Accents For Your Podcast : Go Regional, National or Exotic?

July 22, 2008

Podcasting Voice Talent

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.

Is your podcast meant to be heard locally in your own city or region?

Will your podcast attract the attention of people all over your country?

Does your audience live all over the world?

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.