You and I, we walk a fine line when it comes to drumming up business.
Here’s the situation.
Clients won’t hire us unless they know we exist.
Colleagues won’t recommend us if they have no idea what we’re capable of.
Agents might think we’re yesterday’s news if we don’t prove ourselves every once in a while.
The remedy to anonymity is self-promotion. However, we all know people who are constantly promoting themselves. They hijack threads on Facebook to toot their own horn. They pop up in LinkedIn groups to talk about themselves. They spam your inbox with “newsletters” that glorify their latest accomplishments.
They must believe they’re very interesting.
If you’re one of those people, I have this to say to you:
Hey Paul,
this is the first time I din’t agree with you. But certainly only when scratching the surface of your post.
I believe, that it’s better to penetrate AND listen.
That’s my daily job and it works perfectly.
I spread the word about all the work I do. Ok, not ALL the work, but a lot of it. Because I love what I do and believe in it. And I’m sure that it’s good to let all the people out there know about what I’m doing and how. Because there are a lot to read and hear that that will remember me when being asked who could solve someones problem with something that needs a voice.
But at the same time I listen. I have so many colleagues and newbies that come to me with questions about pricing, technical problems and customer relation management and I always listen to them and give the best advice I can give. And don’t rush through these questions or calls – I take my time and listen to them carefully and choose my words for the answers wisely.
And that’s what it’s all about in my opinion:
let the world know what you’re best at. Don’t miss any chance for that.
But remember there are other people, that could need your help. And be there to help.
If you live a mix of spreading the word and listening, you’re on a good way.
And I think that’s what you intentionally wanted to say.
All the best,
Chris
Hi Chris, I’m not writing my articles in the hopes that people will agree or disagree with me. I’d rather have them read what I have to say and make up their own minds.
As you probably have gathered, I believe that self-promotion is essential if you want people to find you in a sea of online chatter. However, I don’t believe in taking each and every opportunity to tell the world “Look at ME!”. There’s a fine line between being interesting and annoying. I’m a big believer in quality versus quantity.
Helping others -like you mentioned- is an excellent way to show people what you’re good at, without making it all about yourself.
‘The empty vessel makes the most noise’ was one of my mother’s golden rules for life. She firmly believed that if you were doing something well, people would notice without you having to shout about it and that you would get just reward, recognition and approbation just for doing the job well . . . . Perhaps true swimming in a very small pond forty years ago …. but no more.
However, having been brought up with that constantly in mind, I struggle to get the balance right. Anthing that appears to be all ‘me me me’. I admit that I delete, ignore and abhor – they just appear to be lacking in substance and are just self congratulatory. Self promotion I think is subtly different – and it is difficult to get it right, because the internet is full of people saying how great they are and how well they are doing.
Once more Paul … your shared words of wisdom lead the way – and you have an uncanny knack of putting my thoughts into words! Which is something I struggle to do sometimes!
PS lovely film by the way!
H
Hello Helen, being brought up in a Protestant household where modesty was still a virtue, I had the hardest time telling people about my accomplishments. I saw it as bragging and as being self-absorbed. When I came to the United States I was in a bit of a culture shock. Over here, people talk much more freely about their success stories (and rarely about their failures).
I too believe that it’s much more powerful to let others sing your praises, but others need to have a reason to do that. If they don’t know what you’ve been up to, there’s nothing to praise. That’s why I had to overcome my Dutch tendency to belittle myself and I decided to embrace my talents… These days I am much more comfortable with where I am in my career and I’m not ashamed to share it with the world. But should I ever come across as being too self-absorbed, please let me know!
Paul’s weekly blog posts help me hang on, bridging the gap between Wednesdays and Fridays. And, quite often after reading, I find myself thinking, “I should’ve said that.” Today is one of those days.
As a teen, when I developed a passion to get into radio broadcasting, I learned that pride in one’s work and the self-congratulations that come with it – if not closely monitored – can easily morph into an ego problem. Over the years, I encountered so many radio people who amazed me with their ability to get their headphones on every day, that I decided to be the antithesis.
When I moved into voice-over, I’d even come up with a clever play on words, a marketing slogan, that actually stated I preferred to let my work do the promoting.
But, I’ve learned it is also possible to be too cautious in that regard. I’ve been so fearful of crossing the line from confident marketer to the always in-your-face gnat that it has had negative results. If we were talking about eating habits, I would be a bit undernourished.
So, like eating habits, moderation is the goal. I find the in-your-face approach used by some quite annoying. The last thing I want are potential and even current clients waving me off as if I were a pesky gnat.
Well-put Mike. These days, our work and our words don’t speak for themselves anymore. We’ve got to find a soap box and start blowing bubbles. As with a diet, quality ingredients and variety are key factors. And too much of a good thing can be… well, you know what I mean.
I always look forward to seeing more Mike in the Media!
Hi Paul!
It is always great to read your blog… Even if I was a bit lax with my blog and self promotion in the last months, your post makes me think and consider not only my self promotion but whole career.
Thank you!
Hello Linda, every now and then it’s good to take a deep breath and think about how far you’ve come and where you want to go. In my experience, it’s helpful to write and publish at regular intervals to create an expectation among your readers. The challenge is to keep it up when you have a lot on your plate. I look forward to seeing what you have to say!
Most self-promotion should be made to pass the “So what!” test. Most self-promotion doesn’t.
I did a VO job today ..So what? It’s my job. If I installed a new kitchen for my neighbour that’s sort of interesting and may be worth a mention on Facetube but no more.
No fellow VO really cares what I’m doing and that is right and proper!
Paul, as always, enjoyed reading your thoughts.
Philip, your comments always pass my “So what” test!
“Facetube” has become a treasure trove of trivialities, social activism and pictures of pets and delicious or disgusting dishes. There’s a lot of fluff and not much substance. Yet, at certain times I do enjoy the fluff and I get a good laugh out of certain quotes. You never know what’s cooking in cyberspace.
Now I have to get back to installing that new kitchen… before I sink even lower.
…this is the demon that has plagued me througout my life, Paul. since childhood i’ve had humility drummed into me (commanded or merely implied). while i myself enjoy being around humble people more than raving egomaniacs, this has had the unfortunate effect of developing my perpetual sense of self-doubt. “who do you think YOU are?” “put yourself last” …there are may permutations that constantly run through my mind.
i’ve even earned the ire of trusted and respected coaches, turning a moment of praise into instant reprimand by tagging some self-depricating phrase onto a statement of accomplishment.
it’s still a goal which has eluded me: being able to “own” and enjoy and share awareness of the neat things i can do…or risk being one of those guys i’m sick of (or envious) of hearing about. so far, the only thing i’ve latched onto is to try and couple my “brag point” with some kind of story or entertainment for the reader.
what you’ve written has helped me muster the nerve to try for the goal again, but i still wish that fine line was a little easier to see.
rg
Rowell, maybe you shouldn’t look at it so much as bragging, but as sharing. People who share do this, so others can benefit from or enjoy what’s being shared. We were all born with unique talents, and after many years of cultivating and polishing those talents, we owe it to the world to let these talents shine. It’s like giving a gift.
Receiving a compliment is very much like receiving a gift. I used to have trouble responding to compliments. Now I simply say “thank you”. If we want to be fair to ourselves and others, we have to acknowledge our accomplishments and accept that there still is a lot to learn…. knowing that the best students usually get the most challenging assignments!
Thanks Paul, I always enjoy reading your blog and posts. I don’t always agree with you, but you tend to almost always offer some form of compelling argument and more often than not can back that argument up with references and research. Even your “opinion” pieces tend to be quite well thought out.
I’d say that your criticisms here of some marketing “brethren” may be rather mild, as far as my thinking goes. But then again, you are a bit nicer than I am.
I recently posted about the 2 essential facts of life, when it comes to marketing.
1. Most people will ignore you.
2. Of the few who don’t ignore you, most will be unable to remember you when it might make a difference.
Sadly, as with the local car dealers who don’t know that they are probably selling cars despite their local advertising, the average person marketing themselves today, hasn’t a clue what they are doing or perhaps even if they may be getting work despite those marketing efforts.
As an aside, I can’t help but think Paul, that after watching your lovely video, that there won’t be dozens of voice talent thinking “I could have done that a lot better than him.” Of course, many of them will also be the same people who write to tell you how moved they were by your v.o. work.
I don’t think it’s so much about “humility” as opposed to me just sticking my finger in my mouth, making the “popping sound” of a champagne cork and saying “whoopty doo to you”, every time I read one of the FB status updates that goes “Wish I could get outside and see the sun, instead I’m going to have to work 283 hours straight on these 18 audio books I am narrating”
Tell me a story I might really want to hear. Educate me, entertain me, show me there’s something else to your persona besides being a needy actor. Hmmm, giving and not always taking???
I’m not so sure I’m nicer than you are, J.S. Biting one’s tongue is risky for a voice-over professional, but at times I self-censor my blog posts because I want to be provocative without pissing my readers off.
Effective marketing is not about reaching “most people”. It’s about making waves to reach the right people. It’s also about making a memorable emotional impact. In that process I can only influence my output. How it will be perceived is in the subjective eyes and ears of the beholder.
Social media like Twitter and Facebook were designed for quick exchanges and updates. Not for deep thinking or in-depth education. That’s why there’s so much fluff. Sometimes that fluff can be very entertaining. Sometimes it’s totally annoying.
The more involved I get in these “social” media, the more I appreciate face-to-face communication. I sincerely hope we’ll meet up at some point in the future!
Paul,
Yeah, I’m glad you finally said it!
There are a few people who really wear me out with promotions. Personally, I’m trying to do just enough to make a difference. Finding that balance, though, is not always easy for me.
Btw, that video is beautiful… very serene, majestic and colorful. Your VO works quite well with the imagery!
Rick, I think I know the people you’re referring to! I get so tired of that never-ending “look at me” routine. Fortunately, I can block them from my Facebook news feed and unsubscribe from their email blasts.
I think the Dutch animators did a great job creating a polluted underwater world. Unfortunately, in many parts of the word this is a reality. When I went snorkeling in Eilat, one of the first things I saw was an empty Heineken bottle. It was nothing like the Jacques Cousteau movies I had seen, growing up.
Thank you Paul for this thread. It’s comforting to see that others also strive to reconcile inbred modesty with the need to be professionally visible.
I’m pleased to take compliments and have learned not to blush when I post up my capabilities, but still hesitate to ask a happy client for the okay to post their appreciation. Illogical, but there it is – I’m British you see.
Howard, British English is a reflection of the modest Anglo-Saxon nature with expressions like “that wasn’t so bad” and “I suppose it was okay.” Watching the American and British versions of the same talent shows can be quite revealing. In the U.S. most contestants seem to think that they’re the best thing since sliced bread. Once they’re on stage, it turns out the emperor has no clothes. In the U.K. contestants seem more modest about their talents, until they bring the house down with an incredible performance.
Hey Paul,
Good perspective as always!
This is something that I’ve struggled with myself. More so with clients than with other VO talent. With other VO talent, my policy is simply to not share demos and recently completed projects except on (VERY) rare occasions when I feel that something I’ve done can be used in the context of a larger conversation.
With other clients, though…that’s where I’ve always had a lot of doubt. I’ve always debated with myself whether I’m keeping in enough touch with them, or over-exposing myself to the point of annoyance. Which definitely happens. After all, I’m sure we can all name a certain ad that, when it airs, our automatic reaction is, “…Aww God, not this again.” TV OFF.
The solution that I feel I’ve come to (not based on my own observations, but by reading the words of people much smarter than me) is that we live in an ***interactive*** age now. The days of proclamation-style advertising are, for the most part, over. Now we have to invite people to engage in conversations so that they’ll feel involved and stick around. Even doing things in one’s marketing such as the inclusion of questions that ask for a response seems to yield a much higher return rate.
This isn’t applicable solely to voice-over, either. I confess to being a major Superman fan, and the trailer for the upcoming new movie ended with Superman (played by Henry Cavill) saying, “My father believed, that if the world found out who I really was, that they’d reject me. He was convinced that the world wasn’t ready….what do you think?” Ever since then, Warner Brothers launched a social campaign for that movie revolving entirely around that question (i.e. “What do you think?” and, “Are you ready?”).
BRILLIANT. And the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
I recently decided to start blogging again, and I’m making it a personal goal of mine to lead into every blog entry–and end them–with questions, just to really drive it home that I’m here to talk, not to proclaim. Sure, not everybody will be interested in what we have to talk about, but when we’re talking and conversing, at least we have a chance that people might be interested. If we’re just proclaiming…then we’ve failed, right out of the gate.
Hi Dave, I believe one of the keys to successful content marketing is engagement. When people are engaged, they are more likely to remember.
Beginning or ending a blog post with a question is a great technique to elicit a response and start a dialogue. Sometimes it helps to be very direct.
A year or so ago, I decided to end my blogs with a call to action: Be sweet. Please retweet. The number of “spontaneous” retweets went up by 200%!
In a way, this comment section is the favorite part of my blog. I can step down from my soap box and actually enjoy the conversation. I look forward to reading and hearing your next blog post!
Rowell, like many I have the same battle as you with accepting compliments. I learned a valuable lesson a few years ago. I was informed by a person I worked with that when I deprecated a compliment I was actually telling the person who complimented me they didn’t know what they were talking about. Basically, I was calling them a liar. I know just how hard it is to accept compliments, but the alternative would be much worse. Its a fine line all of us must learn to walk. I like Paul’s view of “sharing”. To me it means accepting the equality of others views.
I have experienced the same struggles about too much or too little self promotion first as an actress and now as a v/o agent. How often should I contact producers, casting directors and recording studios? It’s a delicate balance. If voicers toot their own horn every once in a while (about 4 times a year feels right to me) I’m very open to reading their posts. More than that, I feel assaulted. I think your approach should always include humility as well as humor.
Hello Linda, thank you so much for stopping by, and thank you for being an amazing agent! Your perspective makes a lot of sense. I’ll make sure that you’ll hear from me three months from now 🙂
This post also touched a nerve, Paul, and it is gratifying that others feel the same. Self promotion does not come easily to me. Whether it is to do with ‘being British’, or just the way my generation was raised, I am not sure – but modesty was also prized as a virtue when I was young. ‘No one likes a show off’ as they say!
My twitter presence is partly for fun and partly to remind people that I am still alive! I rarely self promote on it. In fact my biggest RT was for a tweet which read ‘Am I the only voiceover here who doesn’t tweet about being a voiceover?’
I know of one VO for whom too much self promotion certainly backfired – potential employers started to assume the voice was too busy and unlikely to be available.
So,yes,it’s a fine line between ‘it pays to advertise’ and over selling ones wares. I am glad to read I am not alone in juggling with this!
Trish, you’re in good company! Perhaps we should start a VO club for reluctant extroverts. That way we can promote one another and we won’t have to toot our own horns.
As always Paul “right on”, I am 57 but when I grow up I want to be just like you!
Thank you again for your insight and moving performance.