VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Stephanie · Guest

Hello!

Brand new here and happy to be!

Here's a question right off the bat: have you had better response sending your demo by disk or mp3? The cost savings are obvious with email, but I'm not sure if it's less likely to be heard if it's a large file (mine is 1.2 mb). Thoughts?

Thanks in advance. Smile

ConnieTerwilliger · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:47 am Post subject: Send CD or Link

CD through the mail - or a link to your website where your demos are parked...
_________________
Playing for a living...
www.voiceover-talent.com
YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/connieterwilliger

Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:51 am Post subject:

Hello Stephanie, welcome on board. The answer to your question is, it depends. Unless you have been specifically asked, never send a demo mp3 via email as more often than not it will be unwelcome. A better approach, if you are using email, is to send a quick note of introduction with a link to a website from where your demo may be downloaded. For CD demo's a phone call to the prospective client is well worth the effort. Give the person a chance to say "thanks but no thanks".

audio'connell · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:54 am Post subject:

I agree with Connie BUT I always have MP3 demos available to e-mail at the drop of a hat while I also have links to my web demos.
_________________
- Peter
audioconnell Voice Over Talent
Your friendly, neighborhood voice over talent

Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:26 am Post subject:

Spotted the end part to your signature. Great news! Congratulations and best wishes to all from the youngest to oldest.

audio'connell · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:28 am Post subject:

Thank you very much! She's our first and Papa is now officially outnumbered.
_________________
- Peter
audioconnell Voice Over Talent
Your friendly, neighborhood voice over talent

mcm · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 1:48 pm Post subject:

In contrast to Banksey's recommendation never to send mp3s without asking first, I always send mp3s. First I email a letter of introduction, and say that I would like to send an mp3 by separate email. I also offer to send a CD upon request, and tell them where to find the demo online if they prefer not to open an attachment. When I email the attachment the subject line announces that it has a VO "reel" attached. I have never gotten a single complaint. My response rate is currently 41%. Not infrequently people follow up with a request for a CD, but they are still in the minority.

I experimented a few months ago with calling all my potential contacts first and asking if they keep a talent roster and if they were accepting demo CDs. They almost always said yes. That started to run into some money. I checked my numbers and realised that all the people who hire me got an emailed mp3 first (and one of them subsequently requested a CD). None of the people who got a phone call and a CD has yet hired me. And everybody, whether emailed or phone-called, gets regular updates from me - every 3 months, although some will say that isn't often enough.

So, I stick with email primarily. Sometimes if I feel like it I will call first. It's important to evaluate your strategy regularly and consider how well it's working for you. If it isn't working, change something.

Good luck!

Deirdre · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 3:28 pm Post subject:

Weighing in on unsolicited MP3s:

As already mentioned here: I would never EVER recommend sending an MP3 to anyone unless they specifically asked for one. My email salvos point people to my website and offer a CD or MP3.

I'm glad Mary hasn't gotten negative feedback for emailing MP3s under a specific heading, but I know from colleagues that unsolicited MP3s are a scourge and the senders are subject to derision and worse.
Sometimes, folks are looking at their e-mail from a place other than their T-1-equipped offices and nothing is more of a pain in the ass than a large file trying to download via dialup. Most of the time, attachments are downloaded to an email client whether the person requests it or not. This simply ties everything up-- and if you've got a producer/director/whatever trying to enjoy a vacation on Monhegan Island and he needs to check his email, he's going to be mighty leaked off at the person sending an MP3 for convenience's sake.

Anyone sending me an unsolicited sound file either gets a stern rebuke or oblivion.
_________________
DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 3:49 pm Post subject:

Saying I've never received a complaint is a bit like saying every director who has used me once only has been happy with my work.

anthonyVO · 14th Avenue Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 1470 Location: NYC

If you're in New York, I only know of one agency that doesn't delete unsolicited emails (and that includes MP3 demos).

Are you currently represented? Are you even looking for representation? Are you doing this non-union/union part-time/full-time? Much of your marketing depends on both where you are NOW and where you WANT to be.

Fill us in. But in general, NO, don't send mp3 demos unless requested. It's usually a waste of time.

-Anthony

mcm · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 4:40 pm Post subject:

Okay, okay, ya've made yer point. I'll try sending a link instead of a separate email with the file. Maybe I can get my response rate up. And it will certainly be less time-consuming to send one email instead of two.

But I still vote for not starting with a CD. At least for me, the cost:benefit ratio is way too high.

ConnieTerwilliger · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 5:57 pm Post subject:

I can't think of the last time I sent a CD to anyone without them asking me for it first - always link to website in an email and then follow-up with an MP3 or CD when asked. I didn't have the CD first in my first reply here because that was the order I was suggesting - just the options.

(By the way - I just did the whole game that you were in Mary - it was lots of fun and Marc and Lani are friends of mine here in San Diego.)
_________________
Playing for a living...
www.voiceover-talent.com
YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/connieterwilliger

PJHawke · Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:41 pm Post subject:

I was recently meandering thru Dan O'Day's website and read a piece that this post reminded me of....

http://www.danoday.com/articles/howtoalienatestrangerswithe-mail.shtml

I'd read before that it's better to not send unsolicited files, but this post really hammered home the potential for bad impressions...

And here I was damn near ready to send some mp3's out myself. Glad I caught that first. I've got a few megs of storage open at my ISP, I think if I send an email it'll just have a link in it pointing to that file...take 'em the same amount of time to DL it if they want it, but it'll give them the choice without choking their email client/browser.

PJ

mcm · Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:20 am Post subject:

Thanks for posting that link PJ. Boy, do I feel like the lint in a snake's navel. Now I am completely convinced, if I wasn't already.

Ironically, I got a very nice email yesterday from a producer who said, among other things, that he admired my marketing strategy.

Sigh. There's always room for change and improvement.

Just to be clear though - when I said, I don't start with a CD, I meant, I don't call and ask if I can send a CD - I'm not talking about sending CDs without asking first. They will almost always say yes if you call them - probably because it feels better than saying no. I'm not convinced that sending a CD gets you any closer to being heard/hired than sending - let's say - an email of introduction and a link to an mp3. And it's way more expensive. That's my observation based on empirical evidence. But, I still have CDs and still send them out. Just not as often.

Having said all that, it's important to have as much knowledge as possible of every potential contact. At this time I deal almost exclusively with ones who have a website so I can read about them and make sure they sound like a good fit, and make sure I find all the relevant information, if any, about how they prefer to be contacted. They might specifically say, don't call, or they might say, VO should not send mp3s, they should send materials to the following address, &c.

[Connie - I'm impressed that you made it through that game - I never would have been able to do it without the help of my children!! (and Nick Reed, who was kind enough to point me in the right direction)]

Stephanie · Guest

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies! And thanks for posting Dan O'Day's article; I hadn't seen that, but it makes sense.

I'm unrepresented, non-union, and making my first real attempt at promoting myself in the tri-state area. I have a new demo so I'm trying to figure out a marketing strategy. Sounds like setting up a website might be a good start.

Thanks again! Smile