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Back in 2015, I wrote about drones giving commercial and residential real estate marketing a whole new perspective.

My friends at DreamDirt were showing buyers acres of Iowa property from the air, and I got to narrate some of those flying tours.

Great aerial views. I’m NOT doing the flying. Everybody wins.

In 2020, the same conversation took a turn because everything in 2020 took a turn because…2020!

Masks, distancing, and understandable concerns about letting strangers through the front door made property showings complicated.

Video and especially drone work offered agents the chance to introduce properties from a distance, and narration gave prospects a credible storyteller to guide them through what they were seeing.

Eleven years and all those discussions and recordings later, it occurred to me that I should really UPDATE my website’s Real Estate Voiceover & Video Narration page.

Consider your visit to the updated page an open house for your ears (and eyes). You don’t even have to take your shoes off.

The new demo includes clips from my work with DreamDirt, including footage from nationally recognized productions.

As you may recall (but then again, why would you?), in 2016, two videos I narrated earned first and second place in the National Auctioneers Association’s marketing competition for Best Auction Promotional Video.

Then, as now, a lot of good work goes into making those pictures and words work together, and I am always happy to have the speaking part.

I also updated the page with a beautifully videotaped and edited tour of a log cabin home on a 68-acre farm in Iowa. It gives you a chance to hear how my voice follows the video from the rooms inside to the land outside.

That’s what I enjoy about real estate narration: the story changes with every address.

A family home needs a welcoming introduction.

A commercial building needs clear information about the space and its features.

Acres of land need context—and sometimes a pause so viewers can appreciate just how far that view goes.

For agents, drone operators, and video producers, my job is to help those details come together in a natural, engaging way. You’ve put thought into the property and the pictures. I bring that same attention to the voice.

The updated page also answers practical questions about scripts, recording, and getting started. Your listing description and property specifications may already contain much of what a producer needs to shape the narration.

So, if you’ve followed this story from those early drone videos, welcome back. If you’re just discovering that I narrate residential and commercial property tours, welcome aboard.

Come hear what a property can sound like.

I’ll be the guy talking. You probably figured that out.

Tags: commentary, real estate, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I would happily take a little less “unprecedented” right about now. How about you?

Masks. Social distancing. Trying to figure out where you can go, who can be there, and how far apart everybody needs to stand. Even the simplest things seem to require a planning meeting.

For my friends working in residential and commercial real estate, getting prospective buyers through a property has become one more complication in a year nobody ordered.

Sellers may be uncomfortable welcoming strangers into their homes. Buyers may be uncomfortable going inside. Touring an occupied commercial building brings its own concerns for the people working there.

But houses and buildings still need to be bought and sold. People still need somewhere to live. Businesses will hopefully still need a central place to work.

How do you introduce a property when getting everyone through the front door is so difficult?

My thoughts are simply that video has become more important than ever. And so has what people HEAR while they watch.

I have previously talked about how I am a big proponent of video as a sales tool for commercial real estate and residential real estate sales. I am all in on drones as possibly the best way to get the emotional and cognitive buy-in from prospects. A real estate video gives prospective buyers a chance to explore from a distance. Ground-level footage can take them through the rooms, while aerial drone footage introduces the property’s setting and surroundings.

But when someone watches that tour at home, the agent may not be there to explain what they’re seeing.

That’s where professional real estate narration can help. And yes, this IS what I do for a living, so I’m hardly an impartial observer. But my facts check out as true…especially through all this COVID crap.

A friendly voice can guide viewers through the property, connecting the pictures with details that matter. For a home, that might mean explaining the layout, pointing out a feature, or introducing the outdoor space. For a commercial building, it might mean describing access, available space, and how different parts of the property fit together.

You’re giving people a tour they can see AND understand.

Watch this video and tell me if this isn’t a pretty effective way—second to an in-person visit—to show a residential or commercial property (this video I narrated kinda shows both)::

I’ve enjoyed doing this work for years through audio’connell Voiceover Talent, including property videos for my friends at DreamDirt. In 2016, two videos I narrated earned first and second place in the National Auctioneers Association’s marketing competition for Best Auction Promotional Video. I was proud to contribute the narration to those productions.

The purpose today is much the same, even if the circumstances are very different: help people understand the property’s story.

The voice shouldn’t sound like someone shouting specifications across a parking lot. It should feel like a knowledgeable, welcoming guide, with enough room between the words to appreciate the view.

And getting a script started doesn’t require inventing the property all over again. Agents already have descriptions, specifications, and important features that can be shaped into conversational copy to follow the footage.

Will a narrated video replace every visit? No way….agents are the beginning, middle and end of every transaction.

People still buy from people. Period, full stop.

But right now, video tours give agents a badly needed tool, offer prospects a useful first look, and help them arrive with better questions when a visit is possible.

If you’re a residential or commercial real estate agent, video producer, or drone videographer putting together a property tour, I’d be glad to help give it a voice.

We’ve got enough distance between us right now. Let’s help buyers feel a little closer to the property.

Tags: commentary, real estate, video, video production, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Everybody’s got a guy.

A plumber guy. A car guy. A guy who knows a guy.

For a lot of producers throughout my career, I’ve been their voiceover guy.

And every so often the phone rings:

“Peter, do you know a really good female voice talent for a corporate narration?”

As a matter of fact…I gotta guy.

Except she’s a woman.

Over the years, producers who know and trust my work have asked me to recommend female voice actors for all kinds of projects. Corporate narration is one of the most common.

And when I recommend someone, I’m putting my reputation on the line right along with hers.

So what am I listening for?

First, she has to sound like a person

That sounds obvious.

It isn’t.

Corporate narration has changed a lot over the years. Clients generally don’t want someone who sounds like she’s standing behind a podium reading the annual report.

They want someone who sounds natural, present and connected to the words — not computerized. Often, the voice becomes the personification of their brand, not simply a persona. That makes sounding like a real, trustworthy human person even more important.

And conversational doesn’t mean casual.

It means believable.

The best female corporate narrators understand the material well enough to sound like they’re communicating it, not simply reading it.

She has to understand the script

A good narrator sees more than words on a page.

She sees the thoughts behind them.

Where does the idea begin? Where does it change direction? Which word matters more? Where should the listener get half a second to absorb what was just said?

Those choices are what turn somebody reading copy into somebody communicating a message.

Producers can hear the difference. More importantly, so can the audience.

She has to take direction…and run with it

Sometimes the first read nails it.

Sometimes the producer says, “That was great. Can we do it again, but just a little warmer?”

Or faster.

Or less announcery.

Or more authoritative.

Or — one of those wonderfully precise pieces of voiceover direction — “Can you give me the same thing, only different?” (If I had a nickel for every time…)

A professional voice actor understands what the producer is trying to accomplish and can adjust without turning a directed session into an archaeological expedition.

That matters.

She has to make the producer’s job easier

This may be the biggest one for me.

Talent matters. Of course it does. It’s the foundation.

But when I recommend another voice actor, I also want to know what happens after she gets the job.

Does she respond?

Does she show up prepared?

Can she work efficiently in a directed session?

Does she deliver when she says she will?

If a pickup is needed, is it handled smoothly and professionally?

Producers have enough moving parts to deal with already. The voice talent shouldn’t become another one.

And yes, she needs a great voice

Of course.

But “great” doesn’t mean one particular kind of voice.

Warm. Authoritative. Friendly. Sophisticated. Conversational. Energetic. Reassuring. Technical. Approachable.

Different projects need different voices.

That’s one reason I’ve never tried to identify one woman as the female voice talent I recommend.

I know scores of excellent female voice actors, each with different strengths, styles and sounds.

The art is finding the right one for the project. Or at least giving my clients the very best choices to pick from.

When the Right Voice Isn’t Mine

What started years ago with producers asking, “Peter, do you know somebody?” eventually became something more useful.

I created a free online resource featuring professional female voice talents I know and trust.

audio’connell’s Female Voice Talents page (femalevoicetalents.com).

And noooooooo. I am not an agent.

There’s no booking fee. No middleman. And I don’t take a commission.

Listen to the demos. Find someone who sounds right for your corporate narration, commercial, explainer video, e-learning project or whatever else you’re producing.

Then contact her directly.

Simple, straightforward, helpful.

Three valuable words to run a business with…for almost 45 years.

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audio’connell Voiceover Talent offers producers a free, direct-to-talent resource for finding and hiring professional female voice talent. Browse audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent roster and contact the talent you choose directly.

Tags: commentary, female voice talent, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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By Peter K. O’Connell

When a producer asks me to help find female voice talent for a commercial or social media project, I have one basic rule:

**Don’t be boring.**

Consumers have gotten exceptionally good at ignoring advertising.

They skip it. Scroll past it. Mute it. Walk away from it. Talk over it.

So when I’m helping someone find a female voice actor for advertising, I’m not simply asking whether she has a “great voice.”

I’m asking whether the audience will listen to her.

I start with the audience

Great voice?

Great for whom?

A voice that works beautifully for a luxury brand may be completely wrong for a funny Instagram spot.

A warm, conversational read may be perfect for one campaign while another needs attitude, authority, humor, sophistication or genuine excitement.

So when I’m listening to demos, I’m thinking about the person the advertising is trying to reach.

Would *they* listen?

That’s the test.

I listen for conversation — not “conversational”

Clients have asked for “conversational” voiceover for years.

It’s a perfectly useful direction.

But I’ve also heard plenty of reads that were technically conversational and completely lifeless. Like…dead.

Real people emphasize things, sometimes awkwardly. They react. They think while they’re talking – which is not always smooth and well paced. They have opinions.

When I’m listening to female voice talent for a commercial, I want to hear somebody make carefully written advertising copy sound as though she’s saying it for the first time — straight out of her head with no sign of a script… (P.S. That’s what I aim for in my reads as well, mostly successfully).

Yeah, it’s harder than it sounds…hence the paycheck (voiceover is NOT just talking).

I consider where the commercial is going to be heard

Here’s a hard fact: a traditional television or radio commercial and a social media ad may be selling the same thing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they should sound the same.

Digital and social advertising moves fast.

The opening may have to grab attention immediately. The pacing may be different. The performance may need to feel less traditionally “announcery.”

And one campaign may require several versions, alternate reads or pickups for television, radio, streaming, pre-roll or different social platforms.

So I don’t just listen for the voice.

I think about where that voice is going to be heard.

I don’t cast by gender alone

If the creative calls for a female voice, fine.

Now the actual casting begins.

Age range. Energy. Attitude. Vocal texture. Authority. Warmth. Humor. Accent. Pacing. Character.

Those are the things I’m listening for.

“Female” narrows the field.

It doesn’t choose the voice.

I pay attention to the person behind the microphone

Just as I do whenever I recommend another voice actor, I’m putting some of my own reputation behind the recommendation.

I prefer recommending female voice talents I know and, in most cases, women I’ve actually worked with.

I want someone who is professional, prepared, responsive and easy for the producer to work with.

A great audition gets someone’s attention.

Being a great professional is what makes producers want to work with that person again.

Then I let the producer’s ears decide

When I’m recommending female voice talent, I don’t need to decide who the winner is.

That’s the producer’s job.

My job is to help put good choices in front of them.

That’s one of the reasons I created audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent page as a free audio production resource. Producers can listen to professional female voice actors working in commercial, digital, social and other styles and then contact the talent they think fits the project.

There’s no audio’connell booking fee and no commission on the voiceover project.

I just help make it easier to get from:

“We need a female voice.”

to

“That’s the voice.”

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audio’connell Voiceover Talent offers producers a free, direct-to-talent resource for finding and hiring professional female voice talent. Browse audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent roster and contact the talent you choose directly.

Tags: commentary, female voice talent, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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By Peter K. O’Connell

I’ve been a professional voice actor for a very long time.

One of the benefits of doing anything for a very long time — besides having stories nobody asked to hear — is that you get to know a lot of talented people.

That’s especially true in voiceover.

Over the years, producers and clients have regularly asked me some version of this question:

“Peter, do you know a good female voice talent?”

Yes. I know quite a few.

And when I’m helping someone find a female voice talent, I’m not simply looking for somebody with a nice voice. There are thousands of people with nice voices.

I’m looking for someone who understands what the script is trying to accomplish, takes direction well, has the right recording setup, delivers professional audio and — this is important — makes the producer’s job easier rather than harder.

Here’s how I approach it.

I start with the voiceover project, not the voice

Before I start thinking about talent, I want to understand what the voice actually needs to do.

Is this a commercial that needs energy without sounding like somebody is selling steak knives?

A corporate narration that needs authority without sounding like the principal just called you into her office?

An explainer that needs to make something complicated understandable?

Healthcare? E-learning? Character work? Social media? IVR?

“Female voice” isn’t a direction.

I want to understand what we’re communicating, who we’re communicating it to and what that audience should take away from it.

That’s where I start.

I listen for interpretation, not just sound

Obviously, I listen to demos.

But I’m listening for more than what somebody sounds like.

I’m listening for whether she understands what she’s saying.

Does she interpret the copy? Does she make choices? Does it sound like she’s communicating something rather than simply reading words nicely?

That’s acting.

Even when nobody gets chased by a dinosaur or dramatically dies in Act III.

I pay attention to professionalism

The best voice in the world isn’t especially useful if the deadline is tomorrow and the talent disappears.

I want to know that I’m recommending a professional.

Can she deliver broadcast-quality audio? Can she work in a directed session when necessary? Does she respond promptly? Can she handle pickups? Does she understand usage and the business side of professional voiceover?

None of that is glamorous.

All of it matters to the producer whose name is attached to the project.

I consider whether the voice actress is easy to work with

This one matters to me.

Talent is important.

So is being a good colleague.

I usually recommend people I know and, in most cases, people I’ve actually worked with. That’s important because when I recommend a voice talent to a producer (female OR male), I’m putting a little bit of my own reputation on the line, too.

I want to know that the woman or man I’m recommending is going to be prepared, professional and pleasant to work with — because I’ve seen them be those things.

The goal isn’t merely to get a good recording.

It’s to recommend someone I trust to help the producer get the job done without making things complicated.

Then I let the producer decide

This is important too.

I’m not interested in becoming the middleman.

I can point a producer toward talented female voice actors I know and trust. The producer can listen, decide who fits the project and contact that person directly.

That’s why I created audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent page as an audio production resource.

It’s a curated group of professional female voice actors I’ve known or worked with, with demos and direct links to the individual talents.

There’s no audio’connell booking fee.

There’s no commission on the voiceover project.

I don’t stand between the producer and the talent.

No need for me to “worry about me” in there.

I just help make the introduction easier.

Both sides know where to find me because that’s how they found each other.

After more than four decades in voiceover, I’ve learned that finding good people shouldn’t be the hardest part of producing good work.

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audio’connell Voiceover Talent offers producers a free, direct-to-talent resource for finding and hiring professional female voice talent. Browse audio’connell’s Female Voice Talent roster and contact the talent you choose directly.

Tags: female voice talent, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I’m lucky.

I’ve spent decades talking into microphones.

I could’ve done a voiceover blog post about ALL the different microphones I’ve spoken into if I’d kept count…but only a few microphone-philes (if that’s a word) would really be interested in that.

But a thought occurred to me. I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m always getting new readers here.

The big takeaway is this: your voice is not the most important tool in your VO toolbox.

Neither is breathing, script interpretation or the ability to improvise. (Although if you haven’t mastered those things, you likely won’t have a great voiceover business.)

Nope.

My advice for being a fantastic voiceover actor — and building a great business — is learning how to truly listen.

Listening?

Before I say the words, read the words…before I even think about the words, I have to understand the WHY of the words.

Now, some may say that the “why” is where script interpretation comes in.

I say yes, but also no.

If your only direction is a short paragraph attached to an audition, then yes — interpret away. You have no other choice.

But one of the great gifts we get as voice actors — and one that is too often ignored or stumbled over — is direction from a live person.

It might be a client, a creative director, the script writer, the video producer, the author or the candidate.

To all of these folks, we as voice actors often reveal our sometimes fatal flaw — we are people pleasers. Similar to many other small business owners, but, I think to a higher degree, voice actors really, really, REALLY want to please our clients. We as voiceover talents are somewhere between a four-year-old child and a purebred German Shepherd.

And with that intense desire to please and do well, we sometimes forget to truly listen.

We aren’t being rude. In fact, we may be intensely focused on what the person is saying.

But within the first few sentences, we start to interpret instead of listen.

We start to interject instead of listen.

Sometimes we even interrupt instead of listen.

We’re trying to interact. We’re trying to show interest. We’re trying to demonstrate that we understand.

But what we need to do — and I very much include myself in this statement — is shut up, pay attention and gain understanding.

And when the client is done talking, THEN confirm our interpretation, offer our thoughts and input, make a collectively agreed-upon creative plan…and record.

Sometimes the direction is very specific.

Sometimes it’s, “Give me a little more energy.”

Sometimes it’s, “Less announcery.”

Sometimes it’s that wonderfully precise piece of direction: “I don’t know exactly what I want, but I’ll know it when I hear it.”

And sometimes the direction is a fully formed novel of verbal vomit.

That’s okay, too.

Because that kind of brain-to-paper-to-microphone translation service is at the crux of what a good voice actor does.

We also need to remember that while this job is important to us, all those other people — the client, creative director, script writer, video producer, author, candidate — have something important riding on the project we’re voicing.

Sometimes even their job.

So while you’re doing vocal exercises and improv classes and working on breathing and interpretation and all the rest, spend some time working on listening.

Concentrated listening.

Not listening while preparing your response.

Not listening while deciding what the direction means.

Not listening while waiting for your turn to talk.

Just listening.

It may be the least marketable tool in your voiceover toolbox.

But over the long term, it may be one of the most important tools for building your reputation — and your business.

Tags: commentary, voice over workshop, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover blog by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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