn’t work and improve upon what does.

You must craft your content and its presentation so that it aligns with societal norms to engage your students best. You have seen society change rapidly just in the last three years, so you undoubtedly have at least some inkling of how important this is. But this doesn’t mean only incorporating politically correct wording. Everything about your eLearning course should align with your mission statement or underlying ethics associated with the material.

Who is Your Audience, and How Do You Give Them Value Through Your eLearning Course?

Even more important than aligning with societal norms, you should ensure you have a clear understanding of exactly who your audience is. If you are creating onboarding and training materials, this is a little easier. You likely hire candidates who fit in well with your existing company culture, are professionals, and are interested in the products or services you offer. You must keep them engaged by providing value, especially if you have a varied audience of different backgrounds.

You will need to add assessments so students (and you) can see how much they are learning and retaining. Whichever eLearning voice over services you choose, ensure that the voice talent guides them smoothly from learning to quizzes, tests, and other assessment tools.

Value comes from many aspects of your eLearning course, not just how much they learn. Proper presentation of that information makes it easier for them to understand and retain it. This is one way that your eLearning voice over will enhance its value. A great voice actor uses their skills to hold your audience’s attention and deliver the content in an easily understandable manner.

What is the Best eLearning Software on the Market?

Many eLearning platforms are available to serve as a template for putting your content together and giving it a polished, professional look. The best depends on the answers when shaping the key elements of your eLearning course.

How do you Find the Best Voice Talent for your eLearning Course?

First, ask yourself if a female or male voiceover will best match the tone of your eLearning content. An excellent tip to remember is that subject matter, and the audience, should sway this decision. Female voice talent can impart a soft tone, while male voiceover artists will evoke more authority. You should imagine both genders speaking your script in your head to get a better idea of which eLearning voice-over best matches.

Not everyone is suited for voiceover work. It may be tempting to hire someone you know or who works cheaply, but many nuances and art are involved in producing high-quality work. Always choose a voice actor with experience in eLearning voice-over work as they will know best how to bring it to life. A great voice actor will also know where to add inflections, pause, speed up, and speak with more energy to improve your content in ways that you never thought about before.

DeepWarmVoice.com

Many choose a male voiceover professional because of the authoritative tone that audiences engage with. Greg Thomas at DeepWarmVoice.com may just be the voice talent you are looking for. He is a voice actor with a proven track record of captivating audiences from all walks of life. One area that Greg Thomas has extensive experience in is providing eLearning voice over services. Contact him today and set your eLearning course apart at DeepWarmVoice.com.

The majority of advertising is carried out online these days, with a high percentage requiring video and voiceovers. But the last thing you want is to damage your brand with an amateur voiceover done for cheap; it’s better to invest in a professional service that can deliver the results you expect and help build your brand identity in the process.

They are Professional Artists

You’ll know it isn’t easy if you’ve ever tried to perform voiceover work. There are specialized techniques and performance abilities that take the content to another level; that’s why professional voiceover artists exist. They have the talent and the equipment that’s required.

The trouble with an amateur attempt at voiceover is the lack of skill and experience in their voice. All of these things take years to master in a professional setting and can’t be replicated even by talented enthusiasts; pros are best!

They Improve Brand Image

Would you rather have an amateur voiceover for your promotion or one that sounds professional and seamless? Most serious brands would choose the latter because it reflects more favorably on the business and helps to grow the brand in the hearts and minds of clients.

On the other hand, when a brand uses an amateur voiceover service, it reflects poorly on the brand and takes it in the opposite direction. The reason clients and customers choose brands is because they want to associate with them personally, so it pays to raise the brand standard.

They Have Distance From Content

If you have an advert, audiobook, or video that you need a voiceover for, it makes more sense to hire professional voiceover actors. You might not realize it, but you will have a vested interest in the content, which influences how you talk about it and how you sound about it.

Conversely, a voiceover artist sees your content as a job and can, therefore, distance themselves from it and deliver a more professional and effective service. A professional voice talent is trained to achieve this, but you might waste hours getting it right if you try it yourself.

They Have the Best Equipment

Professional voiceover artists have the best equipment and the best studios. While recording equipment such as microphones and software has come down in price over the years, it can still cost significant amounts of money to set up a studio that you only use one or two times.

Instead, why don’t you hire professional voiceover actors who have their own private studios? That way, you receive the best professional service, and you don’t have to invest in expensive use-once equipment. Remember, you have to learn to use the equipment too, which takes time.

They Have Professional Technique

Every professional has techniques they have mastered over time which gives them an edge over amateurs and competition. Voiceover actors are no different. These professionals know how to control complex sounds in the language to make the recording clear and audible.

Video marketing is probably the most effective form of marketing these days, which means the competition for high-quality advertising videos is higher than ever. If you want your brand to compete with the best, you need to make the best choices for shooting videos.

Recruit Outside Talent

When you need voice-over professionals for professional videos, there’s a debate about hiring from the outside or inside. There are pros and cons to both situations, but it mostly depends on whether you have the talent within your organization.

If you don’t, or you think it might sound amateurish and affect your brand image, you need to seriously consider hiring talent from outside. While this might be more expensive in the short term, in the long run, it pays off with high-quality content that is very brand-focused.

Recruit Employees

On the flip side, many companies swear by hiring talent from within the organization. If you have suitable talent, this can be sensible because the message comes from the heart of the business and is, therefore, more authentic. Additionally, recruiting employees helps to save money.

It’s worth investigating both avenues because recruiting from the inside can be more cost-effective, but getting the right talent is harder. It’s a marginal process, and if you opt for the cheaper option, the company employees need to have something special to deliver on camera.

Employ Yourself

Another option is to employ yourself; after all, you have the best understanding of the message and the content you want to deliver. It might take a bit of practice and even some training, but if you’re willing to invest the time and energy, there’s no reason you can’t make a great video.

The downside to this approach is that you are so close to the content. When you hire a professional, you get an objective service that can deliver your message in a professional and detached manner. This is something that you can’t contrive or carry out on your own.

Hire Actors

You might need voice-over actors, a voice-over artist, or your video production, but you will also require some actors for the video itself. Again you have two options. You can recruit from the inside or recruit from the outside. Each of these approaches has its upside and downside.

Think about your brand identity and the message you want to convey. Do you want to deliver an authentic message to a broad audience, or do you want to create a professional video that can remain on the internet for many years and not grow tired? Work out the details before investing.

Hire Voice Over Actors

If you are in any doubt, hire voice-over actors for your video production. Voice-over actors are professionally trained and can get the job done in a fraction of the time and to a far higher standard. A voice-over artist also has most of the state-of-the-art equipment and techniques.

WARNING: The following contains graphic pictures of exposed duct work that may not be suitable for those who are sensitive to interior design or practice feng shui. This project also comes with the potential for a low spousal approval rating. Check with your significant other before proceeding.

Scorching temperatures, often over 100^°F, have been reported across much of the US this summer. These unusually hot weather conditions have caught most of the country by surprise. Continue reading “How I Air Conditioned My VocalBooth® for $119.05”

My son manages a team of remote tech support reps for Apple. They are mostly new hires and college students who are spread all over the US. Because his is a more traditional job than voiceover is, I asked him for his insights about best practices for working from home. Here’s what he said:

Continue reading “5 Tips For Working From Home From Someone Who’s Done It For 5 Years”