What Is a Voiceover Brief?

A voiceover brief is a set of instructions and background information you give a voice actor before they record.

It helps answer questions such as:

• What is the project?
• Who is listening?
• What should the voiceover sound like?
• What is the goal of the recording?
• Are there words that need special pronunciation?
• How long should the recording be?
• Where will the voiceover be used?
• When do you need the files?
• What technical specifications do you need?

Your voiceover brief does not have to be complicated. In fact, the best briefs are often simple and specific. Think of it as giving your voice actor the map, not driving the car for them.

1. Start With the Big Picture

Before getting into the script, tell your voice actor what the project is actually for.

Is it:

• A commercial?
• An eLearning course?
• A corporate training video?
• Healthcare or medical narration?
• An explainer video?
• An internal presentation?
• An animation?
• A video game?
• A phone system?
• A social media campaign?

This is important because the same words can be delivered very differently depending on the project. A voice actor speaking to someone taking a medical training course needs a different approach than someone promoting a new product in a 30-second commercial.

Your voiceover project brief should answer one simple question: What is this voiceover supposed to accomplish?

Give your voice actor the bigger picture before asking them to perform the words.

2. Tell Your Voice Actor Who Is Listening

Your audience is one of the most helpful pieces of information you can provide. Don’t worry about making it overly complicated… Give your voice actor whatever context is relevant.

For example:

• Who is listening?
• What do they already know?
• What are they trying to accomplish?
• Are they customers, employees, students, patients, parents, or professionals?
• Are they listening casually or learning something important?
• What should they feel when they finish listening?

The voice is not talking at the audience. It should feel like it is talking to them.

For example, a training course for experienced healthcare professionals may need a very different approach from an introductory course for new employees.

Your voice actor can make better creative choices when they understand the person on the other side of the microphone.

3. Describe the Tone You Want

This is where clients sometimes get stuck. You might know that you want something “professional,” but professional can mean a lot of different things.

Instead, try describing the feeling you want. You could use words such as:

Even better, give your voice actor a reference! If there is a commercial, video, podcast, presentation, or previous campaign that has the feeling you are looking for, share it. Sometimes a 30-second reference communicates what you mean much faster than a paragraph of adjectives.

Tell Them What You Don’t Want, Too

This can be surprisingly helpful.

For example: “Warm and conversational, but not overly cheerful.” Or: “Professional and confident, but not stiff or corporate.” Or: “Educational and reassuring, but please don’t make it sound like I’m reading a textbook.”

At the end of the day, those little distinctions can make a big big difference in voiceover direction.

4. Send the Final Voiceover Script

This seems obvious, but it is worth mentioning. Whenever possible, send the actual voiceover script the actor will be recording.

If the script is still changing, let your voice actor know as soon as possible.

Changes to the wording can affect:

• Timing
• Pacing
• Pronunciation
• Emphasis
• Performance
• Editing

If you have a storyboard, presentation, rough cut, or finished video, send that along, too. Context is incredibly useful.

A voice actor may make a completely different performance choice when they can see what is happening on screen. And if the script is not locked yet, that is okay. Just communicate that upfront.

5. Flag Difficult Pronunciations

This is especially important for medical, healthcare, pharmaceutical, technical, scientific and educational voiceover projects.

If your script contains:

• Medical terminology
• Drug names
• Company names
• Product names
• Acronyms
• People’s names
• Places
• Foreign words
• Industry-specific terminology

Tell your voice actor. Do not assume they will automatically know how your company, product or team pronounces something.

You can provide:

• A phonetic spelling
• A pronunciation guide
• A link to an official pronunciation
• An audio recording of someone saying the word

An informal phone recording can be perfectly useful if it clearly demonstrates the pronunciation.

And please do not feel awkward about asking your voice actor to confirm a pronunciation. Getting it right is part of the job, and we love the input and direction!

6. Share Timing and Pacing Information

Does the voiceover need to fit a specific video? If so, let your voice actor know.

Include anything that could affect the timing, such as:

• Target duration
• Existing video
• Time-coded sections
• Required pauses
• On-screen moments that need to line up with narration
• Places where the audience needs time to process information

If you already have a rough cut, sharing it can give your voice actor a much better understanding of the pacing and visual context.

And if the video is not locked yet, feel free to say so. Sometimes the voice should help establish the natural timing of the piece rather than forcing a performance into an edit that is already too tight.

7. Explain Where the Voiceover Will Be Used

This is an important part of your voiceover project brief that clients sometimes overlook. Tell your voice actor how and where the finished recording will be used.

For example:

• Internal training
• Website
• YouTube
• Social media
• Paid advertising
• Television
• Radio
• eLearning platform
• Mobile app
• Phone system

Usage matters because different types of projects can have different licensing and pricing considerations.

It is much better to discuss intended usage before recording than to discover afterward that the original agreement did not cover how the finished voiceover will actually be used.

If you are not sure what information your voice actor needs about usage, ask. That’s a conversation worth having before the microphone turns on.

8. Include Your Deadline and Recording Requirements

Your voice actor should know:

When do you need the recording?

If there is a hard launch date, tell them. It is also helpful to provide any specific voiceover recording requirements your production team.

9. Explain the Revision Process

A little communication upfront can save a lot of headaches later. Tell your voice actor how you would like feedback handled.

For example, you might say: “We will listen to the full recording and send one consolidated round of notes.” That is much easier to manage than five separate emails with tiny changes throughout the day.

It is also important to understand the difference between a performance revision and a script change.

For example:

Performance revision: “Could you make this section warmer and slow down slightly?”

Script change: “Could you replace these three sentences with our updated copy?”

Those are two different things. Clear expectations around revisions help everyone understand what is needed and keep the project moving. Please also note that certain changes may be an added expense.

Voiceover Brief Checklist

Before you send your project to a voice actor, make sure you have included:

☐ Project type – What are you creating?

☐ Project goal – What should the voiceover accomplish?

☐ Audience – Who will be listening?

☐ Tone and direction – How should it feel?

☐ Reference material – Is there a video, audio sample, or previous project that demonstrates the style?

☐ Final script – What exactly should be recorded?

☐ Pronunciation notes – Are there names, technical terms, products, or unusual words?

☐ Timing – Is there a target length or video timing?

☐ Usage – Where will the recording be used?

☐ Deadline – When do you need it?

☐ Delivery specifications – What file type and format do you need?

☐ Revision expectations – How will feedback and changes be handled?

You do not have to have every answer perfectly figured out before contacting a voice actor. Just give them what you know. A good voice actor should be able to ask questions and help you fill in the gaps.

Your Voiceover Brief Does Not Have to Be Perfect

The purpose of a voiceover brief is not to tell a voice actor exactly how to perform every word. It’s just to give them enough information to make informed creative choices.

Think of it as a conversation starter! You know your brand, message, product, audience and goals. Your voice actor knows how to interpret the script and bring it to life.

Put those two pieces of knowledge together, and the recording process becomes much easier for everyone.

Good Voiceover Starts With Good Communication