Everyday VOpreneur® with Marc Scott - Episode 100
Title: Straight Talk about the Challenges of Voice Over Marketing
Date: March 25, 2021
Host: Marc Scott

Episode Overview

In this milestone 100th episode, Marc Scott delivers an honest, “no-excuses” fireside chat focused on the realities and challenges of voiceover (VO) marketing. Drawing from his own journey from “unemployed bum” to six-figure talent and coach, Marc tackles the frustrations VOpreneurs face—particularly in marketing themselves—dispelling myths around overnight success and offering empathetic, practical wisdom. The episode aims to encourage, motivate, and give voice actors straight talk about what it realistically takes to build a sustainable VO business, especially when it comes to marketing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Marc’s Personal Journey: From Unemployed to VOpreneur

• Personal Backstory: Marc recounts being laid off from a radio job in 2011, sitting in his underwear, feeling sorry for himself and unsure of the future. He decided not to return to radio due to its lack of security (04:52-07:51).
• Transition to VO: Initially, VO was a “side hustle” for extra cash. Come late 2011, he began considering VO as a full-time career, leveraging the waning “glory days of online casting sites.”
• First Full Year in VO: In 2012, Marc’s goal was simply, “God, give me enough to pay my bills.” He netted around $15-17k that year, just scraping by (10:18-12:10).
• Building Up: Four years of “clawing” to the top, working all day every day. Six-figure income arrived in 2016—the same year he began coaching (16:27).

Quote:
“I want you guys to understand that I didn’t start as a six-figure talent. I had to work towards that, just like anybody else...” — Marc Scott (12:37)

2. Addressing “It’s Easy for You to Say”

• Empathy for Beginners: Marc responds to a coaching client’s comment: “When you’re already making six figures, it’s hardly fair to be telling people to invest money when they don’t earn what you earn.”
• Transparent Honesty: He emphasizes he started from zero, was single, had minimal expenses, but no superior connections or secret knowledge.
• “No Excuses” Work Ethic: Hard work, consistency, and a drive to learn (books, podcasts, courses) was the only way up.
• Parallel Struggles: He openly discusses how he’s still learning: “I have said before in interviews that it would have been easier for me to come to voiceover with a background in farming than it would have been to come from a background in radio…” (18:52)

3. The Daunting Reality of Direct Marketing

• Community Sentiment: Reads a Facebook Group post:

  “I guess direct marketing just feels like a daunting task without much direct feedback during the process. It sometimes feels like you’re just speaking into an empty space.”
  (30:17)

• Hard Truths: Agrees entirely, noting that lack of feedback and the feeling of shouting into the void are normal.
• Numbers Game:
  • A good email campaign response rate is about 15-20%.
  • 80-85% of outreach will be ignored.
  • Success is about playing, and enduring, the long game.

Quote:
“If you reach out to 100 new leads… If 15 of those leads get back to you, you’re doing pretty good. If 20 get back to you, you’re doing really good.” — Marc Scott (33:02)

4. Rejecting Quick-Fix Myths

• Against the Hype: Criticizes coaches promising instant VO riches:

  “That coach is a con artist. And it ticks me off… because that is not the way that it works at all. This takes time.” (34:13)

• Persistence is Crucial: Shares a story about a booking that took three years of follow-up.

Quote:
“You’re going to have to contact a couple hundred people before you have a shot at making that first booking.” — Marc Scott (36:15)

5. Focus on the Wins, Not Just the Grind

• Motivational Outlook: Marc advises listeners to visualize future wins (a better home, vacation, security for loved ones) instead of fixating on daily marketing drudgery (38:02).
• Growth-Oriented Attitude: When faced with slow or no results, Marc sought out learning, education, and support—never wallowing in negativity.
• Ongoing Challenges: Even at his level, bad months still happen—sharing he made just $600 one June, but also months of $20,000.

6. Practicality Over Perfection

• Start Small, Build Gradually:
  • Didn’t begin with the best gear or studio; made do and improved over time.
  • Built his own website with a $100 WordPress theme before hiring pros.

Quote:
“Don’t go out and build your dream studio at once… My office had the most butt ugly green wallpaper that you have ever seen in your life with 30-year-old green shag carpet.” — Marc Scott (40:02)

7. Everyone’s Still Climbing

• Never Stop Aiming High: Marc looks up to other voice actors (“When I grow up, I want to be like so-and-so”) and is always chasing the next client or opportunity.
• Value of Consistency: True, sustainable VO business success comes from consistently marketing and learning.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Getting Started:

  “For the first few months after that experience, admittedly I sat around in my underwear and felt sorry for myself… But I knew that I was absolutely not going back to radio.” (06:15)

• On Building from Zero:

  “I think it’s also a testament to the fact that even if you don’t know what you’re doing, if you reach out to enough people… inevitably you are going to find someone that will hire you.” (13:02)

• On Marketing Realities:

  “I am a business and marketing coach. …I still feel like I am speaking into an empty space sometimes.” (32:05)

• On Endurance:

  “Most people will not commit to trying for three years. But if I had given up on that particular prospect, I would have missed out ultimately on multi thousands of dollars in voiceover work.” (37:17)

• On Staying Motivated:

  “Focus on what your wins are gonna be.” (39:04)

• On Continuing the Climb:

  “I still wake up in the morning… and think, when I grow up, I want to be like, so and so. It doesn’t ever stop, at least not for me anyway.” (40:02)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:59 — 06:30: Introduction, gratitude, and reflecting on the 100th episode
• 06:30 — 12:15: Marc’s backstory and transition to VO
• 12:15 — 16:27: The first years: struggle, learning, and gradual improvement
• 16:27 — 21:18: The “easy for you to say” critique and why it doesn’t apply
• 21:18 — 24:55: Developing a no-excuses mindset and continual learning
• 30:17 — 33:50: The challenge and reality of direct marketing—feeling ignored
• 33:50 — 37:59: Results: the numbers, expectations, and rejecting quick fixes
• 38:02 — 40:02: Visualizing results, focusing on wins, and keeping motivated
• 40:02 — 41:16: Never stop growing; building up from humble beginnings

Tone and Style

Marc’s tone is candid, conversational, supportive, and motivational, peppered with humor and self-deprecation. He’s transparent about his journey and honest about the hard work required.

Final Takeaways

• There are no overnight successes in VO marketing. Marc built his business from nothing, and so can you—with drive, persistence, and consistent marketing.
• Direct marketing is hard—and it always will be. Expect low response rates and long stretches with little feedback; that’s normal, even for established pros.
• Track your numbers, stay consistent, and keep your focus on the rewards. Every win, big or small, is a reason to keep going—and the key is resilience.
• You’re not alone in your struggles. Marc’s journey demonstrates that perseverance and investing in yourself—no matter how slowly—does pay off.
• Keep climbing. Even established VOs are still learning and chasing new heights.

Listen and learn more:
Podcast Archive | Voice Over Marketing Coaching | Contact Marc Scott

“If you are willing to work your butt off, if you are willing to put in the time, and if you are willing to put in the effort, it is still possible, I think, to grow a successful voiceover business.” — Marc Scott (17:18)