Sound Off On Sound – Promo
Promo Demo
What Are Voice Over Promos?
Promos are short voice over messages interspersed between clips of television shows, and essentially are teasers or trailers attempting to capture a viewers attention.
For many of us who voice promos, the trickiest part of this work is the timing. Getting the message across in an engaging way but in a very short window between clips of the TV program. Another challenge is making sure that the voice over doesn’t overpower or distract in any way from the show segments being used in the promo.
Voice Over Tone in Promo
The tone of voice for promo work is dependent upon the feel of the television show itself as well as the overarching brand personality of the network or affiliate. For Backstage magazine, I interviewed top promo producer Bryan Marye of the CW network and asked him to share some thoughts about the different tones needed for the genres of television programs. Here’s what he said:
- Drama Series: Weight, importance, and warmth, as well as urgency without sounding salesy, or overpowering.
- Talk Show: Relatable, bordering on commercial and an inviting voice sounding like someone is speaking directly to the listener
- Comedy Programming: Wide variety of styles used from over-the-top announcer to a more subtle wink with a cooler vibe
- Romance Show: Intimate and warm, sometimes with a hint of a smile and softer projection
- Mystery Programming: Weighty, important and almost-apathetic in tone
Children’s Programming
High-energy and highly projected.
News Show
Neutral and pragmatic
Celebrity Gossip Show
Sell the story punching up the juicy parts with a wink and energy.
Reality Show
Upbeat, punching up the twists, turns, humor and drama.
In general, Bryan has noticed a trend in using “non-announcery” voices. This spec is given for not only promo reads, but also for VO reads across genres, especially commercials.
“It’s very popular right now to use outside-the-box voice over tones,” Byran said. ‘“Not announcery’ is this era’s voice over direction war cry.”
Female Promo Voice
In the past, most of the national promo projects for both network and affiliate outlets have been voiced by male artists. Now, more and more on-air promos are going to female voice over talents, and not just for networks targeting female audiences.
Lake Bell wrote, directed and starred in the movie, “In a World” about the voice over industry and the prevalence of male artists, especially in movie trailers. If you haven’t watched it, do so right now. It’s fantastic! While not the same as movie trailer voice over, promo shares the same end goal. Interest the viewer in the show or movie being promoted.
Promos vs. Trailers
Long-time promo producer Bryan Marye, sees more and more similarities between movie trailers and television promo production.
“In my experience, TV promos have become more stylized and feel more like trailers,” Marye said. “There tends to be less wall-to-wall copy, and the narratives are being told with shots and dialogue.”
Another similar genre of voice over is imaging. Radio imaging is essentially promos but for the medium of radio. You’ll find most voice over artists who do promo work can also be heard doing imaging as well. Like promo, the voice chosen for the station’s imaging matches the overall vibe of the station and is often used for years becoming the instantly-recognizable voice of that station.
Samples of TV Promo VO:
Tennis Channel
These promos for the Tennis Channel spotlighted the incredible female athletes competing in the WTA Finals that year. I had the opportunity to voice them with a hint of edge to reflect the badasses these women are.
HSN
I’ve been the female voice of the Home Shopping Network for years, and I love the creative teams there. Every session is a total blast!
NBC Affiliate
For a local NBC affiliate’s new Live Weather app promo, I was directed to sound conversational rather than the traditional booming promo announcer style. I love how the unconventional promo read fits so perfectly with the casual nature of the message and visuals.
Food Network
Voicing this promo for Food Network was a sneak peek behind the scenes, and I loved the thought process the set designer used to choose colors.
ION Network
Based in a town nearby HSN headquarters is ION Network. Thanks to a referral from a commercial client of mine, I’ve voiced promos for the fun folks at ION over the years, including this one for Big Lots..
Easy to Book Your VO Project
Work directly with me or through any of my agents.
I also have a handy dandy booking calendar where you can look at my availability and book time for your session.
