What Is Voiceover Usage? And Why Does It Affect the Price?

If you've ever asked a voiceover artist for a quote, you might have come across the term "usage".

So, what does it actually mean?

Put simply, usage is where, how and for how long a voiceover will be heard.

And it's one of the biggest things that can affect the price.

What counts as usage?

Pretty much anywhere your voiceover is going to be heard:

• Your website

• Social media

• YouTube

• Paid advertising

• Radio

• Television

• Cinema

• Internal training

  
  

These aren't all equal, though.

A voiceover for an internal training video that's heard by 100 employees is very different from a national TV advert that's heard by millions.

Why does it affect the price?

Imagine I record a 30-second advert. The recording might only take 20 minutes.

But if you're going to use that advert as a paid campaign across the UK for a year, that voice is potentially going to be heard by thousands or even millions of people.

You're not just paying for the 30 seconds of recording.

You're paying for what you're using that recording for.

That's why voiceover quotes often separate the session fee from the usage fee.

So, what should you tell your voiceover artist?

Don't worry about knowing all the terminology. Just give them the basics:

Where will it be used? How long will it be used for? Who will hear it? Is it paid advertising? Which countries will it be used in?

For example:

"It's a 60-second corporate video, used on our website and LinkedIn for 12 months in the UK."

That's enough information for a voiceover artist to give you a much more accurate quote.

And if you're not sure about something, just ask. It's much better to sort out usage before the recording takes place.

The important bit

Usage isn't there to make voiceover pricing complicated.

It's simply about making sure the price reflects how the recording is actually going to be used.

If you're looking for a professional British voiceover for your next project, get in touch at elliotphardman@gmail.com and tell me what you're working on.

Peace out. Be kind.

Elliot