We will receive a commission if you make a purchase through our affiliate link at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure policy for more information.
In this competitive world, qualifications don’t necessarily guarantee success. You must use every skill or resource at your disposal to make it big. These skills help you pursue fun jobs that pay well and can turn into a full-time career. Regardless of your talent, there are different ways to make money using it. For example, people blessed with a commanding and pleasant voice can use it to make extra money.
This god-gifted skill can help you become successful like Alice Everdeen. Alice is a vocal artist who makes over $10,000 a month by doing freelance voiceover work! She gets most of her work from Fiverr and just works 5 hours a day. Talk about living a dream life! What if I told you this dream life is well within your reach? From becoming a voiceover artist to busking on the weekends, there are many ways to make money with your voice!
PIN THIS: I’ll be updating this post so make sure to pin this image here and save it to your Pinterest board. That way you’ll be able to come back to this page and learn how to make money with your voice.
1. Voice Acting for Animation and Cartoons
As a kid, I loved watching cartoons and animated movies. Apart from the animated scenes, the energetic characters, and the amazing background music, I found voice acting to be one of the best parts. It helped me understand the emotions and personality of a character. Mufasa wouldn’t have sounded like Mufasa if he had been dubbed by a young and high-pitched voice.
Clearly, voice acting is an art and is as important as the acting itself, especially for cartoons and animated movies. If you think you have what it takes to become a voice actor, it can be a great side hustle by putting your mimicking skills to work.
The first thing you need to do is research popular marketplaces like Voices.com and Fiverr for voiceover jobs. As this is a specialized way to make money, you will need a demo reel with various character voices to demonstrate your versatility. Besides that, networking with animation studios and independent creators on social media will help you learn the trade and build connections.
2. Audiobook Narration
You don’t have to be a writer to earn money narrating audiobooks. ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) is one of the best platforms for narrating audiobooks and is easy to use. All you need to do is create a profile and upload some audio samples. If you don’t have any previous work, I suggest using Project Gutenberg to find public-domain books along with recording a few sample clips using your headphones and smartphone.
This will not only help you build a portfolio but also will help improve your dictation and emotional expression. Apart from that, volunteering at Librivox is good for learning the ins and outs of the job and connecting with fellow voice artists.
One of the most important things to remember as a vocal artist is the quality of your recordings. Your regular headphones and smartphones are fine when starting, however, you should invest in professional equipment once you start getting gigs.
3. Podcast Hosting or Guesting
If you are like me, you might love listening to podcasts while doing day-to-day activities like cleaning or driving. Why not channel your love of podcasts and become one of the voices behind them?
The rise in popularity of podcasts works in your favor here, as you have more options to explore depending on your skills and interests. What I mean is that a deep voice will be better suited for true crime podcasts, while a high-pitched voice will find more opportunities in lifestyle or comedy podcasts.
If you are confused about where to start, Anchor (Spotify), Buzzsprout, Spreaker, and Acast are some of your best choices. They have free plans that will help you experiment with podcasting before committing full-time.
While experimenting on your own is vital, so is learning from the masters in the field. Even joining as a guest in these podcasts will help you learn while you build your online business and start your own channel.
4. YouTube Voiceovers
Making money from your voice is easier today than ever, thanks to the many voiceover jobs for beginners. Among these jobs, YouTube voiceover is an especially lucrative opportunity as it is one of the biggest video-based streaming platforms. It is a versatile platform with thousands of creators and channels, presenting you the opportunity to work for different clients in different niches.
To give you an example, there are many cooking channels that need a voiceover artist to recite the recipes. Or, you can read scripts, provide commentary, or do voice acting for animated content, all on YouTube. This works well for you if you are camera shy, as you won’t need to face the camera.
While it is profitable to collaborate with YouTube creators, it is more lucrative to start your own YouTube channel. It gives you complete control of your earnings and lets you experiment with different niches. Some of the popular topic ideas include reading children’s storybooks, starting a podcast, or talking about something you are passionate about, like History or science.
5. Commercial Voiceovers
Did you know a commercial voiceover artist in the US makes $55/hour, with areas like Brooklyn paying over $100/hour?
As I mentioned earlier, there are several ways to get paid by using your voice, and commercial voiceovers are one of the best ways to do that. They are generally aired on the radio and as advertisements between podcasts or audiobooks.
Recording commercial voiceovers also works well as a weekend job, where you reach out to local businesses and record commercials for them at low costs or for free!
Besides that, you can re-record existing commercials or create new ones to use in your portfolio. Working on existing commercials will help you build confidence and find freelance gigs on Voices.com, Voice123.com, and local radio stations. On the other hand, creating new ones will help you flaunt your skills and ability to match different brands’ tone and voice.
6. Teach Singing Online
Being blessed with a beautiful voice not only helps to charm your friends and family but is also a great way to make money singing from home. To do so, leverage TakeLessons, Lessonface, Superprof, and YouTube. These platforms are your gateway to a global market of students eager to learn how to sing.
However, it isn’t enough to just list your services on these sites. You must also streamline the teaching process. Designing a structured curriculum that caters to different skill levels and music genres will help you do that. Besides that, focusing on vocal warm-ups, pitch control, and technique will help you establish your credibility and expertise as a singer and teacher.
There are plenty of other ways to make money online by teaching singing, such as uploading generic beginner-level lessons on YouTube. You can also take up one-on-one classes to cater to specific goals like auditioning or improving vocal health.
7. Voice Acting for Video Games
Audio is a vital part of most entertainment mediums including video games. Some might argue that it’s just as important as the game graphics itself. However, audio is not limited to sound design, game effects, and background music. It includes lending your voice to different characters in the game and portraying a range of emotions. In addition, you will collaborate with game developers to understand the vision and participate in character development discussions and script readings.
To get paid as a voice actor for video games, the first step is to create a portfolio that portrays your emotional range and ability to do different character voices. Use this to find opportunities in online forums like Voice Over Professionals on LinkedIn or r/VoiceActing. Also, Ubisoft, Rockstar Games, and Electronic Arts (EA) often post voice-acting jobs on their career pages, which can be great full-time opportunities.
8. Virtual Voice Assistant Development
Have you ever wondered who is the real voice behind Siri or Alexa? That’s exactly what a virtual voice assistant working in the AI industry does. Imagine how exciting it must be to have millions of users all around the world listening to you. This is why, working as a virtual voice assistant is one of the best work-from-home jobs that pays consistently.
Trust me, it is not as complicated as it sounds. All you need to focus on is your emotional delivery, articulating clearly, and using an appropriate tone. Your job is to simply record different phrases, commands, and responses, and make them sound human for a relatable user experience.
One of the best ways to get these gigs is to partner with tech companies that develop apps or voice-activated devices like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. However, you will need a portfolio to get these jobs. You can develop that by recording sample prompts in a clear, natural, and engaging tone.
9. Voice Acting for Video Dubbing
Dubbing is an important part of filmmaking and not just for ensuring proper syncing of dialogues and clear audio. It is also used to release a movie or video in multiple languages. For example, a Hollywood movie is often dubbed in multiple languages such as French and Spanish. Just like games or cartoons, you must have excellent narration skills to become a successful voice actor in video format. However, dubbing for films, TV shows, or documentaries is also a more lucrative opportunity with a scope for long-term projects.
Voice acting is nothing less than an art, and like every art, this needs to be practiced too. For example, repeat “Just keep swimming” from Finding Nemo in different tones and moods to improve your dialogue delivery.
So what are you waiting for? This is your chance to have a creative job and leave a lasting impression on viewers all around the world.
10. Busking with Your Voice
For people with a penchant for entertainment, busking is an excellent opportunity to use their creative skills and make money! It is a great way to practice your skills and build your presence as an artist. What starts as a street performance might soon turn into a full-time gig singing or performing original compositions at your local cafe.
Busking is a side income, where you perform in high-traffic locations and popular spots like tourist attractions or local festivals. As a performer, your job is to keep the energy high and make your audience participate in your performance using visuals and props.
Just because busking is not a full-time job, doesn’t mean you won’t get paid. Apart from getting paid in tips, you can sell CDs or digital downloads of your performances and other work. Use props with QR codes to direct your audience to download links or platforms like Buy Me a Coffee.
Enjoyed this post? Don’t forget to pin the image below! Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest over here! 🙂
Leave a Reply