Quoting for regular ongoing repeat business - help please!

Cia Allan

Hi folks

I've just received an offer of regular work through a Client I recorded for earlier this year courtesy of the "other voiceover jobsite". He beat down my price quote by a third for that gig but obviously he likes my voice and I was paid by return. So far so good. However I'm unsure how to price this job. Most of my work is one-off at a minimum hourly rate. Now, UK rates are higher than USA rates for voiceover so I have to bear that in mind when quoting.

This job is regular daily podcasts, 20-30 seconds in length for each and anything between 1 and 10 of them to be uploaded at the same time of day. As a British voiceover recording for a North American podcast company, there's probably a bit of novelty factor in the accent which perhaps justifies upping the per-piece-price a bit, but basically I truly haven't a clue what to quote. I don't want to lose the gig by overquoting but neither do I want to have the Client gleeful over my undervaluing of myself!

I noticed the comment from David in the 'Who Got the Gig' topic regarding regular podcasts - "Small pay, but could be steady and may lead to other things." Dare I ask what is a reasonable rate for 20 - 30 secs of press release every weekday and possibly up to 10 of these per day on some days, bearing in mind that I get hammered on PayPal fees for cross border payments and currency exchange, so would like to cover that aspect somewhat.

I have already been burned once by a producer who negotiated my price down on a promise of regular work and then when it didn't materialise, I sent a reminder of the promise only to be told incredibly rudely that I was totally out of order and unprofessional to have done so! Well in my book, a promise is a promise. Anyway I mustn't sidetrack myself here. This Client has been easy to work with so far.

All advice re pricing gratefully received - and I need to get back to him within a few days.

Robert Jadah · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008, 15:07 (GMT) Post subject:

First off: congrats, Cia.
(Is that, incidentally, pronounced See-Ah or Chee-ah?)

You're fishing in murky waters there; the pod-world still being the untamed Wild West of VO rates.
Obviously, you need take into consideration that you're to be available to them five days a week. At their beck and call for up to ten short recording per day, to the possible detriment of your other customers and career pursuits.
Then, of course, you need to consider your absolute minimum for powering up and warbling away which, in my case, is $120.

So my quote would be ($120 volume-discounted to) $100 per day for up to (let's be real nice to them) five recordings. Recordings 5 to 10 would run $15 per.

I'd suggest making it all part of a $500/week retainer, and would invoice them weekly for the extra bits.

But I'll wager that our peers would suggest anything from 10% to three times that, so I really haven't helped much.
(Although I will hopefully learn to properly pronounce your name.)

Voice On!

Cia Allan · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008, 18:48 (GMT) Post subject:

Hiya Robert

Sorry for delay in reply. Been away.

Re name - it's neither of your suggestions - it's a hard C and is said like the car manufacturer!

Thanks for your thoughts. No-one else responded, so your suggestion is all I have to go on but I wasn't sure I understood your last comment. Did the 10% bit mean 1/10th of the price or 10% more?

David Bosco · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008, 23:38 (GMT) Post subject:

Cia:

Via a personal message to you, I did respond to your question about the podcast pay. Perhaps you never saw it. I copied and pasted it here. Please have a look at your personal messages for all the details.....

Cia:

Thanks for your response. The podcast thing I am doing takes me about 45 min to 1 hour each day to record 7 to 9 small files avg 45 seconds each. I accepted the $XXXXX per day offered but just to get started. I think it's worth a little more, but I might be wrong. It's for a small west coast newspaper, each podcast is good for one day only.

David

David Bosco · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008, 23:54 (GMT) Post subject:

Robert and Cia:

I'm relatively new at VO, but here's my take on the value of podcast work. It would seem to me that it's the same as commercials, narrations, etc. What's the usage going to be and who is the client?

Some podcast work will have a very short shelf life and some will be useable repeatedly. It could be a small company or it could be GE. In the same way, a VO talent could do an excellent job for a local insurance agency an get say $150, while another talent that's so-so happens to land a national radio spot for Citi and gets $1500.

I guess you take what you can get, prove your reliability and if the podcast work doesn't take up too much time, keep with it and try to push for more money if it's available.

That's my view of it anyway.

Cia Allan · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008, 10:03 (GMT) Post subject:

Hi Robert - sent you a message. Should be in your inbox!

Robert Jadah · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008, 15:02 (GMT) Post subject:

I did get it, Cia. Thank you.
But as a non-V123'er, I am unable to transmit Private Messages. Please e-mail me directly:voiceman@robertjadah.com.

InVoice On!