Using online voiceover platforms can be a divisive topic amongst the voiceover community. Some platforms (or Pay to Play/P2P sites) are preferred over others. I don’t know why. Each platform operates differently, with different algorithms at play that are difficult to understand. There aren’t many that escape the scathing criticism of at least some of the worlds voiceover artists.
Some voiceover artists and/or coaches often say very uncomplimentary things about Fiverr in particular. They also don’t speak highly of voice artists who use it as a work portal.
Funnily enough, many of those same people subscribe to other online platforms where they might be booking work for LESS than they would earn if they were on Fiverr!
Here’s an example:
This week, I booked a job on Fiverr that earned me two and half times MORE than I would have earned had I booked the same job on The Voice Realm.
I am certain of this because The Voice Realm rates are set and cannot be negotiated. Once you book a job on The Voice Realm, you’re expected to do it.
On Fiverr you are able to set your own rates as well as add an array of extras to build the overall price of the project up. You can even provide ‘custom offers’ to potential clients based on their specific requirements. You can’t do that on The Voice Realm.
To be honest I think some of the rates for certain genres on The Voice Realm are quite rubbish. I love it when I book a lengthy internet video or e-learning project though! Then I’m laughing all the way past MEAA (Australian union) rates. When I get approached directly for a quote*, depending on the enquiry and where it’s come from, I sometimes use TVR rates as my absolute bottom line because I figure if the job came to me on that platform I would do it at that price. I don’t use their commercial rates for reference though – they’re crap.
Hold Up!
*YES – I am aware of the GVAA rate guide, the MEAA rate guide and the GFTB rate guide and I use them where I feel they are applicable and relevant. But I don’t always feel they are applicable or relevant and so in those cases, I will sometimes refer to the rates on The Voice Realm for guidance.
I know that when Fiverr first hit the internet it was all about the five dollar gigs and it was very much a race to the bottom. Actually it wasn’t a race at all. Everyone was just at the bottom. I had a go for a bit. It was truly awful. So I cancelled my account. But it’s changed a lot since then, and I’m giving it another go with a new account.
So far, so good with my latest online voiceover platform!
So far I’m pretty pleased. It’s entirely passive, in that I don’t have to log in every day to search for auditions nor do I have to spend time writing up proposals. My gigs just sit there. The buyers come to me. The last few gigs I’ve booked on Fiverr have been way more lucrative than what the equivalent gig would have earned me on The Voice Realm, and a couple of them have earned me well above Australian union (MEAA) rates.
So when a VO artist or coach trashes Fiverr and the talent who use it, but I see them booking work on The Voice Realm it makes me laugh….because as long as they have their gig pricing set up well they could be making loads more on Fiverr.
Find great clients at great rates with online voiceover platforms.
The moral of my story is to do what you want, not what others tell you to do. I spent far too long worrying about what other people might think of the decisions I made that wouldn’t affect them in the slightest. You can find great clients who pay great rates by using online voiceover platforms. YOU set the bar, and as long as you value your work, others will too. It’s up to you!
PS – I’m available for express 30 minute or longer 60 minute Career Consultations via Google Meet to answer your questions about whatever aspect of voiceover you need de-mystified. I’d love to help you take control of your voice over career! I can give specific advice on: How to start. Where to start. Finding work online. How to find work in specific genres. Is an agent necessary. Rates. Quoting. Negotiating. Direct Marketing. P2Ps. Demos. Samples. Websites. It’s what I do best other than voiceovers. See my Coaching page for more info and to book.