Becoming a Voice for Fitness: Your Videos & Podcasts

She Means Fitness Business

To be a real voice for fitness, an advocate for health and behavior change, your voice quality will matter. As AI-driven voice-overs may be able to make you sound better than you actually sound, this may be a podcast who’s time is past, yet I think if you can make your voice become something that conveys confidence, authority, and simultaneously inspires hope and action steps in your audience, I bet you’d say, yes please.

And the truth is there are voice qualities that make it difficult for people to want to listen to you. If you want your voice to be music to someone’s ears, there are things you can do.

One obstacle you’ll have to overcome is awareness of it.

It’s nearly impossible to hear our own voices as someone else does.

Definitely when we’re speaking we have a very different experience than anyone else might hearing us. The input is coming through a combination of the skull bones internally and through the air externally.

A 2005 study showed our own reality of our voice tends to be much different than what other listeners hear. We are more harsh judges and tend not to like our voices. So do cut yourself a break. Do listen to your own video, audio but also realize we have a unique experience listening to ourselves compared to someone else’s experience.

Be a Voice for Fitness : How to Fix Your Flaws

Get feedback.

If you’ve ever had someone say, it’s hard to hear you, speak up, or a mean-girl (it’s almost always a woman unfortunately, not everyone has gotten the message that we’re being nice to each other now) say something like, “I can’t stand to listen to a voice like that - like fingernails on a chalkboard” then listen.. A little. You don’t have to be the voice for everyone just for those who are going to love working with you. And sometimes sound quality can be fixed! With a combination of free, low cost or higher investments, even voice exercises.

So, if you discover or know that your voice isn’t as smooth or as strong as you’d like it to be, what can you do? There are some ways to improve what you’re doing.

A Better Mic

Back in 2012 when I first started podcasting, someone said the best mic was the Blue Yeti. I got one. I hadn’t a clue about what I was doing or how I was doing it, but I knew if it was going to be listened to, it had to sound good. And that thing is way more reasonable today, and actually I retired mine, because even after careful packing it was not producing the kind of sound I needed. So, during the pandemic the entire podcast set up at Voice for Fitness changed. You may want and need a mixer, headphones and a high quality mic. But at the very least you want a high quality microphone and a room set up for acoustics - with carpet or rugs, things on the walls and ceilings, or I’ve known podcasters who record in a closet.

If you want the list of items I use as a part of my setup from platform to tech, stay tuned til the end and I’ll share those.

Improve Your Voice Quality

Some of the same things that make the difference behind a richer more powerful voice are also going to support your pelvic floor muscles. Any hints? Breathing. Deeper breathing that comes from your diaphragm supports your voice too.

You may be doing planks all day every day but if you’re not doing diaphragmatic breathing your core is missing the foundation it needs! And so is your voice. Singers sing and cheerleaders project from their diaphragm and you should too even when your mic is 2 inches from your mouth and you could whisper.

Cheat

Use the audio adjustments available to you in your movie editor and garage band (anyone using that anymore?). This isn't ideal because sooner or later you’re going to be asked to speak… or do a media appearance or keynote or lead a breakout session.

Voice Tips for Health & Fitness Pros Before You Record:

• Hydrate
• Posture - try standing! Or move for a few minutes before ! (working out is easy, sitting is not)
• Smile!
• Warm ups: lala, tikita takata or Peter Piper picked.. , papapa, dadada, bababa, ar-tic-u-late
• Diaphragmatic breathing
• Know your script OR … bullet points so you’re NOT reading

Some good rules:

• Sound when sound, quiet when quiet.
• Try video even when audio podcast
• Leave it out. Instead of “um…” or? Do you ?
• My Sound TechDeck for Health & Fitness Content Creators: Room: carpeted, surrounded by bookshelves on three walls
• iMac Desktop 24”
• Mic: Heil Pro40
• Mixer: Focusrite Scarlett
• Headphones: Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
• Podcast recording platform: Zencastr.com
• Podcast Platform: Libsyn
• Post production team of contractors
• Mic For Video with Sony Alpha 7: RODE wireless
• Mic For Video with iPhone: RODE wireless and SmartMike+
• You might also like: Descript.com

Other Episodes You Might Like:

4 Steps to Creating Video for Marketing: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/fitness-marketing-videos/

4 Ways to Grow Your Email List with Fitness Videos: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/grow-your-email-list/

Resources:

Business Scorecard: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/scorecard

Marketing to Women: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/copywriting-course