Getting Ready for The New Year as Voice Talent

 |  No Comments

Here are the key areas a voice-over business should consider when planning for the new year. These touch on business operations, marketing, performance, and long-term growth:

1. Branding & Marketing Strategy

  • Refresh your voice over demos: commercial, narration, character, e-learning, imaging, etc.

  • Update / add a new website: with current work, demos, contact info, testimonials, media and clear CTAs.

  • Audit / update your SEO: keywords like “female/male voice actor,” “e-learning narration,” etc.

  • Plan consistent social content: focus on platforms, performance, posts, network, tips, etc.

  • Email marketing: monthly and quarterly newsletters, tcreate coldm warm and hit lists, offer deals, promos, discounts, email new studios, agencies, and production companies.

  • Evaluate your niche: explore new genres, dubbing, AI licensing, explainers, audio description, corporate onboarding and others you should add.

2. Client Relationship Development

  • Reach out to past clients with a “new year check-in”.

  • Promote your updated demos.

  • Ask for testimonials and add them to your general email marketing and website.

  • Set up a CRM (HubSpot, Notion, or even Google Sheets) to track leads, bookings, and follow-ups.

  • Add a new or refesh your email marketing opt-in.

  • Offer limited-time January/February packages to encourage repeat business.

3. Equipment & Technical Upgrades

  • Assess the condition of your microphone, interface, booth, and acoustic treatment.

  • Ensure your DAW software and plugins are up to date.

  • Have a professional coach evaluate your recording and sound. (things do and can change)

  • Consider improving your noise floor, adding RX updates, or upgrading your booth ventilation. (often neglected!)

  • Clean your office, booth and/or studio area top to bottom as well as to prevent fire hazzards from dust

4. Rates, Contracts & Policies

  • Review your rates and adjust for inflation or industry shifts.

  • Update usage terms, buyouts, ai rider, and global usage considerations.

  • Standardize revision policies to reduce scope creep (e.g., free round of retakes for script errors only).

5. Training & Skills Development

  • Book coaching sessions to improve acting, accents, genres, or business marketing.

  • Request audition reviews throughtout the new year and adjust your audition approach.

  • Consider learning audio production more deeply to expand your editing capabilities.

  • Study emerging areas like AI/ML training data voice work, ADR, dubbing, or long-form narration.

6. Business & Financial Planning

  • Annual review of income streams: commercial, e-learning, video games, promos, audiobooks.

  • Analyze which sectors performed well and which didn’t. Then focus in those nitches more.

  • Set quarterly revenue goals and track them.

  • Renew business insurance, accounting systems, or software subscriptions.

  • Reduce overhead and cut waste like old subscriptions, auto-renews, etc. Consider write-offs regarding expences, costs, p2p subscriptions, new gear, training, etc. All can be deducted from your taxes.

  • Prepare for taxes well ahead of deadlines and plan on tax due as you proceed through the year. Turbo-Tax is great as is PayPal to track income and expences then run a report every month.

7. Diversification & Future-Proofing

  • Explore creating passive income: templates, courses, voice-over resources.

  • Evaluate whether to offer live sessions via Source-Connect, ipDTL, Zoom, or Cleanfeed.

  • Look into AI voice licensing opportunities—carefully—with clear usage boundaries.

8. Workflow & Productivity Optimization

  • Create a consistent workday structure (recording, editing, marketing, admin).

  • Automate repetitive tasks (email sequences, file backups, invoice reminders).

  • Organize your file management system for faster delivery and easy retrieval.

9. Health & Performance

  • Review vocal health habits (warm-ups, hydration, rest patterns).

  • Refresh ergonomic studio setup—chair, screen height, posture habits.

10. Goal Setting & Vision

Ask yourself:

  • What kind of work do you want to do more of?

  • Which clients do you want to target?

  • What would make your workflow smoother and your business more enjoyable?

  • What “stretch goal” would make a measurable difference this year?

voice over training at vo101
voice over website design
voice over demo production
voice over audition reviews
Anthony Blog