Knowing Your Worth: Voiceover Rate Strategies

Anne Ganguzza
Jun 10
3 min read

Updated: Jul 16

with Danielle Famble

Are you looking to take control of your financial destiny as a voiceover artist and business owner? In this insightful episode of the VO BOSS Podcast, Bosses Anne Ganguzza and the lovely Danielle Famble delve into the critical importance of understanding your hourly rate across all your income streams. They share practical strategies for calculating your worth, optimizing your schedule, and confidently negotiating your fees to build a thriving and sustainable voiceover business.

In this episode of the VO BOSS Podcast, Anne Ganguzza and Danielle Famble break down how knowing your true hourly rate can transform the way you run your voice over business.

Chapter Summaries

Understanding Your Hourly Worth

(01:18) Anne and Danielle open by discussing the importance of knowing your hourly rate across different income streams as a voiceover talent and business owner. They emphasize that understanding your hourly worth is crucial for optimizing your schedule and making informed decisions about where to allocate your time for maximum financial benefit.

Growing Your Income and Prioritizing Time

(03:06) Danielle emphasizes taking action on hopeful thoughts. Anne reinforces that voice actors are entrepreneurs and business builders, highlighting the value of their business acumen beyond just vocal skills.

Staying Informed and Market Savvy:

(02:39) Danielle explains how knowing your hourly rate allows you to strategize for growth, whether by increasing your rates or focusing on higher-paying genres. The bosses discuss the necessity of scheduling not just work, but also essential personal time like rest, travel, and physical fitness to ensure mental and physical well-being, which directly impacts professional performance.

Diversifying Income Streams and Data-Driven Decisions

(03:50) Anne highlights the value of having multiple income streams alongside voiceover work. She explains how she calculates profit for different ventures and emphasizes using concrete data to make business decisions, rather than relying on assumptions or external rate guides.

Strategic Rate Setting and Negotiation

(10:58) Danielle elaborates on how to determine your "pick up the mic" fee, a minimum rate for any job, and how this varies by genre. Both Anne and Danielle encourage voice actors to be comfortable with negotiating and to consider regular rate increases, especially at the end of the year, while also being open to re-evaluating client relationships if rates don't align with their worth.

Top 10 Takeaways

Know Your Hourly Rate:

Understand what your time is worth per hour across all your services (voiceover, other jobs , etc.) to make informed business decisions.

Optimize Your Schedule:

Use your hourly rate to prioritize and allocate time to different income streams for maximum financial gain.

Prioritize Personal Well-being:

Schedule time for rest, travel, and physical fitness; these contribute to mental clarity and efficiency, directly impacting your business.

Diversify Income Streams:

Explore and cultivate multiple avenues of income (e.g.,, podcasting, other ventures) to create more financial stability.

Make Data-Driven Decisions:

Use concrete numbers and profit calculations to guide your business strategy, rather than just intuition or what others are doing.

Establish a "Pick Up the Mic" Fee:

Determine your personal minimum rate for any job to ensure projects are worth your time.

Embrace Negotiation:

Get comfortable with negotiating your rates to ensure you are consistently paid what you are worth.

Implement Regular Rate Increases:

Periodically review and increase your rates, informing clients professionally.

Strategic Marketing:

Identify your highest-paying genres and focus marketing efforts to attract more clients in those areas.

Cultivate Repeat Clients:

Prioritize building relationships with repeat clients, as their consistent work provides a more reliable income stream.

Referenced in this Episode

Direct links to things we brought up ++

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Anne Ganguzza - female voice talent with blond hair, black glasses and red lipstick. She is smiling at the camera and wearing blue headphones.

More from Anne Ganguzza

She's a powerhouse voice talent, producer, and host. Book time with Anne to get your voiceover career in gear or focus on a specific genre. Catch her each week on VO BOSS or register for an event on VOPeeps.com >>