Stop Selling Yourself on Social Media

Podcast Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to the Real Boss Series with Tom Dheere
Anne and Tom introduce the conversation and discuss how Anne's fashion interests have changed what she sees in her social media feed.

01:10 – How Social Media Algorithms Learn Your Interests
Why the content you consume influences what platforms continue showing you—and what that means for voice actors.

02:40 – What Voice Actors Should Be Posting on Social Media
Tom breaks down the two sides of social media: what you consume and what you create.

04:06 – Why Video Continues to Matter for Voice Actors
Anne and Tom discuss video content, engagement, and creating content people actually find useful.

05:26 – The Two Audiences Voice Actors Need to Understand
Why different voiceover genres may require different approaches to social media and why voice seekers aren't necessarily watching your content.

07:15 – “Charming the Humans While Feeding the Robots”
Tom introduces one of the central ideas of the conversation: balancing human engagement with algorithmic visibility.

09:37 – Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust
How E-E-A-T can help voice actors think more strategically about the content they publish.

11:08 – Stop Making Social Media a Hard Sell
Why “I'm looking for work” and constant self-promotion can work against you.

12:06 – Your Comments Are Part of Your Professional Reputation
How interactions, arguments, and behavior inside social media groups can affect how people perceive you.

14:47 – Tom's Failed 50-Video Social Media Campaign
Tom shares the experiment that didn't work—and how turning the failure into content produced a much better result.

18:07 – Understanding Impressions and Social Media Reach
Tom explains how LinkedIn impressions can expand the audience beyond your immediate connections.

19:44 – Why Vulnerability Creates Better Content
Tom discusses his most successful blog posts and why people respond to mistakes, honesty, and lessons learned.

22:30 – You Don't Have to Be an Expert to Have Something to Say
How sharing your own journey can become useful content even when you don't feel like you have anything important to contribute.

24:19 – Why Other Voice Actors Matter to Your Career
Tom shares data from his business tracking and explains how fellow voice actors have contributed to his opportunities.

26:14 – Treat Your Social Media Like Your Voiceover Performance
Why being friendly, conversational, authentic, and helpful applies both on the microphone and online.

27:50 – Your Passion Can Become Your Marketing
Anne and Tom explore how hobbies and interests can attract people who eventually discover your voiceover work.

28:25 – Know, Like, and Trust: Becoming Memorable
Why social media can be more effective when the goal is familiarity rather than a direct sale.

29:07 – Social Media Is Changing, So Your Strategy Has to Change Too
Anne and Tom discuss the increasingly visible role of algorithms and why voice actors need to pay attention.

30:30 – The E-E-A-T Takeaway for Voice Actors
Tom breaks down Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust as a framework for social media content.

31:12 – Closing Thoughts and IPDTL

Top 10 Lessons From This Episode

1. Social media is not your digital business card.

Simply announcing that you're a voice actor doesn't give people much reason to pay attention. Give them something useful, entertaining, interesting, or memorable instead.

2. Your audience may find you because of something completely unrelated to voiceover.

A passion, hobby, personality trait, or unusual interest can become the doorway through which someone discovers your voiceover work.

3. A failed experiment can become successful content.

Tom's 50-video campaign didn't produce the results he expected, but sharing what went wrong created a much stronger piece of content.

4. Vulnerability can demonstrate authority.

Talking honestly about mistakes doesn't necessarily weaken your professional image. When you explain what you learned, it can demonstrate experience and credibility.

5. Different voiceover genres may require different social strategies.

Tom's example of audiobook narration shows why understanding where your potential buyers spend time matters.

6. Don't assume going viral means you've built a business.

A large number of views can create awareness, but attention only becomes useful when people have a reason to remember you and understand what you offer.

7. Your comments are part of your brand.

The way you behave on someone else's post can tell potential clients just as much about you as the content you publish yourself.

8. Your fellow voice actors aren't simply your competition.

Tom's tracking shows how much opportunity can originate from other voice actors. Community can become a meaningful source of referrals and professional growth.

9. Give people the answer instead of forcing them to click.

Tom's LinkedIn example demonstrates why useful content should stand on its own. If people find the information valuable, they can choose to explore further.

10. Think about being remembered, not constantly being hired.

The strongest social media strategy may be the one that makes people familiar with your personality, expertise, and approach so you're already on their radar when an opportunity appears.

Listen to the Full Episode

There is a lot more to this conversation than simply “post more on social media.”

Tom and I get into what happened when one of his carefully planned content campaigns completely missed the mark, why his most successful writing often comes from mistakes, how voice actors can use their interests to attract attention, and why your relationships with other voice actors may be more valuable to your career than you realize.

We also talk about the increasingly important relationship between social media, search, AI, algorithms, and the way your professional reputation is discovered online.

Listen to the full VO BOSS Podcast episode with Tom Dheere to hear the complete conversation.