If you have been in voice over for any length of time, you have probably wanted to create a demo.
Maybe you have tried to DIY it. You picked some scripts, opened your DAW, recorded take after take, and stitched everything together. At the end of it, you had a demo file you could technically send out.
But here is the real question:
If you listened to your current demo side by side with a fully coached, directed one, would you hear the difference?
With the Kick in the Pants New Year coaching program coming to a close in just a couple of days, I want to walk you through what a coached demo actually changes, and why it is about much more than polished audio.
What a DIY voice over demo usually sounds like
For many voice actors, a DIY demo is created in a hurry and in isolation.
The process often looks something like this:
You grab a collection of scripts from the internet.
You try to sound “commercial” or “animation ready”.
You record the same line again and again, hoping one version will suddenly feel right.
You edit everything together, add some music, and hope it sounds professional.
The result is not always bad, but it often feels vague:
The copy does not quite fit your voice or brand.
The acting choices are safe instead of specific.
The pacing and tone are inconsistent from clip to clip.
You are not sure what is working and what is not, so you guess.
Most importantly, you finish the process with the same questions you started with. You have a demo, but you do not necessarily have more clarity about your craft.
What a coached demo changes
Now instead of a DIY voice over demo, imagine going through that process with a coach and a plan.
Before a single line is recorded, you and your coach have already:
Talked about your goals and the kind of work you want to book.
Listened to your voice to identify your natural strengths.
Chosen scripts that actually suit your range, sound, and brand.
When it is time to record, you are not trying to copy a generic “commercial sound.” You are making specific choices that match your voice and the script in front of you. You get real time direction on:
Where the story arc lives in each spot.
How to adjust pacing and energy without losing authenticity.
How to use your body and breath so the performance feels grounded instead of forced.
After the recording session, an audio engineer steps in to edit, design, and master the final product. The music and sound design support your reads instead of distracting from them.
The microphone, the space, and even the talent are the same. What changes is the process, the coaching, and the clarity behind every choice.
Beyond the demo: learning to stop guessing
The real benefit of a coached demo is not just the finished audio file. It is what you learn about yourself along the way.
When you work without support, you are left to guess what is working. You might listen back and think:
Was that read too big or too small?
Does my timing feel right, or is it off?
Is this the kind of performance a casting director wants?
With coaching, those questions do not stay in your head. They become part of the work. You try options, hear feedback, and discover why a particular choice lands the way it does.
That is where confidence comes from. Not from hoping you got lucky, but from understanding what you are doing and being able to repeat it on purpose.
Inside the Kick in the Pants New Year coaching program, that is the core goal. Yes, we build a demo. More importantly, we build a performer who knows how to get to that level again and again.
How we build a demo inside the Kick in the Pants New Year coaching program
The Kick in the Pants New Year coaching program is an 8 week, 1:1 coaching program with a very clear arc.
Over the course of the program, we:
Explore your goals and where you fit in the market.
Work through script analysis, acting skills, and vocal mechanics.
Practice real scripts so you can hear and feel the changes in your reads.
Gradually move toward demo material, using what we have discovered along the way.
By the time we reach the demo sessions, you are not trying to reinvent yourself. You are showing up as the version of you that has been emerging throughout the coaching.
We record your demo from your home studio in a directed session, then an audio engineer shapes the final product with sound design and music. You leave with a demo that reflects your current strengths and potential, not a rushed experiment.
In this New Year round, there is also a bonus follow up session after the 8 weeks. Once you have started sending auditions and sharing your demo, we meet again to talk about what is happening in the real world and adjust your plan.
48 hours left to join this New Year round
The Kick in the Pants New Year coaching program is a special round of my signature 8 week offer. For this New Year enrollment:
The program is over 35 percent off the total value.
You get 9 sessions in total – 8 weeks of coaching plus a follow up session.
We focus on your performance, your workflow and business, and a home studio demo you can actually use.
Enrollment for this round closes in just 2 days, on January 14, and spaces are limited so the work stays truly 1:1 and personal.
If you read this and know your current demo and auditions have a lot of guessing baked into them, this is your opportunity to change that.
You can learn more about the Kick in the Pants New Year coaching program and reserve your spot here.
Your voice is your superpower. It deserves a process, and a demo, that supports it.