Accents For Your Podcast : Go Regional, National or Exotic?
July 22, 2008
Do You Speak My Language?
When you’re producing a podcast, it’s very important that you establish who your target market is, and for the purposes of this article, also where your audience is. While podcasts can be subscribed to from anywhere in the world, bear in mind that the voice over, accent and dialects included, that you use in your podcast should be representative of both the brand image you are trying to convey and also be somewhat familiar to the listening audience.
What are Accents and Dialects?
Simply put, an accent is how someone sounds and a dialect involves the language and particular verbiage that is used to communicate in a particular region within a country.
Take Italian, for example. In Italy, there are many different regions and because people are separated by provincial boundaries, they often speak a different, localized version of the Italian language that has developed over time in their home region. The way they sound (their accent) differs from other regions, but also the language they use (dialect) varies as well from region to region.
This doesn’t just happen in Italy but also in many other countries. This is why you need to be aware of the kind of voice you choose, the accent the speaker has, and the dialect that the script is written in.
Regional, National or Exotic?
If you know your target market and audience, this question may not pose much of a hurdle for you, but if you are unsure of exactly who it is that you are trying to reach, it may take some thought.
Tips for Picking a Voice for Your Podcast
Local or Regional Podcasts
If you are recording a podcast intended for local or regional consumption, it is in your best interest to hire a voice over talent that speaks fluently in your firstly your language, the dialect of the region and shares the same accent as your listening audience.
National Podcasts
Should you be going for a more national image, the voice over should sound polished like the people you watch on your national television news broadcast or national public radio station. The announcers on national news networks speak clearly, do not have a noticeable accent, and avoid the use of slang, speaking the high (or official) dialect of the language.
International Podcasts
Lastly, if you have a global audience, you have the opportunity to spice it up a notch and add some worldly voices! A great example of this is the Voices.com podcast Voice Over Experts, a weekly program produced in Canada, heard across 6 continents which employs a British voice over talent as the host. The English accent (the talent is from Coventry, West Midlands) gives the podcast a cosmopolitan and sophisticated image as well as presenting the material with a universally recognized accent.
What Accent Does the Voice on Your Podcast Have?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Best wishes,
Stephanie
Branding Your Podcast With Voice Over
July 8, 2008
Podcasting
Podcasting enables everyone from the indie producer to the highest echelons of the advertising elite to communicate their messages and deliver content that is made available on a massive scale through channels such as iTunes, Odeo and Podcast Alley.
Bearing that in mind, it’s easy to go all utopian and think that just any podcast production will do the trick when trying to promote a given message…
One of the most important yet underrated realities of podcasting is that audio quality really does matter.
Don’t believe me? Just check the message boards or poll your listeners!
The distinction to be made is this:
Just because podcasting is a cost-effective medium doesn’t mean that a podcast should sound like it’s low-budget.
When you’re preparing great content and are about to record, consider what the end product will sound like and ask yourself:
Brand reputation is everything
Podcasting is a way that you can maintain your brand and stay on message, both literally and in how people perceive your brand through audio design.
If you have a corporate podcast, you want present the best possible impression of your company. This may mean outsourcing elements of your podcast to create the perfect mixture of professional and persuasive imagery.
The bottom line is to treat podcasting just as you would any other branding or marketing endeavor. Budget properly and treat your intended audience to intelligent content as well as a polished, brand embodying voice over.
Has your company had any experience working with professional voice over talent for podcasting?
All comments are welcome.
Looking forward to hearing your story!
Stephanie
