How to Write a Voice Over Script

Many aspiring voice actors believe that working with our own voice is all we need to learn – that’s not true, sometimes we need to write a voice over script for the clients. It’s a whole different skill to speaking yourself, so it can be quite intimidating if you’ve never done it before. 

Don’t worry – we’ve provided the following guide on how to write a voice over script, and we are sure that it’s going to be helpful. You will learn about how to start your script, keep it sounding professional, and other tips, so read on to find out more!

Starting Your Script

You can’t have a voice over script without starting it in the first place, but you’ll want to prepare before you actually write the script. Most people use a word processor like Microsoft Word for this as it will have to be word-processed professionally eventually, but some people prefer to take initial notes with pen and paper.

You will want to ensure that you have a clear vision for the script, knowing exactly what you are writing about, the tone you are writing it in, and who your target audience is. Consider whether visual cues will be useful within the script, as many voice over scripts include these to help provide clarity to the voice actors. 

You should also think about ways that you could introduce the script so that it is engaging, and structure your script into different sections (such as beginning, middle, and end). You need your voice over script to flow naturally, concisely portraying information within carefully chosen sub-sections.

If you already find this first step daunting, consider taking searching for some inspiration in sample scripts or by using a script template. There is a ton of useful material out there, and you should never feel bad for getting inspired by it!

Use a Natural Tone

Depending on the kind of script you are writing, you will need to use different tones of writing. The tone of an advert is completely different from that of a video game for example. You should choose your tone of writing according to your audience, thinking about what the point of the script is and what information you are trying to get across. 

Regardless of which tone you choose, it should always be portrayed naturally. A script that sounds fake and unnatural will come across badly regardless of the amazing voice talent. 

Keep It Short and Snappy

Scriptwriting can be a daunting typing task when you first land a job, and a natural response to this is for writers to begin to waffle. It’s common for amateur writers to go on tangents, be unnecessarily descriptive, or generally include ‘fluff’. You don’t want any of this in your script, you want it to sound professional. 

When in doubt, you should always aim to keep your script short, concise, and snappy.  There’s no point including unnecessary information, just stick to the necessities and keep it streamlined. It’s actually pretty easy to write more once you get started but editing texts to lower the word count can be surprisingly laborious.

Call To Action

One of the most important parts of a script is the call to action, a technique that is very commonly found in content these days. You will have heard of them before – “read on to find out more” or “don’t forget to like and subscribe”, they’re basically phrases that encourage the audience to take a specific action. 

You will generally find this at the end or the beginning of a script, so consider where would be best to include it. You will need to pay attention to the tone of this call to action, as you don’t want to come across too strong, but you also want it to be assertive.

Finishing Up

Perhaps the most important part of scriptwriting is the assessment process. Before you even think about using a script, you are going to want to read your script aloud and imagine reading it from the perspective of the voice over artist when reading from a script. The script will feel different when you read it aloud, making it easier to spot mistakes or issues with the flow.

You will also want to ensure that the script fits the word count, identify the pace that it should be read at, and the approximate words per minute of the script. If the pace, tone, or other characteristics need to be adjusted, consider creating a new draft. 

Make sure that all lengthy paragraphs are broken up by transition words such as “in addition” and “furthermore” to encourage good flow, and always consider how the voice actor will read the voice over script. This is ultimately your goal as a script writer!

Conclusion

Writing voice over scripts gets easier once you get over the initial learning curve, so have some patience and you’ll get there in no time. Don’t forget to always plan ahead, consider the voice actor’s perspective when writing, and always put hard work into considering your call-to-action statement! Once you’ve finished, it’s time to give it that last read-over and submit your script. We wish you the best of luck!

December 7th at 12:00am