Have you been wanting to marry your talent for voice acting with your love of the steamiest three pages of your favorite romance novel? If so, have we got a job for you! Welcome to the world of audio erotica, that delicious liminal space between explicit content and literary art form.
Audio erotica is a broad term for any type of audio content that is designed to arouse the listener. It’s a pretty vast world, ranging from lighthearted smut and ASMR content to more graphic erotica and pornographic material. Audio erotica exists in many different forms, from audiobooks to podcasts to entire websites and apps like Dipsea, Quinn, and OhCleo that are solely dedicated to this kind of content.
Like most things in the entertainment industry, it depends. Actors at the top of the audio erotica field can make quite a bit—like Shava’sha Dickerson, who in 2020 told Business Insider that she made $400/hour recording content for Dipsea. But most make more along the lines of traditional audiobook narrators, who usually earn $10 to $100 PFH (per finished hour).
1. Learn the style.
For this type of titillating voice acting, you’ll need to utilize all your traditional voice acting and audiobook narration muscles—plus a little something extra. Audio erotica has a distinct sound that’s slow, sexy, and subtle. As with most things performance, the best way to learn is by watching (or, in this case, listening). While most audio erotica platforms require you to pay to listen, OhCleo’s about page features several sample audios to check out for free. If you’re willing to pay, head over to Quinn to take advantage of hearing some of TV and film’s hottest actors take on the genre, including Andrew Scott, Victoria Pedretti, and Kate Moennig (more on that phenomenon later). You may also want to become an expert in vocal ASMR; there are several free tutorials available on Youtube and TikTok if you need a jumping-off point.
How to Do a Sultry Voice2. Make it your own.
Once you’ve learned all the markers of the style, take a step back to ensure you’re keeping it personal and authentic. Sure, you’ll need to be sultry, but make sure it comes from a place of honesty rather than impersonation. When asked about what she looks for in a performer, co-founder of Dipsea Gina Gutierrez told Business Insider, “If it starts to feel that it’s acted in some way, we can really lose that suspension of disbelief that matters so much. And so often it’s people that are just very embodied, confident people who can express that believability that’s so core to the stories.”
So, if you feel tempted to compensate for a lack of visuals to accompany your zealous vocal performance… don’t. An article posted by Quinn aimed at aspiring erotic voice actors notes that “most women don’t feel naturally compelled to vocalize loudly during sex.… Soft moans, sighs, and gasps are a more realistic response to stimulation and arousal. And incorporating natural pleasure sounds into your audio erotica recordings is another way to make your performance believable so you don’t risk taking the listener out of the scene.”
While you should feel empowered to go off-script, be sure that any additional… noises… enhance the scene, not detract from it.
3. Figure out your brand and boundaries.
Audio erotica is legitimate work, and as long as it’s something you’re personally comfortable with, there shouldn’t be any shame around becoming a narrator of sensual delights. That said, deciding whether to use your own name can be a difficult and deeply personal decision. On the one hand, if you’re proud of the work, it’s great to be more easily searchable and have more exposure online. While this may at one time have been taboo, the tides do seem to be turning, with celebrities like Scott and Pedretti lending their voices to stories posted on Quinn.
On the other hand, the tides haven’t completely turned yet, and young actors without the benefit of celebrity status may want to consider protecting themselves from any potential backlash or conflict of interest. (It’s all fun and games until the casting director for the TYA show you’re auditioning for finds your oh-so-sexy audiobook.) The decision ultimately comes down to your own personal brand. If you feel your image as an actor will be helped (or unchanged) by the addition of erotic credits, go for it! If not, it may be best to be credited under a pseudonym to keep things separate.
Most audio erotica is recorded in home voiceover studios, which can make it feel less intrusive than traditional intimacy work—but it is still vulnerable. The most important factor is your own fit with the material, so try to avoid anything outside your comfort zone. That said, if the visual porn industry is primarily geared toward male consumption, audio erotica seems to appeal to women as a target audience (77% of Quinn’s subscribers are women, for example)—and that generally seems to mean that the content, while raunchy, values safety and consent.
4. Secure the job.
Most importantly, of course, you’ll have to actually find an audio erotica gig. Seasoned voiceover performers may want to go ahead and apply for a recurring job on a platform like Quinn, while others may prefer to start uploading their own content to gauge interest and get feedback. While Quinn and Dipsea each require creators to apply and audition, OhCleo allows anyone to post content, instead paying performers through subscription tiers and monetized content. That said, the industry is competitive, and with a low barrier-to-entry comes fairly low financial reward when you’re starting out. While audio erotica-specific platforms are the most obvious places to look for gigs, once you start searching, you can also find them all over traditional job posting sites (especially ours!).