Commercial voice over is the unseen voice in radio, TV, streaming and online ads. Most spots now want a natural, "real person" read rather than the old announcer sound, and the work comes through voice agents, online casting sites and direct clients. On a SAG-AFTRA TV or digital commercial, a voice-over principal earns a session fee of $643.00 as of November 2026, plus use fees for every cycle the ad runs. We put these questions to voice-over teacher David H. Lawrence XVII and commercial expert Shaan Sharma.
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It's any ad where you're heard, not seen: radio and podcast spots, TV and streaming commercials, online video ads, in-store announcements and the voice of a brand over many years. David told us commercials are the category most people mean when they say "voice over demo" or "audition", and many other kinds of voice work are built on the same skills.
Commercial copy is short, so every word is doing a job. Your task is to sound like a person who believes it.
Whatever the style, know your place in the script. If you're the hero, you carry it. If you're "customer number two" with one line, play that one line truthfully and don't upstage the spot.
Through agents. David says big advertisers often go only to agents. Each day an agent sends an audition to everyone remotely right, collects the reads and holds a "listening party", then submits only the strongest few. Your agent is the gatekeeper, so quality matters more than volume. Agent auditions usually come with a deadline such as close of business.
Through casting sites. For commercials he names Voice123, Bodalgo and Actors Access. There, the deadline is effectively "early": an hour or two late can mean you miss the group that's heard.
Direct. Local businesses, past clients and referrals. Unlike on-camera work, it's normal in voice over to have several agents in different markets.
For the national, union, big-brand spots, usually yes. For local and online work, no. When you approach an agency, follow its own submission rules, usually on its website; David's preferred route is a represented friend who believes in you walking your demo in. If you hear nothing, take that as a no rather than chasing. Agents want a product they can sell, so arrive with a competitive commercial demo. Our voice over agents page goes deeper.
Union commercials pay a session fee for the recording, then use fees for each period and medium the ad runs in. These are SAG-AFTRA minimums for an off-camera (voice-over) principal on the 2025 Commercials Contract, Year 2 rates, effective 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, as of November 2026:
| Payment | Off-camera principal |
|---|---|
| Session fee (covers 2 hours) | $643.00 |
| Class A network program, first use | $588.90 |
| Wild spot, all broadcast markets, 13 weeks | $1,638.00 |
| National cable, 13 weeks | $3,075.00 |
| Streaming platforms, 13 weeks | $2,250.00 |
Sources: SAG-AFTRA's 2026-2027 commercials cheat sheet (session fee, due 15 business days after the last day worked) and the official Year 2 rate sheet. Radio and other audio-only spots fall under SAG-AFTRA's separate Audio Commercials Contract, with its own rate sheet. Non-union pay is whatever is negotiated. For residuals and agent commission, see how much commercial actors make.
Sometimes. Shaan Sharma told us it depends on whether your contract includes exclusivity. If you were seen but silent in one car ad, a voice job for another car brand may not conflict. But some advertisers pay extra to stop you doing any work for a competitor, including voice over. Always check with your agent exactly what an exclusivity clause covers before you accept.
David's guide: five to seven short clips of 10 to 20 seconds each, for a demo of roughly 50 seconds to 1 minute 15, showing your range across different reads. He puts the commercial demo on his list of demos to have produced: the producer pulls and matches the copy to your voice, because in a market like Los Angeles you're up against the best in the world. Our voice over demo page has the rest.
It is the voice you hear but don't see in radio, TV, streaming and online ads, from a short spot to the long-running voice of a brand.
On a SAG-AFTRA TV or digital commercial, the off-camera principal session fee is $643.00 as of November 2026, plus use fees for each cycle the ad runs. Non-union pay is negotiated.
Rarely. Most copy now asks for a natural, real person read, with slightly clearer diction kept for busy, heavily produced spots.
No. Our voice-over expert says you never have to record for time, and to pass on any audition that insists on it.
For national union spots for big brands, usually yes. Local and online commercial work is often booked through casting sites and direct clients.
Roughly 50 seconds to 1 minute 15, made of five to seven short clips showing different reads.
Commercial voice over is acting first. If you're still building your foundations, our free guide 10 Steps To Becoming An Actor is a good place to start.
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All rates current from sagaftra.org and jointpolicycommittee.org as of 9 November 2026.