Alternative Ways to Make Money as a Spoken Word Artist
Too much exposure kills. Melanie O’Donovan suggests three ways spoken word artists can make money.
I don’t need to tell you that pursuing a career in the arts isn’t easy. However, in this day and age and with the right tools, it’s not impossible. The first step in the right direction is acknowledging that, like any freelancer on any other creative journey, you have to diversify your income. Let’s be real, you’re likely not going to stumble upon a “Professional Poet” position on LinkedIn. If you manage to get a residency or publish a successful collection hats off to you, that’ll pay the bills for a while but sometimes that isn’t enough. Let’s say you’ve completed your twelve months on the ‘Self-Employed Artists’ Job-Seeker’s Scheme’. Your portfolio is built, your brand formed, skills honed, connections made. Well, I have three alternative avenues for you to make that all-important moolah while maintaining your dignity as an artist.
Voice-Over Work
If you’re looking for a job where you use your voice this could be right up your alley. Have any of you wondered who that sweet voice is behind your sudden urge to buy Aviva Insurance? Of course you haven’t. The advertising market is going through a storytelling phase. Truthfully, it has been for a while, and actors of all kinds have reaped the financial benefits of being the voice behind a campaign. A few spoken word artists have dipped their toe into the market, Emmet Kirwan being the most recognisable, but there is no reason why a few more can’t join him. Generally, with this type of work, you aren’t lending your words to a campaign, just your voice, and that can be done from the comfort of your home if you have a semi-decent microphone. The work can come from a few sources but the main two are: agencies and media owners. Creative agencies and talent agencies often keep a roster of talented voice-over artists they keep on file. Media owners are often radio or TV stations who need pieces turned around in a short period of time. As a brief comes in, if you fit the campaign and the client likes you then you’ll get a decent pay-out. If you’re interested, record a piece and get in touch with a few agencies you can find online.
Script-Writing
If you’re looking for a job where you use your words, script-writing might just be the avenue for you. Have you wondered who wrote the words behind your sudden urge to buy Aviva Insurance? No, you definitely haven’t but somebody did it and that somebody was paid. Jobs as a copywriter can range from writing the text for an email campaign or it can mean being commissioned to write a poem about women in sport for a new GAA sponsorship. Just look at Stephen James Smith, a prime example of how you can be commissioned to write a poem for a company like Aviva Ireland. With each job, the root of what you are doing is getting in the mind of a consumer or in the tone of a brand. It takes a lot of thought and practice but could help make your writing better. The key is getting your foot in the door as a freelance copywriter. Do your research online and approach a few agencies. If you have a website I’d also suggest that you advertise your services there. Create a few packages or a one page pdf you can send to people if they inquire. Oh and don’t undersell yourself, some people get €500 for writing a 1500 blog post once a week.
Social Media & Merchandising
This is my favourite because it is an opportunity to monetise your artistic skills; it’s something that isn’t being done and I don’t know why. Do you know how cheap and easy it is to make buttons, notepads, mugs, postcards? Take a look at your body of work, pick out the showstoppers and find the lines in those showstoppers that you can imagine people using in their Instagram captions. Make a few buttons, postcards or notebooks and sell them at your next show. If you really want to step your game up, sell them online. To make online sales work you need to have an established social following, which can be done as long as you’re regularly making posts with content surrounding your writing. Give people a chance to support you by putting some of your performances on Instagram TV. You can also give people snippets of your work on posts or stories – and that’s just one social media platform. The easiest way for people to support you is to make them feel like they are getting something in return. Not many artists are doing this in Ireland, so make a move.
If you take anything from this, please don’t forget that your skills are valuable. Very few people can do what you do well, so market yourself well and demand what you’re worth. Selling merch, getting into voice-over work and dabbling in copywriting are just three small ideas. I’m certain that there are a million other avenues that no one has thought of yet that incorporate the skills you’ve perfected. Find a gap in the market and make it work for you.
Written by Melanie O’Donovan
Originally published in BND Vol. 1 Issue 2
A Poet in Lockdown: Q&A with Beau Williams
Irish Spoken Word Events Happening in August
Buy BND Vol. 1 Issue 2
Buy BND Vol. 1 Issue 1