How much does hiring a Voiceover actually cost? British English UK voiceover cost explained:

So, you've got a video. You've got a script. You've got everything ready to go.

But there's one thing you're probably wondering:

"How much is a voiceover actually going to cost me?"

It's a surprisingly difficult question to answer with one number. Voiceover pricing can vary massively depending on what you're making, where it's going to be used, and how long you want to use it for.

So, let's break it down.

The short answer

For a professional voiceover, you could be looking at anywhere from £200 to several thousand pounds.

That probably isn't the answer you wanted, but there's a very good reason for that!

A 60-second internal training video and a 30-second national TV advert might both only require 30 seconds of speaking, but they're two completely different jobs when it comes to pricing.

The biggest factor isn't actually how many words I'm recording.

It's usage.

What do you mean by "usage"?

When you pay for a voiceover, you're generally paying for two things:

The recording itself – the time it takes the voice artist to prepare, record, edit and deliver your audio.

The usage – where, how and for how long that recording will be used.

For example, an internal corporate video that only 50 employees will ever see is obviously very different from an advert that's going to be shown to millions of people on television.

The more people who are going to hear the voice, the more valuable that usage becomes.

So, what does a voiceover actually cost?

Here's a very rough guide.

Corporate / Explainer

For a standard corporate video, explainer or similar project, you could expect to pay somewhere around £200–£500+, depending on the length and complexity.

For smaller projects, many voice artists will have a minimum session fee.

Personally, my basic session fee starts at £250, which includes the recording, editing, mixing, delivery and a live directed session if required.

eLearning

eLearning is usually priced differently, often based on the number of words or finished minutes.

A short piece of eLearning might cost a few hundred pounds, whilst a large training course containing tens of thousands of words can quickly become a much larger project.

Commercial / Advertising

This is where things get interesting.

A 30-second commercial might only take me a few minutes to record, but the usage could be worth considerably more.

A local online advert might therefore cost a few hundred pounds, whereas a national advertising campaign across paid digital, television or radio can reach thousands of pounds once usage is included.

And that's completely normal.

You're not just paying for 30 seconds of someone talking.

You're paying for the commercial value of that voice being attached to your brand.

Why can't I just pay for the recording?

This is a question I see quite a lot.

Imagine you hire a voice artist for £250 to record your advert.

You then use that advert for the next five years, across YouTube, Instagram, television, cinema and radio.

Suddenly, that £250 recording is doing a lot of work for you!

This is why professional voiceover rates separate the session fee from the usage fee.

It's also why a good voice artist should ask you questions about your project before giving you a quote.

If they immediately give you a price without asking where the recording will be used, how long it will run for or what the project actually is, I'd be slightly wary.

The important bit

There's no universal "voiceover price".

Every project is different.

If you're hiring a voiceover artist, the best thing you can do is provide as much information as possible:

• What is the project?

• How long is the finished recording?

• Where will it be used?

• Is it paid advertising?

• Which countries will it be used in?

• How long will it be used for?

• Do you need a live directed session?

• When do you need the recording?

  
  

Give your voice artist those details and they'll be able to give you a much more accurate quote.

And if you're a voice artist reading this thinking, "Ah, so that's why clients keep asking me about usage..."

Yep.

That's why!

Still confused?

Honestly, don't worry about it.

Voiceover pricing can look complicated from the outside, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with asking your voice artist to explain their quote.

If you're looking for a British English UK voiceover for your next project and you're not quite sure what information you need to provide, drop me an email at elliotphardman@gmail.com.

I'm always happy to have a chat about a project and work out what makes sense.

No confusing jargon. No pressure. Just a quote based on what you're actually looking to do.

Peace out. Be kind.

Elliot