Effective Ways to Improve Voiceover Scripts
Posted by Voice Over on Thursday, November 12, 2009
Under: Voice Over
The success of your podcast or radio and TV commercials will largely depend on your voiceover script. Composing an effective voiceover script that gets results is unlike writing print ads for publication or online advertisements.
You shoud be "writing for the ear, not the eye", so says Peter Drew, a professional voiceover talent who has done countless voiceovers for internet and radio ads. Writing for the ear entails writing in a conversational manner. This technique requires short and concisely written messages. This technique may look unusual initially, but you'll produce very effective messages as you get used to it.
Listed here are some techniques you can immediately apply to improve your voiceover copies and get results out of them.
1. Make sure everything is in the active voice. Voiceovers need to take place in the present time, as if they were a real conversation. Make sure the whole script is written in the active voice so that the audience can identify with the messages easily.
2. Attach a windscreen to your microphone. A lot of unwanted noise are produced if your script is filled with words beginning in 'T', 'P' and 'B'. A windscreen protects your mic from catching these unwanted noises. This will free your voiceover artist from worrying about sound quality and instead focus on delivering the meaning behind your message.
3. Emphasize inflections in your copy. Help a voiceover talent understand the meaning and purpose of a copy by highlighting, underlining or bolding certain words or sentences. This will help the talent in delivering the right message. To do this, read the copy out loud to yourself and spot what needs to be emphasized. Indicate those points of emphasis by marking your copy.
4. Write (or type) out any phone numbers. Remember that digits on paper are actually words when they are read out loud, so this may cause an imbalance in your copy. Read the entire piece with the numbers in full form so that you can adjust other parts for better flow if necessary.
5. Use your headline effectively. Listeners will hear your headline first so make sure this is interesting. A headline should be no more than ten words and declares a minimum of one significant point.
A script should always be compatible with the voiceover talent. A script writer should therefore always bear in mind the personality of the talent when composing the script. You can also adjust the script once you have chosen a voiceover talent. Fine-tune the script so that it matches the talent's positive and even negative features. In addition, provide ample time for your talent to practice. Follow all of these tips and you'll be producing effective scripts in no time.
You shoud be "writing for the ear, not the eye", so says Peter Drew, a professional voiceover talent who has done countless voiceovers for internet and radio ads. Writing for the ear entails writing in a conversational manner. This technique requires short and concisely written messages. This technique may look unusual initially, but you'll produce very effective messages as you get used to it.
Listed here are some techniques you can immediately apply to improve your voiceover copies and get results out of them.
1. Make sure everything is in the active voice. Voiceovers need to take place in the present time, as if they were a real conversation. Make sure the whole script is written in the active voice so that the audience can identify with the messages easily.
2. Attach a windscreen to your microphone. A lot of unwanted noise are produced if your script is filled with words beginning in 'T', 'P' and 'B'. A windscreen protects your mic from catching these unwanted noises. This will free your voiceover artist from worrying about sound quality and instead focus on delivering the meaning behind your message.
3. Emphasize inflections in your copy. Help a voiceover talent understand the meaning and purpose of a copy by highlighting, underlining or bolding certain words or sentences. This will help the talent in delivering the right message. To do this, read the copy out loud to yourself and spot what needs to be emphasized. Indicate those points of emphasis by marking your copy.
4. Write (or type) out any phone numbers. Remember that digits on paper are actually words when they are read out loud, so this may cause an imbalance in your copy. Read the entire piece with the numbers in full form so that you can adjust other parts for better flow if necessary.
5. Use your headline effectively. Listeners will hear your headline first so make sure this is interesting. A headline should be no more than ten words and declares a minimum of one significant point.
A script should always be compatible with the voiceover talent. A script writer should therefore always bear in mind the personality of the talent when composing the script. You can also adjust the script once you have chosen a voiceover talent. Fine-tune the script so that it matches the talent's positive and even negative features. In addition, provide ample time for your talent to practice. Follow all of these tips and you'll be producing effective scripts in no time.
In : Voice Over