The indispensable 
Voice Over Rate Guide

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Television Advertising

TV Commercials

Rate reflects a single 30-second spot
Charge double for a 60-second spot with heavy copy.

Charge additional for tags:
Tags are additional phone numbers and text codes or specific location areas when limited to minor changes. For example, "Call 1800-555-5552" or "Text HAIR to 5551" or "Listen up, Springfield." Tags do not include additional offers or copy changes of significance. For example, a unique call to action at the end of an ad would not be considered a tag. "Save up to 10% on whole house carpet cleaning this month" vs. "Get a 25% discount on DIY carpet cleaning kits the month."

Local: Use in 1 city or state excluding major markets of New York, Chicago, and LA
Regional: Use in 2-3 states or 1 major market.
Major Market: New York, Chicago, or LA or other population-dense metropolitan such as San Francisco Bay Area.
National: Use in 1 country. United States rates stated. Adjust for smaller or larger populations.


Market / Term

3 Month Period

6 Month Period

1 Year Period

Perpetual Term

Local

$400-$580

$800 - $1,100

$1,200 - $1,740

x3

Regional

$800-$1,160

$1,600-$2,320

$2,400 -$3,480

x3

National

$1,440-$2,090

$2,880 - $4,180

$4,320 - $6,270

x3

TV Tags

Tags are additional phone numbers and text codes or specific location areas when limited to minor changes. For example, "Call 1800-555-5552" or "Text HAIR to 5551" or "Listen up, Springfield."

Tags do not include additional offers or copy changes of significance. For example, a unique call to action at the end of an ad would not be considered a tag. "Save up to 10% on whole house carpet cleaning this month" vs. "Get a 25% discount on DIY carpet cleaning kits the month.

Bulk tags are frequently discounted and priced per group. For example the first set of 10 tags is discounted to $500 for the entire group.  Tags 11-20 are $450 etc. The rate shown here is priced per tag. 


Local: Use in 1 city or state excluding major markets of New York, Chicago, and LA
Regional: Use in 2-3 states or 1 major market.
National: Use in 1 country. United States rates stated above. Adjust for smaller or larger populations.
Major Market: New York, Chicago, or LA or other population dense metropolitan such as San Francisco Bay Area.

Market / Term

3 Month Period

6 Month Period

1 Year Period

Perpetual Term

Local

$115 - $160

$230 - $320

$350 - $480

x3

Regional

$230 - $320

$460 - $640

$690 - $960

x3

National

$410 - $580

$820 - $1,160

$1,230 - $1,740

x3

Television Programming

Terrestrial Television

Terrestrial television programming can be a single "one-off" show, or episodic television series that is broadcast over traditional networks such as NBC, CBS, and ABC. For example, Dateline. 

The rate reflected is for a single program or episode and does not include talent exclusivity. Additional charges should apply for Over-the-Top networks and add-ons such as Peacock and CBS All Access.

Market / Term

Perpetual Term




30 Minute Program

$600-$1,000




60 Minute Program

$1,500-$2,500









Cable Television

Cable television programming can be a single "one-off" show, or episodic television series that is broadcast over cable networks such as Discovery, HGTV, and ESPN.  For example, this includes shows such as "Ice Road Truckers" and documentary specials such as "30 for 30"

The rate reflected is for a single program or episode and does not include talent exclusivity. Additional charges should apply for Over-the-Top networks and add-ons such as AMC+ and Discovery+

Market / Term

Perpetual Term



30 Minute Program

$600-$1,000




60 Minute Program

$1,500-$2,500









Streaming Television  (Hulu, Neftlix, etc)

This voiceover rate guide section will be added soon. Bookmark this page for quick reference. 

Market / Term

Perpetual Term




30 Minute Program

TBD



60 Minute Program

TBD









PRO TIP
  • Many voice over clients and customers won't  understand how voice over rates work. Many think they are merely buying a product to be used how they want. You must inform them that they are acquiring a license to use your very customizable service and that the license terms dictate the cost.
  • Use relatable language when possible. Try relating rates to software subscriptions or medical coverage. For example, "Much like healthcare, when coverage expands, costs increase. The same is true for voice over services.

Radio Advertising

Radio Commercials

Rate reflects a single 30-second spot
Charge double for a 60-second spot with heavy copy.

Charge additional for tags:
Tags are additional phone numbers and text codes or specific location areas when limited to minor changes. For example, "Call 1800-555-5552" or "Text HAIR to 5551" or "Listen up, Springfield." Tags do not include additional offers or copy changes of significance. For example, a unique call to action at the end of an ad would not be considered a tag. "Save up to 10% on whole house carpet cleaning this month" vs. "Get a 25% discount on DIY carpet cleaning kits the month."

Local: Use in 1 city or state excluding major markets of New York, Chicago, and LA
Regional: Use in 2-3 states or 1 major market.
National: Use in 1 country. United States rates stated above. Adjust for smaller or larger populations.
Major Market: New York, Chicago, or LA or other population dense metropolitan such as San Francisco Bay Area.

Market / Term

3 Month Period

6 Month Period

1 Year Period

Perpetual Term

Local

$300-$450

$600 - $900

$900 - $1,350

x3

Regional

$600 - $900

$1,200-$1,800

$1,800-$2,700

x3

National

$1,080-$1,620

$2,160-$3,240

$3,240 - $4,860

x3






Radio Tags

Tags are additional phone numbers and text codes or specific location areas when limited to minor changes. For example, "Call 1800-555-5552" or "Text HAIR to 5551" or "Listen up, Springfield."

Tags do not include additional offers or copy changes of significance. For example, a unique call to action at the end of an ad would not be considered a tag. "Save up to 10% on whole house carpet cleaning this month" vs. "Get a 25% discount on DIY carpet cleaning kits the month.

Bulk tags are frequently discounted and priced per group. For example the first set of 10 tags is discounted to $500 for the entire group.  Tags 11-20 are $450 etc. The rate shown here is priced per tag.

Local: Use in 1 city or state excluding major markets of New York, Chicago, and LA
Regional: Use in 2-3 states or 1 major market.
National: Use in 1 country. United States rates stated above. Adjust for smaller or larger populations.
Major Market: New York, Chicago, or LA or other population dense metropolitan such as San Francisco Bay Area.

Market / Term

3 Month Period

6 Month Period

1 Year Period

Perpetual Term

Local

$100 - $150

$200 - $300

$300 - $450

x3

Regional

$200 - $300

$400 - $600

$600 - $900

x3

National

$360 - $540

$720 - $1,080

$1,080 - $1,620

x3






Streaming Radio Ad (Pandora, Spotify, iHeart Radio)

Streaming Radio Ads are ads that play streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, iHeart Radio, etc. These ads can be targeted to local, regional and and national audiences even if the program material that surrounds the advert has a large following. Rates should be charged accordingly.  

Local: Use in 1 city or state excluding major markets of New York, Chicago, and LA
Regional: Use in 2-3 states or 1 major market.
National: Use in 1 country. United States rates stated above. Adjust for smaller or larger populations.
Major Market: New York, Chicago, or LA or other population dense metropolitan such as San Francisco Bay Area.

Rate reflects a single 30-second spot
Charge double for a 60-second spot with heavy copy.

Charge additional for tags:
Tags are additional phone numbers and text codes or specific location areas when limited to minor changes. For example, "Call 1800-555-5552" or "Text HAIR to 5551" or "Listen up, Springfield." Tags do not include additional offers or copy changes of significance. For example, a unique call to action at the end of an ad would not be considered a tag. "Save up to 10% on whole house carpet cleaning this month" vs. "Get a 25% discount on DIY carpet cleaning kits the month."


Market / Term

3 Month Period

6 Month Period

1 Year Period

Perpetual Term

Local

$400 - $650

$800 - $1,300

$1,200 - $1,950

x3

Regional

$600 - $980

$1,200 - $1,960

$600 - $980

x3

National

$1,080 - $1,760

$2,160 - $3,520

$3,240 - $5,280

x3






Radio Programming - Coming Soon

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Internet Advertising

Social Media

Social media advertising is typically commercials placed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or similar and can be a pre-roll, post-roll, or ad placed within the content. They are similar to traditional broadcast television ads but distributed over social media sites.

Ideally, rates would be based on the number of ad impressions irrespective of distribution area, but acquiring that information from the advertiser is difficult. Quoting a rate by period use and distribution area can simplify client interactions and speed the negotiation process. 

Tags are additional phone numbers, or text codes, and sometimes specific location areas if limited to very minor changes. For example "Call 1800-555-5552" or "Text HAIR to 5551" or "Listen up, Springfield".

Tags do not include additional offers or copy changes of significance, For example, a unique call to action at the end of an ad would not be considered a tag. "Save up to 10% on whole house carpet cleaning this month" vs "Get a 25% discount on DIY carpet cleaning kits the month"

Local: Use in 1 city or state excluding major markets of New York, Chicago, and LA
Regional: Use in 2-3 states or 1 major market.
National: Use in 1 country. United States rates stated above. Adjust for smaller or larger populations.
Major Market: New York, Chicago, or LA or other population dense metropolitan such as San Francisco Bay Area.

Market / Term

3 Month Period

6 Month Period

1 Year Period

Perpetual Term

Local

$400 - $500

$800 - $1,000

$1,275 - $1,500

x3

Regional

$500 - $1000

$1,000 - $1,500

$1,600 - $2,000

x3

National

$1000 - $1500+

$1500 - $2000+

$2000 - $3000+

x3

Cell
Cell
Cell
Cell
Cell

Non-Broadcast - Coming Soon!

Explainer

Explainer videos serve to describe a business idea or inform how a service works. They typically run the length of 60-90 seconds but can run slightly longer. They are public-facing and usage may include placement on the company's website, Facebook, or other social media services. They never allow paid placement usage, including boosted posts but may have a very minimal marketing leaning; such as a Kickstarter video asking for funds to create a new eco-battery.

Another example of an explainer video is one that describes how to sign up for a Dropbox account.

Period-of-Use is customarily perpetual. Rate is per video.

Market / Term

Perpetual Term

Length of Video



Worldwide

$300 - $500

60-90 seconds








E-Learning

Coming Soon

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