A successful voiceover project goes through a series of defined stages.
The result is that the whole project has a structure to keep it steady and moving successfully from first ideas to final roll-out.
This goes across the board, whether you’re producing a TV or radio ad, an e-learning video, or a travel company audio guide.
So, for your next voiceover project in 2026, steal our checklist to prep up for your next stress-free production!
Timeline: The 6 Steps of a Professional Voiceover Project
1. Project Brief & Plan
The first step in any professional voiceover project is to get crystal clear on what the project is truly about and how you’re going to achieve its goals.
That means creating a project brief and plan. This ensures everyone involved is not only on the same page but also clear on what their role is from day one.
Your brief and plan should include:
- Project Type & Overview: The “what” and “why” of your project. For example, an explainer video guiding travelers through important in-flight luggage information, or a radio promo designed to boost brand awareness.
- Project goals: The specific, measurable outcomes you want the voice over to meet.
- Target audience: Define who this project is for? Millennials? Pension-age adults? Latin-American voters? Entrepreneurial women?
Knowing who you’re targeting will ensure your message truly lands.
- Style & tone requirements: What do you want your brand’s voice to sound like?
A calm, confident voice that builds trust among older adults? A regional British accent to target a specific demographic nuance?
For your project to succeed, the style and tone of the voice you choose should align with your goals and sound attractive and authentic to your target audience.
- Script length: A 15-second radio or TV commercial has a tight word count.
Additionally, if you’re syncing a voice over in another language to video visuals, you will need to be aware of the length of your script and the natural pacing of the target language.
You can use Voice Crafters’ free voice over script calculator to measure the number of words to time.
- Technical deliverables: Outline your audio specifications, such as audio format (e.g., WAV, AIF, etc.), required audio stems (i.e., VO only, Music & SFX, or MXFX for short, etc.)
- Timeline: Key dates for project milestones and deadlines.
2. Script Development & Finalization
Having a solid, working script in place is essential before anyone steps up to the mic.
A good script should check all the right boxes when it comes to message clarity, brand alignment, and how effectively it resonates with your audience.
If writing’s not in your wheelhouse, use Voice Crafters’ free AI copywriter to craft a clear, well-paced script that’s ready for recording.
Make sure to add pronunciation guidelines (preferably recorded ones. You can do so on your smartphone) and performance/direction notes for the voice actor, so they can go over them and rehearse their lines before the session.
3. Voice Talent Selection
This brings us swiftly to step three of your voiceover project – selecting the right voice talent for your needs.
You should, by this time, define your ideal voice based on gender, tone, accent, pacing, and emotional delivery.
Using a voice actor marketplace like Voice Crafters can make the decision so much easier for you.
You can post your project, review demos, request custom auditions, and curate your shortlist based on your project’s criteria.
Once you’ve chosen the voice actor you’ll be working with, make sure you iron out the details of their role in the project with them, including revisions or pickups, should they come up after the session.
If this is your first time working on a voiceover project, this article on voice-over contract essentials will help.
4. Recording Session
Most professional voice actors record from their own high-quality home studios, often receiving direction remotely before delivering the files in the requested formats.
There may be instances where you may prefer to have the talent book a commercial studio.
This may be the case if the recording is more task-intensive and requires an engineer to sync the audio to picture in real-time, for example, allowing the talent to focus on the read.
5. Editing, Post-Production & Quality Check
Once the voice actor has finished recording, the audio goes into post-production to be cleaned and effectively cleaned up.
Breaths and any unwanted noises are removed, levels are adjusted, and a last quality check will sign off on clarity, timing accuracy, and technical compliance.
Many voice actors edit the audio themselves before delivery. However, in big jobs such as nationwide commercials, the audio is generally handed over to a post-editor for final tidy up and added bells and whistles.
6. Delivery & Revisions
Once you receive the finished files in your preferred format, you may still need minor script revisions or pickups. Again, make sure the talent is available to record those on short notice after the session if needed.
Then, when everything perfectly matches your vision, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Bravo! Your voiceover project is ready to be released into the world!
Steal this checklist to prep for your next voiceover project!
Or contact us, and we can help you through each step, ensuring that you get the best, fully vetted professional voice talent to take your project to the next level in 2026 and beyond!
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