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What makes you SOOOO special?
Chris Tester
March 05, 2024
Working out your USP
When I started my voice over business, this was the question posed to me relentlessly…
What’s your unique selling point???!!!
And it drove me mad.
On the one hand, you could answer this with the obvious stuff that spoke to client needs. I pointed to my acting credentials to show I was the real deal, pointed to my home studio to demonstrate recordings are made fast and without audio issues, pointed to my rates page to show I was being transparent.
But all THAT seemed essential to calling yourself a professional… not exceptional.
On the other hand, I could refer to my own ‘uniqueness’. We’re all our own special combinations of nature and nurture after all…
But this felt a bit of a vague cop out, tbh.
In the last 18 months, a third way has started to present itself however.
As my social following has grown, I’ve started to really appreciate how different types of content work on different platforms. Being a content creator, as well as a service provider, means I have a sense of the entire pipeline, not just the voice part. This has led to some fantastic dialogues and collaborations which have ended up operating on a much deeper level.
So while I’m wary of the assumptions being called a ‘content creator’ might trigger, I feel like I’m slowly moving towards a really tangible USP which genuinely benefits both my clients and myself.
I think it’s a great question to keep revisiting thoughout your career.
Do YOU have a clear USP?
Voice Acting tip of the week:
Give the actor space
In both film acting and voice acting, performances have to take place in a constricted amount of time. But while some directors might assume that actors want as many takes as possible, often it’s more to do with creating a conducive atmosphere.
Greta Gerwig, explains this subtle difference brilliantly while talking about the set of her film, Barbie.
Two of the biggest keys to a great performance are relaxation and the permission to fail. Offering that, even when chasing a hard deadline, is what elevates the truly great directors.
Behind The Scenes project of the week:
The biggest thing I love about inbound opportunities?
You could never imagine what they’re going to be.
While all my outbound marketing efforts are limited by my own knowledge of ‘who I should be contacting’, the value in creating content is that it could be seen by cool people doing cool stuff that you never even knew existed.
A great example of this?
FlashGitz.
These guys make amazingly dark, twisted and satirical animation on Youtube and have built an audience of almost 4 million on the platform. Yet I wasn’t even aware of their work until they reached out to me on Instagram. Less than a month later, I’m honoured to have voiced the etheral ‘Space King’ in the pilot episode of their new series of the same name.
It’s exactly the type of project I’d never imagine myself being involved in. It was a riot to do. And it’s not for the faint hearted. Consider yourself warned if you click below!
Media Recommendations:
Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…
Using commercial breaks to tell a story
Emmy and Bafta winning director James Strong spoke on The Campaign Podcast about ITV’s hit drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Particularly noteworthy was his insistence that a writer should utilise the commercial breaks to help set an episode’s rhythm rather than ignore them, as well as an insight into why the dramatisation resonated almost stronger than the real story.
The Storytelling for Business podcast
I’ve known and greatly admired voice actor Katie Flamman right from the beginning of my own voice acting journey. She’s just released season 2 of her wonderful podcast about how storytelling is an integral part of every business, interviewing a wide range of guests.
The layoffs continue apace in the game industry, with the closing of Sony PlayStation’s London office announced last week. IGN’s Rebekah Valentine wrote this insightful article on the human cost to those having to pick up from square one.
Favourite Writing of the week: Helldivers 2
If you’re a gamer, you’re likely aware of Helldivers 2, which has been the surprise hit of the year so far. It’s a futuristic mash-up of Starship Troopers and Warhammer 40k, offering its own brand of tongue in cheek heroism as you defend…. ahem… ‘Super Earth’.
As the most successful PlayStation game to also be available on Windows, there has been a huge outcry from XBox players to make the title cross-platform, with many players and content creators doing this in inventive ways.
This weeks video is my own twist on a rousing speech originally performed by creator Chris Valenti, which passed half a million views last week…
@chrisnaturallyrp ‘GIVE ME HELLDIVERS’ by Chris Valenti #helldivers #helldivers2 #helldivers2game #gamingontiktok #britishvoiceover #britishvoiceactor
I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.
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After running the occasional workshop on how I have used social media to build a following of 450,000 followers across platforms, I have been invited to hold a 3 hour workshop going through my approach by Wonderland Voiceover. You can check out the details on the workshop, being held online on 19th March 6pm-9pm GMT, here.
Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!
