5 tips to help you get the perfect AI voiceover

Mastering AI voiceovers

The voiceover is an immediate sign of a video’s quality and professionalism. If you want to really win your audience over and convey a high level of emotion, clarity, and impact, nailing your narration is crucial. And that goes for trailers, podcasts, marketing campaigns — any kind of video.

The only issue is that voiceovers can also be tricky to get right. You need good equipment, sound-proof recording conditions, clear diction — and that’s just the beginning. Thankfully, Artlist’s AI Voiceover is a total game-changer, reducing the list of requirements for a great voiceover from seemingly endless to shockingly short. 

It’s a simple, powerful solution to help filmmakers, marketers, podcasters, and YouTubers create flawless voiceovers with ease, and learning how to use it is as easy as reading this blog post. Keep reading for must-know tips for doing AI voiceovers.

1. Optimizing text for AI narration

The way you structure your script can make or break your voiceover. The best tools rely on well-optimized text to deliver smooth, professional results. By following these tips for voiceover, you’ll ensure your narration flows naturally and connects with your audience.

Keep sentences short and simple

Avoid overly complex or run-on sentences. Clear, concise phrasing helps the voiceover sound more natural and easy to follow.

Avoid special characters and symbols

Replace symbols like “#” or “&” with their written equivalents, such as “hashtag” or “and.” This prevents awkward pauses or mispronunciations.

Use proper punctuation

Proper use of commas, periods, and question marks creates a natural rhythm and tone. Experiment with punctuation to get the emphasis you want.

Test and iterate

Run your text through the tool and listen to the results. Adjust the phrasing, punctuation, or pacing as needed to refine the delivery.

Example: Instead of writing, “Our new product, which is easy to use, fast, and powerful, helps creators achieve amazing results.”

Try: “Our product is easy to use. It’s fast. It’s powerful. And it helps creators achieve amazing results.”

Need help crafting voiceover scripts? Check out our dedicated blog for more tips on writing engaging, professional copy.

2. Getting pronunciation right

Let’s start our list of voiceover tips and tricks with pronunciation — one of the most critical elements of a professional voiceover. A mispronounced name, brand, or technical term can quickly disrupt your audience’s experience. With Artlist’s AI Voiceover, you have complete control to ensure every word is spoken clearly and accurately.

Here are a few essential voiceover tips to perfect your pronunciation:

Select the right language for text input

Ensure the language setting matches the language of your script. This helps the AI Voiceover deliver natural and accurate results.

Use phonetic spelling for tricky words

Proper nouns, brand names, or regional terms often trip up voiceovers. If you need to ensure precise pronunciation, spell the word phonetically. For example, you can write “Art-liss-t” for “Artlist” to clarify how it should sound.

Convert acronyms into pronounceable words

Acronyms, or words formed by combining the first letters of other words, are everywhere. Think: NASA, FOMO, ASAP. AI voiceovers read acronyms as letters by default, which might not always sound right. To fix this, type acronyms as they’re pronounced. For example:

• “U” as “you”
• “I” as “eye”
• “AI” as “Ay-eye”

Example: Let’s say you’re making a promotional video for your new start-up called “Innov-X.” If you just write “Innov-X” in your script, it’ll sound like this:

To get it right, type “In-oh-vex” instead, leaving no room for confusion:

3. Speak with emotion

Emotion is the heartbeat of any successful video, and voiceover is one place where you can really set the right emotional tone.

Here is how you can use Arlist’s AI Voiceover to infuse your voiceover with emotion:

Adjust the Emotion settings

Underneath your voiceover script is a dropdown menu for you to select the emotion you want your voiceover to express. You can choose from Angry, Sad, Optimistic, Curious, and Surprised. Note that you can only select one emotion for each generation.

Punctuation matters

Use punctuation creatively to convey tone and rhythm. For example, a simple exclamation mark (“!”) can add excitement or urgency, while ellipses (“…”) can create a sense of mystery or hesitation.

Double question marks for emphasis

Want to convey surprise or disbelief? Use double question marks (“??”) for an extra punch. For instance, writing “Wait, what??” delivers a different tone compared to “Wait, what?”

Play with sentence structure

Short, sharp sentences can create tension, while longer, flowing sentences are great for soothing or reflective tones.

Example: Let’s explore how punctuation changes the tone of the same sentence:

“You’re going to love this!” 

“You’re going to… love this.”

“You’re going to love this??”

See what we mean? 

4. Pace your voiceover like a pro

Pacing is everything in a voiceover. Whether you want to build suspense, maintain clarity, or keep your audience engaged, the right pacing ensures your message lands exactly as intended. 

Here’s how you can fine-tune pacing for a professional-grade voiceover:

Adjust the Speed settings

You can find a dropdown menu to select the speed of your voiceover under the text box where you enter your script. There are options to make it 10-20% faster, or 10-20% slower.

Use punctuation for natural pauses

Commas (,) and dashes (–) can create brief, seamless pauses that mimic natural speech. For example: “The future of filmmaking – starts here.”

Add precise pauses with <break /> tags

Need a specific timing? Use the <break /> tag to set the exact duration of a pause. For instance: <break time=”1s” /> adds a one-second pause, perfect for dramatic effect or smooth transitions.

Bracket sentence breaks for smoother transitions

Divide your text into individual phrases using brackets, and the tool will automatically flow through them naturally. For example: [This is your moment.] [Make it count.]

Example: Let’s say you’re creating a suspenseful trailer for an action movie. Here’s how you can use proper formatting for maximum impact.

We want our voiceover to say, “This summer, a hero will rise to face impossible odds and save the world. But time is running out. Will they succeed? Find out in theaters July 12th.”

With only this simple punctuation, your voiceover would sound like this:

But with the right tags and formatting, we can make it even more impactful: 

[This summer,] [a hero will rise] <break time=”250ms” /> [to face impossible odds—and save the world.] <break time=”500ms” /> [But time is running out!] <break time=”1s” /> [Will they succeed??] <break time=”500ms” /> [Find out in theaters July 12th.]

5. Speaking numbers and web addresses

Precision is key when voicing numbers and web addresses in your projects. Mispronunciations or unclear formatting can confuse your audience, especially in tutorials, product demos, or explainer videos. 

Here’s how to make sure Artlist’s AI Voiceover gets everything right to keep your videos clear and professional:

Format dates and numbers for clarity

Use either the MM/DD/YYYY format or write them out to avoid ambiguity. For example, “01/26/2025” or “January 26th, 2025” ensures your audience understands.

Pause for long or complex sequences

Add commas, dashes, or <break /> tags to split up lengthy strings of numbers for better comprehension. For example, write “1,234,567” as “One million, <break time=”500ms” /> two hundred thirty-four thousand, <break time=”500ms” /> five hundred sixty-seven.” 

Spell out characters for codes or sequences

Use the <spell> tag for technical narrations, such as alphanumeric codes. For example: <spell> 4454 2371CG491 </spell> ensures each character is read distinctly:

Read URLs naturally

Write URLs the way they’d be spoken. For instance, “Artlist.io” becomes “Artlist dot eye oh.” When a sentence with a URL ends with a question mark, leave a space before the question mark to avoid the punctuation being read aloud.

Example: “To register, visit Artlist.io and enter the code 1234-XYZ”

You’ll have to format it like this:  “To register, visit Artlist dot eye oh and enter the code: <spell> 1234-XYZ </spell>.” It’ll sound like this:

Transform your projects with AI voiceovers

A great voiceover can be the difference between mediocre content and truly captivating storytelling. With Artlist’s AI Voiceover, creating professional-quality narration has never been easier.

Now that you know how to do voice overs successfully, you’re ready to try it yourself. Sign up for Artlist today and start creating effortless, impactful voiceovers that elevate your videos. Your story deserves to be heard — let Artlist help you tell it.