It’s every voice actor’s worst nightmare: You’re not booking. Hell, it’s every actor’s and everyone’s worst nightmare. No one seems to want what you have. You’re sending out audition after audition, you’re emailing potential leads, you’re posting content on social media, and all you get is crickets, nada, squat, nothing. You’re screaming into the void and no one seems to be there.

Is it scary? Oh yeah it is. Are you helpless? While it may feel that way, you’re not. Here are a few of the things that I’ve done that have helped me out when the bookings have dried up.

1. Train. I know, we’ve all heard this one. You’re not booking so make sure you work with your coach or take some classes. It may seem hard because you’re spending money that you’re not making on coaching that may or may not help you book. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and spend that cash on faith that your hard work will pay off eventually. How many times have we read about that entrepreneur that was down to their last few bucks and then the big thing hit? The Rock famously had $7 in his pocket when his career took off. The owners of the Savannah Bananas were living in a storage container after selling their house to support the team and now they’ve sold out every game since they started. If you haven’t seen the Savannah Bananas, I highly recommend it. https://thesavannahbananas.com/
2. Watch tv, listen to the radio, podcasts. I know, it sounds easy and fun and it is, but the caveat is, you need to pay attention to the commercials and not the programming. Now, that sounds like a lot of fun right? If you’re not booking, the reason may be that you’re not on top of the trends in advertising. Your reads might be the old and busted way and not the new hotness to quote my favorite Chris Rock slapper from Men in Black 2. Compare what’s booking out there to your reads and to your demo and see what the differences are. Having a hard time comparing? Ask fellow voice actors, your coach, or your agent to see where you can improve.
3. That leads me to my next thing, a new demo. I know I know, you’re saying, Mike I’m not booking and you want me to drop $2000 on a new demo? If your demo is more than a few years old, especially after these last few years, it might be out of date. It probably is. One of my resolutions for 2023 is a new commercial demo. Finding the money is the hard thing. Parting with that money is the harder thing. There’s no guarantees in this business, but it can’t hurt to have an up to date demo produced by someone who know what they’re doing.
4. My final piece of advice is to change things up. What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, right? If you’re not booking, why are you doing the same shit over and over that had lead you to not booking? If you’re on Voice123, maybe try Bodalgo. If your social media content isn’t getting the traction it used it, switch it up. Try something new, something radically different to get people’s attention. If you’re inside staring at your laptop all day hoping for that job to come in, get outside and take a walk. Give yourself permission to take a break. One thing I’ve found in this business, you can’t force it. The more you push, the more it resists. There are the constants that you should be doing like being professional and easy to work with, showing up, being available, and training. There is no one way to success, no one true path to voiceover glory. I’ve seen so many get there in many different ways. Finding your way is the challenge, and mixing things up in the area where there are few rules just might get you there.

Does it suck to not book and not make money? Are you kidding? But, you’re not helpless in this matter. Something I’ve done that’s helped me is to reach out to small businesses and offer to make a free 30 second spot for them to run on their website or social media. I help them write the script if they like, or just edit what they write. I record and produce the spot with music and whatever they need. In return, I ask them to promote me and my website. Those freebies have gotten me work and gotten the word out about me. They also keep me sharp by actually having me do the work.

I’ve also been taking a lot of online Zoom workshops. Those aren’t expensive and they can get you in front of a lot of important people in the business, casting directors and agents. Atlanta Voiceover Studio has a bunch of those. Clubhouse is also a great resource. It’s free and you can read for some great folks and get feedback. Marc Guss hosts a weekly one as well as Emma O’Neil.

The point is, keep your head up and keep plugging away. If you need an ear do not hesitate to reach out. If you want to add to any of my advice, leave a comment (unless you’re a Russian bot) and share with someone who needs help. We are all in this together.