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VOICE ACTING Three Common, Avoidable Mistakes That Voice-Over Clients Make In Writing Scripts July 3, 2019  By Sissy SieroVoice Actor I decided to take matters into my own hands and share a few
insights into these three avoidable, recurring mistakes that clients make in writing scripts. I consider myself
an expert witness, judge and jury, as I read between 20 to 50 scripts a
week; a surprisingly small percentage of which are well written, timed
correctly, and have a natural, conversational flow. So I'll start right
there with... Mistake # 1: Not hiring a professional to write the messaging
scripts. Bad scripts sink ships! Well-written scripts should tell a
story - your story, and should be a creatively crafted aggregate of the
content from your brand's research and marketing strategy - of course! It's a bit of a quandary as to how some scripts make their way into
marketing materials and digital media, but all too often they do. Bad,
substandard scripts don't serve your mission statement or company
purpose, or allow your brand to burst through the noise of competitors. And we - those who are hired to perform them, and of course your audience - know
the difference between real writing that has depth and meaning, and a
cliche-filled regurgitation of over used verbiage; as moving and
appealing as limp hors d'oeuvres at the end of an event - you may be
hungry, but, not that hungry. Here are a few of the worst offenders:
Ugg. The fact that I can write that from memory
illustrates how often I have read those exact words. If the budget isn't
there to hire a great professional writer, perhaps you should wait
until it is. Using boilerplate, outdated, or trite language in
messaging is not a great idea - and it may signal that the timing is not
right for the marketing push, or website launch. I recently spent time
going through the process of writing a few inspiring Manifestos, and
Mission statements; following the direction of a talented marketing/PR
firm, that I hired to help me with social media, re-brand my messaging,
and also to launch new creative projects. The energy boost and
waterfall of ideas that resulted was astounding. I know that it's
sometimes hard to get to the layers necessary that informs how to infuse
scripts, and our businesses, with new life and meaning, but as
entrepreneurs, that's what we have to do. Get the help of pros - everyone
needs that from time to time. Mistake #2: Please don't read/record the script, or have some very
bored sounding person in the office read/record the script as an example
for the VO talent's performance! Here's a little 411: these attempts to
help really do the opposite (for the most part); professionals know
what we need to do in order to bring our best to the message - to make
good, and not so good copy work. Do send links that speak to preferences
though: vibe, tone and how the energy should feel. If you expect
an exact replica of a YouTube video example, disappointment is going
to cloud your judgment. Remember that this is an art, and the voice is an
instrument attached to a body. Allow for creativity in a creative
process. We don't all sound the same, nor should we. Hire the voice that
literally speaks the soul of the company manifesto and the mission
statement. Try not to hire she/he/they because they sound like a type, everyone
else, or like a fakey knockoff of an Apple commercial, or a thinly
veiled mimic of the great character-voiced AT&T ads - that's just
unoriginal and uninspiring. Dare to be as bold as the product/your
company is! One can hear a person's experience in their voice,
not simply gravitas, though that is an important aspect; whatever 'age
or sound' is desired, think from the axis of the brand's intention
rather than chasing a trend by pushing the message from the end of the
vector. Listen more closely to the energy in a voice; in the subtle,
nuanced, performance; judge/choose from that feeling - who makes you all feel it. That's your person. Mistake #3: Coming up with a confusing company, product or service name. Say the name of either the new company, new product or service out loud -
5 times in a row is best. Have several people say it - of all ages.
Have people read it - without telling them how to pronounce it. Does it
make sense? Does it scream "product"? Is it a name that has to be
explained? Just because someone may have played with a creative take on
the spelling of a well-known word or phrase does not necessarily make
it better, different or recognizable. For the name to really mean
something it has to hit on a visceral level with the target audience (hopefully, the company has that target identified because they hired a
content and brand expert). I'm not talking about industry-specific
titles or names that have to be exactly what they are in order to be in
compliance in the industry. But a new title or name in general has to be
understood. Do you really want the audience to stumble with the company
or product name, or service? You want word of mouth - online, and out of actual
mouths. But that won't happen if the name doesn't roll out easily. I have
read hundreds of company names, products, new services and platforms,
and am always surprised - across the board - that well-known brands, Fortune 500 companies right down to mom and pop shops,
have all been the culprits of this. If friends and colleagues stumble,
giggle or laugh out loud when they read or say it - and the product is not humor related - it might be a signal to rethink the name! -------------------- ABOUT SISSY Sissy Siero is a full-time, in-demand voice talent whose clients range from Fortune 500 companies to mom-and-pop shops, including international commercial brands, The Atlantic Podcast, national and international radio and TV commercials, internal instructional videos, eLearning courses and B2B videos. Her authenticity reboots the
ordinary, delivering an undercurrent of power that disrupts male dominated genres;
a smart, solid leader with a modern edge. Her new podcast is in the works to be released in the
fall of 2019. Email: sissy@sissysiero.com Web: www.sissysiero.com |
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As talent, should we intervene? I once told a potential bank client that 'conversational' was unachievable given the turgid script. I improvised something friendly instead. They did a rewrite.. then awarded the gig to someone else!
All good advice.
Here's another thing that would be helpful to those of us who do the voice work.
Tell us how to pronounce any names in the script...company or person.
It's amazing how often we have to make an educated guess or waste time trolling through Youtube or Google trying to find pronunciation help.