So as to get any voice over work you, it is important that make a demo or showreel.  Voice over agents will judge you on what you sound like and evaluate whether they can take you on or not.  It is in many ways your audio resume, or C.V.  
 
 But what are the voiceover agencies looking ( or listening ) for?  In essence, they want to hear what you sound like so they can classify your voice and see whether you have got the potential to make them, and you, money.  The technical quality should be good.  It should be quick and not go on for hours at a time.  A good length for a voice reel would be around 3 or 4 mins, but perhaps even shorter.  Let’s look at the type of material you should record.  
 
 For voice-overs you need to ask yourself where voiceover artists are getting the work.  Radio and television commercials spring to mind, as do trailers, but you should also think about narration and the industrial or company sector.  Then there is IVR, or interactive voice recording, which is a different name for on-hold phone messages.  All of these supply a rich seam of roles for the voice actor.  But where do you find the scripts in the 1st place?  
 
 One inexpensive way is to draft them yourself.  Sit yourself down in front of the TV or radio and hear the huge range of tones and styles on offer : hard, medium and soft sell advertisements plus trails promoting programmes and, in the uk and Europe, the ubiquitous continuity press releases.  Map out one or two different styles and products.  Then try writing your own.  Keep it simplistic and avoid using real company names as these can date very swiftly.  The agent listening may also think you have truly recorded a commercial for that company, so it’s best to make up your own names.  Consider writing a thirty second story excerpt and some words that might promote a company or organisation.  
 
 remember to keep the scripts short ; thirty to 50 seconds each is excellent
 
 Now it’s time to record.  You will need your personal computer, some software and a microphone.  USB mics can be particularly good, but always try and buy the absolute best you can afford, whether or not that implies second hand.  There’s lots of free desktop software around, so hunt round the net for something that looks simple to download and use.  
 
 Place duvets or pillows round the mike and this could deaden the background room noise, providing a much more professional recording environment.  
 
 When you record your words, always play the piece back.  Listen for technical quality and your performance ; are you too swiftly, too slow, lacking energy or over dramatising the read?  Learn how to trust your own ears.  Don’t forget to include some variety ; an agent does not want to listen to you doing the same style over again.  
 
 Check that you’ve a good range : commercials, narration and corporate material and after you are happy with each of your tracks, burn them to a CD.  Make a straightforward covering letter and strap line with your voice outline, such as’young, fresh sounding female voice ; genuine English accent’.  
 
 Now you are ready to send the material out to voice over agencies.  Don’t be surprised if you get denials as this goes with the territory, but perhaps if your demo is of an ok quality and they like your voice you might be considered.