How to Become a Commercial Voice Actor

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There’s no right or wrong way to become an actor. The same is true for voice work, but you’ll find fewer traditional paths. No formal degree is required to be a voice actor in any medium; instead, learning how to sell your voice for commercial work usually means auditioning, training, and setting up a home studio. 

1. Audition.

Here’s what you can expect from each of three types of commercial voiceover auditions:

• Demo submissions: These are the voice actor equivalent of headshots, which let the casting director know if you fit the part. Demo submissions narrow the field before you actually audition. 
• Online casting: Whether you’ve submitted a demo or not, most voiceover auditions are conducted online. You’ll need to submit a quality, edited recording of yourself; this means you’ll either need a home studio and know how to use it, or record at a professional rental studio.
• In-person auditions: Although rare, you may find yourself with an in-person voiceover audition. As with a recording, it’s your voice that sells yourself, but you may feel added stress from others watching and listening. You can rerecord yourself a dozen times, but you might only get one shot in person, so it’s important to practice ahead of time.

Even seasoned voice actors get passed over for auditions, however. Becoming a commercial voice actor takes dedication. Whether you’ve auditioned before or not, you can have greater success in auditions by taking acting classes, working with voice and acting coaches, creating a recording studio at home, strategically recording a demo reel, and finding an agent.

2. Take acting classes.

Voice acting is more than reading words aloud in front of a microphone, and acting classes can help you sharpen your skills. 

• Traditional acting classes teach you to confidently and believably present a character, idea, or emotion to your audience. You’ll learn foundational skills for embodying a brand or connecting with listeners.
• Improv classes force you to think on your feet. TV commercial voiceover recordings are fast-paced; improv classes teach you to trust your instincts—and maybe even inject a bit of humor into your delivery.
• Vocal classes aren’t just for singers. You’ll learn essential commercial voice-acting skills, including diction and enunciation, as well as performance techniques to avoid injuring your vocal chords (warmups, proper posture, breathing, and avoiding the extremes of your vocal range).

3. Set up a home voiceover studio.

Whether you’re looking to work remotely as a commercial voice actor or you’re ready to put together your demo reel, you should have a way to record at home. The cost of a home studio can vary from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. It might be tempting to take a list of the best gear and put it all on your credit card, but there’s an art to setting up your home voiceover studio. That process includes a few must-dos:

• Choosing the right space: All the mics and software in the world won’t help unless you’re recording in an ideal space. Factors to consider include the shape of the space, whether you’re sharing a wall with a noisy room, and if there are nearby household appliances. “As a voiceover artist, the room in which you record is the most important factor to consider,” says VO actor Jamie Muffett. “It is more critical than your mic, your interface, expensive preamps, your computer, and software.”
• Soundproofing: The key to soundproofing a room is to prioritize keeping outside sounds from getting in—noise from a nearby street, your neighbors in the hall, etc.—over keeping your voice from being heard outside. That means identifying and insulating the weak points where noise is entering. “If the door [to the room] is hollow, you could try to fill it with sound-insulating spray foam or replace it with a dense fire door,” Muffett says. “You can also add a sheet of soundproofing material that overlaps the frame when the door is closed.”
• Finding the right materials for you: Finding the basic tech necessities to get started—a microphone, a pop screen, and software to edit sound—can seem daunting, but it’s possible to get started without breaking the bank. Assuming you already have a decent computer, you can spend as little as a few hundred dollars on your home recording studio, while speccing out a dream studio could cost you more than a new car. You might be able to save a bit more on your intro studio by choosing a USB microphone, as it functions as both your microphone and audio interface. But if you’re planning to upgrade, modular gear is often a better option.

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4. Work with an acting coach and a voice coach.

Acting classes are only the first step toward breaking into commercial voice acting; the one-on-one attention of a coach will provide a more tailored experience.

• An acting coach can help you work through any questions or concerns you may have about a specific audition, role, or recording. 
• Your voice coach will train you in the care and development of your voice. You’ll learn how to work with any speech limitations, speak with conviction and purpose, and create an emotional connection. Perfecting your voice is one thing; but knowing how to maintain the health and strength of your voice over time—and through job after job—is equally important. A voice coach can help you not only tune your instrument, but also keep it in shape. 

5. Build your voiceover demo reel.

Most casting calls require a voice acting demo reel as part of your submission; your reel is vital for breaking into commercial voice acting. If you’re asking how to, though, you may not have any professional clips quite yet. 

When building out your first reel, you can either select, transcribe, and record three or four commercials to demonstrate your range, or work with an instructor or coach to develop a more focused reel. Whether it’s your first or 10th time putting a reel together, the same best practices apply. 

• If you already have a demo reel from past voice work, you will want to record one specifically for commercial voice acting. A demo reel of animation voice acting or documentary narration may not convince a business or brand that you can persuasively sell their product.
• Your voiceover demo reel should be around 60 seconds long and format to your advantage: 
  • Put your high-profile work first, as it demonstrates which notable brands already put their confidence in your voice. 
  • Follow it up with what you feel is your best material, even if it might be for a smaller client or local business. 
  • Fill out the remainder to demonstrate your range as an actor. 
• Clips should run 10–20 seconds, leaving you with anywhere from three to six examples of your work.

6. Get a voiceover agent.

If you’re just starting out, finding a voiceover agent might be premature, as agents tend to want experienced clients. If you already have a demo reel assembled, though, getting signed can kick-start your career as a commercial voice actor.

• Acquire a list of agents. Start with contacting your local SAG-AFTRA office, and send your reel to agencies that fit what you’re looking for. It’s good to connect with an agency that has booked gigs you’d be interested in or has clientele similar to you. You’ll often get more attention at a smaller agency, though a larger one may open more doors for you.
• Work with your network. Ask for recommendations from anyone you know in the industry. If you have friends who are voice actors, have them listen to your reel. If they like your work, ask if they would be willing to introduce you to their agent.
• Follow current advertising trends. Listen to ads, especially for national brands, to get an idea of what people expect to hear from commercials. Whether the company you audition for goes with the flow or wants to buck those trends, knowing and practicing dominant voiceover styles can help you be prepared.

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Browse through our open casting calls for voice actors. High-profile auditions will often come from an agent, but there are other ways to find commercial voiceover auditions:

• Research production companies. Make a list of the companies that maintain a roster of voiceover actors, and reach out. There may be a vetting process, or it might be as simple as adding you to an email list of upcoming projects.
• Network with advertising agencies and media outlets. Selling your voice as an actor is personal, and making those individual connections with decision-makers might open doors or nudge your audition ahead of an unfamiliar name.
• Maintain an active social media presence. You may already do this, but you’ll want to make voice acting a prominent element. Follow other voice actors (and follow whom they follow) and build connections. Following tags like #voiceover, #voiceactor, and #vo can point you toward auditions and connect you to other industry pros.
• Create and maintain profiles on online voiceover marketplaces. In addition to freelancer marketplaces like Fiverr, you can find marketplaces specifically for voiceover work, like VideoLocalize and Voice123. Bookmark these gig sites and check in regularly.

Once you have your auditions lined up, how do you land roles? 

• Know your vocal type. There are auditions in which your natural vocal type will not be a great fit. Go in knowing whether the work calls for your everyday voice or something different. Tailor accordingly.
• Work with your coach(es). Good coaches bring in an outside perspective on which of your reads fit the casting call, and they can help train you in a specific direction.
• Prepare yourself. Every audition is different, and you’ll have the most success if you prep for each individually. That means reviewing the company and its past products and ads, reviewing the casting call, and knowing what the casting director expects.
• Follow directions. It can be tempting to throw some extra flair into your audition, but the CD knows what they are looking for. Your reel can show them your range. Unless they specifically ask for you to improvise or adapt the material, just follow their directions and try to give them what they want.
• Keep going. Unless you have an agent, you’re most likely the one bringing work in for yourself. It can be easy to let a rejection or two slow you down, but the surest way to succeed is to keep looking for work and continue auditioning.

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In 2025, ZipRecruiter estimates the average commercial voice actor pay to land at just under $50/hour; Voices lists local radio commercials around $100 and national TV commercials at $10,000 and higher as of 2024. When calculating how much you can make as any kind of voice actor, know that pay will depend on the market, medium, and exposure. 

For commercial work, radio, television, and internet ads all have different recommended rates, which vary based on how long the ad runs—whether for a set or an undefined (in perpetuity) amount of time—and the size of the target market, according to Voices:

• TV commercial voiceover rates range from $750 in a local market to just over $2,000 for a nationwide commercial broadcast.
• Radio commercial voiceover rates start at $435 for a local broadcast and go up to $1,115 for a nationwide broadcast in perpetuity.
• Online ad rates vary, but stand an average of $735.

Part of learning how to sell your voice for commercials is knowing how much to charge. If you’re new to the world of commercial voice acting, you should quote a lower rate than someone with years of experience.

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Brands use famous actors to bring a sense of familiarity to their business or product. While you might associate J.K. Simmons with Farmers Insurance Group and Fey with American Express, using the voices of famous actors for commercials is a bit more subtle.

One of many actors doing voiceover work for automakers include:

• Jon Hamm for Mercedes-Benz
• Chris Pine for BMW
• Paul Rudd for Hyundai
• Aaron Paul for Mazda and Cadillac
• Will Arnett for GMC
• Michael C. Hall for Dodge

While auto brands certainly know the value of recognizable TV commercial voiceovers, they’re far from alone. Other famous voiceover partnerships include:

• J.K. Simmons for M&M’s
• Julia Roberts for Nationwide Insurance
• George Clooney for Budweiser
• Queen Latifah for Pizza Hut
• Bill Hader for Planters Peanuts 
• Rashida Jones for Southwest Airlines
• Zach Braff for Cottonelle
• Tina Fey for Walgreens
• John Krasinski for Esurance
  

Famous commercial voices

It’s one thing to recognize an actor’s voice in a commercial, but you don’t need to become a famous actor to be a recognizable voice. These are just a few actors whose faces you may not recognize, yet you could hear them coming from a mile away:

• Elwood Edwards made America Online famous with three words: “You’ve got mail.” 
• Don LaFontaine recorded over 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of commercials; you might recognize him from the trailer narration “In a world…”
• Thurl Ravenscroft was a voice actor and bassist, but you’ll most likely recognize him from his uncredited role as the voice of Tony the Tiger.
• Russ Leatherman is a movie critic and co-founder of Moviefone. His is the voice you used to hear saying “Hello, and welcome to Moviefone” when you’d dial in for movie times.
• Jake Wood is a British actor (“Red Dwarf,” “EastEnders”), but most of the world knows him as the voice of a small, green lizard: the Geico gecko.
• Paul Winchell was a jack of all trades—he even invented an artificial heart—but countless children learned how to eat a Tootsie Pop from the owl he voiced in the product’s “How many licks” commercial.
• Paul Frees voiced dozens of Disney and Rankin/Bass characters, but he also found his way into people’s hearts through their stomachs as the Pillsbury Doughboy.