Odds are if you’re making videos for Youtube, especially tutorials or explainer videos, you’re going to have to record a solid voice over. A quality voice over can take an average video and turn it into something far more compelling. YouTube enthusiasts are auditory and visual creatures. A video with amazing visuals will still fall short of engaging the audience if the voiceover is lackluster or dull.
Studies show that most watchers are more likely to abandon a video halfway through due to poor audio rather than a low-quality video. Similarly, 25 percent of viewers claimed that they were more likely to stick with a video to the end of the audio was good, citing video style as less important. With just 5 key tricks, you can take your YouTube voiceover from a dud to a diamond.
Know The Essentials Of a Good Voice Over
A compelling voice-over is attributed to a few important factors. These elements can determine whether or not your voice-over will work or fall flat. Surprisingly enough, having an “attractive” or “good voice” isn’t necessarily a key factor, though it can play a minor role. Research suggests that good voice-overs come down to these key elements:
- Pacing
- Proper pronunciation
- Vocal tone and inflection
- Audio clarity
- Audio Volume
If your voice-over is lacking any of these elements, the video itself may suffer, and your view count could take a hit. What is a YouTuber to do if a few of these factors aren’t exactly their strong suit? Let technology be your friend.
Utilize Text To Speech Technology
Not everyone who makes amazing content for YouTube likes the way they read aloud. Pacing, vocal tone, inflection, pronunciation, and enunciation can all be factors that everyday folks can struggle with when trying to create a voice-over. Overcoming these issues doesn’t mean taking speech therapy or enrolling in a costly public speaking course. Breaking those boundaries down is as simple as using an online text to speech converter.
How can an online text to speech converter help with your YouTube voiceover? They give you the tools you need to customize your pitch, voice speed, voice volume, and overall tone. With realistic human-sounding voices, you can choose what voice best matches your content and know that every word will be pronounced correctly and naturally. Your voice-over can be captured using online conversion tools at sites such as Notevibes and then downloaded as an audio file. The file is then quickly and seamlessly added to your video. With text to speech, every voice-over sounds perfect the first time.
Always Work With A Script
Riffing or stream of consciousness style writing and speaking may work for famed eccentric artists, but it doesn’t always translate well on a YouTube voiceover. Having a well-edited and dedicated script will ensure that your voice-over sounds professional. After all, nothing ruins good narration faster than wordiness or not having narration that is cohesive. Once you have a script, run it through a text to speech converter and see how it sounds out loud.
Even if you don’t intend to use this text to speech for the finished product, you can benefit greatly from listening to your words in a different tone. Great scripts go word-for-word with everything you are trying to say. Before you get started, take a few minutes to write out a proper script. You’ll know that your voice-over will sound cohesive, professional, and exactly as intended!
