Not long ago, I worked on an e-learning development project that included several characters who each needed just a few lines of dialogue. While character audio adds life and variety to a course, it comes with some logistical challenges.  Do you ask your friends and family to help you out, but risk it not sounding professional?  Or do you line up a bunch of professional audio talent and end up paying each one his/her minimum fee for just a few lines? Luckily, there’s another option that offers quality narration at a very reasonable price: fiverr.com. Describing itself as “the world’s largest marketplace for services, starting at $5,” Fiverr offers many options for the audio you need. Let’s take a closer look.

How do I find an artist?

There are two methods you can use to find voiceover services. One is to simply go to the homepage and start browsing. Each artist provides an audio sample, giving you an idea of what you can expect the finished product to sound like. The other option is to request a gig. You provide the details of the work you need, and sellers submit offers to you. Although I normally just browse through the available talent, I have posted gigs as well. Offers come in very quickly, and you’ll have a variety of options to choose from.

How fast will I get the audio?

Fiverr does a great job of giving you an estimated timeline. Each artist’s page shows the average response time, the number of days on average you can expect an order to take, and the number of orders the artist currently has in the queue. So, an artist’s average response time might be 5 hours, with an average of 2 days’ delivery time and 2 orders in the queue. You can decide whether or not that timeline works for you. Some artists promise audio very quickly, while other, very popular artists might take a few days to record.

How much will an artist record for $5?

This varies by artist. It could be 75 words, 150 words, 300 words…check the seller’s offer to be sure that it meets your project’s requirements.

Do the artists offer additional services?

Almost every artist offers additional services for an extra fee. If, for example, you love the artist, but your script has more than the maximum number of words, you’ll probably be able to add those extra words for an increased price. Other services could include recording the audio in an accent, recording with sound effects, adding background music, moving your order to the front of the queue, or recording in just one day.

What payment methods are accepted?

Payment options include PayPal, bitcoin and DWOLLA.

How is the quality?

I have ordered from Fiverr multiple times, and I have never had an issue with recording quality. Plus, like other online marketplaces, Fiverr provides community ratings and designations such as “top-rated seller” to help guide you in making your choice. One thing you’ll want to watch for is voiceover artists who take liberties with your script. More than once, I’ve had an artist tell me that he or she changed the script to make it sound “more natural.” Sometimes this makes the end product better.  But if your script needs to be recorded exactly as written, be sure to communicate that clearly. In addition, any details you can give regarding the scenario and the requested tone of voice are very helpful to the artist.

What else can you find on Fiverr? 

Fiverr isn’t limited just to voiceover artists. Other services include graphics and design, online marketing, writing and translation, video and animation, music, and programming and tech. I haven’t tried any of these yet, but considering my positive experience with audio, I would be open to giving them a try.

What do you do when you need just a little audio?