Stop Wasting Auditions: 3 Strategies for Booking More Work

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We all do them. We all obsess over them. We refresh our inboxes hoping for a booking confirmation. But are we really thinking about our voice over auditions the right way?

Too many voice actors treat auditions like lottery tickets. They throw a read against the wall, cross their fingers, and hope it sticks. That's the A Chorus Line "God, I hope I get it!" mentality. It's based on hope, not strategy. Hope is not a business plan, at least not an effective one.

I think of auditions differently. Once I send off an audition, I don't give a rat’s ass what happens next. Why? Because I have no control over what happens next.

Why Every Audition is a Business Investment

You’re not just auditioning for one specific project. You're auditioning for every potential project with that end-client, producer, or casting director. Each audition you submit is a marketing touchpoint that demonstrates your value on multiple levels. It’s an investment in future opportunities.

You’re showcasing your acting skills, yes, but you’re also auditioning your recording space, your ability to follow directions, and your overall professionalism. When you reframe it this way, you realize the stakes are higher than just one gig. You're building your brand, one mp3 file at a time.

How do you ensure every audition provides a positive return on investment (ROI)? By demonstrating your value.

1. Showcase Your Professionalism

Before you even touch your microphone, read the audition specs. Then read them again. If they ask for two takes, don't send three. If they ask you to slate, slate exactly as they requested. If they specify "no processing," then for the love of Zod, send a raw file.

The Strategy: Following the specs TO THE LETTER is the easiest way to get past the first round of cuts. When a casting director is sifting through 200+ auditions, do you know what they do first? They delete everyone who couldn't follow simple instructions.

By ignoring the specs, you're telling them, "I can't take direction." From a client's perspective, that's a massive red flag. It’s a huge business risk. If you can’t get it right on a low-stakes audition, how can they trust you during a high-stakes, live-directed session with their own client on the line?

2. Showcase Your Versatility

Your commercial audition should not sound like your eLearning audition. Your audiobook read shouldn't sound like a monster truck rally promo (unless it's a very specific kind of audiobook).

This might sound obvious, but it’s a common mistake. Different genres have different rules, energy levels, pacing, and objectives. Your job is to demonstrate that you understand the context of the copy.

The Strategy: Honoring the genre shows the client that you've done your homework. It proves you understand their world and their needs. A client hiring for a medical narration needs to hear precision, clarity, and authority—not a warm, folksy storyteller (most of the time). When you nail the genre, you’re not just a voice actor; you’re a problem-solver who makes their job easier.

3. Showcase Your Talent

Great, you've followed the specs and nailed the genre. Now comes the fun part. Now you have to act.

Your job is to bring the copy to life in a way that is both authentic and aligned with the client's goal. This is where you separate yourself from the pack. The vast majority of auditions will be competent but forgettable. They will be "safe" reads.

The Strategy: A strong acting choice is a calculated risk. It's about finding a unique perspective or an emotional connection within the copy that others might miss, without contradicting the specs.

Maybe it's a slight pause, a change in inflection on a key word, or a subtle touch of humor. It’s the "special sauce" that makes a listener sit up and say, "That's the one." Good voice actors are, first and foremost, good actors. Your ability to make compelling, intelligent choices is the ultimate skill you're selling.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On!' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ―Calvin Coolidge

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Tom Dheere is the VO Strategist, a voice over business & marketing coach and demo producer since 2011. He is also a voice actor with over 25 years of experience who has narrated just about every type of voiceover you can think of. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.