Voice-over Scriptwriting & Common Issues Support

Read through these tips to help you better sync your script, adjust emphasis and troubleshoot and overcome hurdles that come with the current state of AI voices.

The recommendations below will provide suggestions based on your Voice-over. To navigate to your Voice-over Toolbar to make these edits, be sure to review the instructions under the Editing the AI Voice-over Script article.

Add Pauses to better sync your voice-over with visuals

To improve the sync between your voice-over and visuals, you may consider adding pauses in your script.

Pauses may be added to your script in two different ways:

Using the Pause button in Voice-Over Editor Toolbar, or
Adding in syntax/code directly into your script

Using the Pause button in Voice-Over Editor Toolbar

While in Editor mode, click on Edit in the Voice-Over Toolbar beneath your preview video to access your Voice-Over options.
Navigate to and click on the part in your script where you'd like to add in a pause. (The pause will be added in the location where you put your cursor.)
On your left toolbar, click Add Pause to open a pop-up window with options.
In your pop-up window, select the duration of your pause and click Add Pause.
Your code, appearing as [pause=#s] will be added into your script.
Click Save to ensure this change is captured and a new voice-over will be generated with this update and any other Voice-Over changes you have made.

Adding in the Pause syntax/code in your Voice-Over Script

While in Editor mode, click on Edit in the Voice-Over Toolbar beneath your preview video to access your Voice-Over options.
Navigate to and click on the part in your script where you'd like to add in a pause. (The pause will be added in the location where you put your cursor.)
Type in [pause=#s] and replace the # with the number of seconds your pause should take.
- Please note: Longer pauses may negatively affect the sound/flow of your voice-over.
Click Save to ensure this change is captured and a new voice-over will be generated with this update and any other Voice-Over changes you have made.

Please note:

Pauses may be used consecutively, however, stacking these may negatively affect the flow and sound of your voice-over
Consecutive pauses will be merged together in preview mode
Longer pauses or too many consecutive pauses may cause issues with the AI's ability to create a high-quality audio file
Need a shorter pause? Shorter pauses or natural breathing time can be added with periods (.), commas (,), or ellipses (...).
Avoid using both pauses and punctuation next to each other

Adding Emphasis to words or syllables

Emphasizing specific words or syllables can help punctuate parts of your script and push your message forward!

To emphasize certain syllables, add quotation marks (e.g., “Way”mark).
To emphasize an entire word, add quotation marks (e.g., “Waymark”).

Improving pronunciation

Missing the mark with your AI Voice pronunciation? Does the voice say CON-tent instead of con-TENT? Here are some tried and tested ways to adjust your phonetic spelling to better pronunciation.

Spell out difficult words phonetically. AI voices can recognize when words are spelled the way they sound. This is especially helpful for words with the same spelling but different pronunciations.
- i.e. Salina = Sah-lye-nah
If you want to hear each letter in an acronym, capitalize each letter and add spaces in between. If the acronym is used as a word, phonetically spell it out.
- i.e., TSA = T S A
For complicated long words, try splitting the word into phonetically spelled syllables.
Add diacritics or accent marks to have words sound correct.
Changing the AI voice may also provide you with an alternative pronunciation.

Numbers in your script

Including numbers in your script can help emphasize specific marketing messages, as long as they're said correctly! Here are a few tips to ensure your numbers sound great:

If you want to hear each number separately, add spaces between them.
Add a dollar sign ($) to the front of a number to hear dollar amounts (e.g., “$5” would be read as “five dollars.”
Decimals will be read in a natural way (e.g., “3.4” would be read as “three point four”).
Four numbers together will be typically identified as a year. To read 2015 as “two thousand fifteen,” type “2,015.”
The AI typically identifies phone numbers. If not, add spaces to hear each number individually.

Adjusting your pace

When using the AI voice library for your voice-over, you'll notice each voice has a specific pace associated with it. This provides flexibility when it comes to script lengths - if you have a short script, you can select a slower-paced voice to ensure it covers the length of your video. Alternatively, you can choose a faster-paced voice to keep your script and message intact if you have a long script.

But...how do you know which pace is best?

When you access the Voice-Over Editor tools, you'll notice help text below the script that shows you if the length of your script is a good match for the length of your video and the voice/pace you've selected.

A little long? Either reduce the length of your script or find a faster-paced voice.

Too short? Lengthen your script with more copy or add in pauses, or find a slower-paced voice.

Looks good? Pat yourself on the back - you're doing great!

Removing extra sounds/Artifacts Support

Infrequently, a voice-over file may be generated with extra sounds, words, or artifacts. If your voice-over seems to have these extras, here are some suggestions on how to adjust your file:

Make a small adjustment and re-generate/re-save the voice-over file
Choose a different voice-over speaker and save
Avoid the word "visit"
Avoid multiple uses of alliteration (e.g., "Clay Cooper")
Avoid repetitive verbiage

Eliminating unwanted pauses

Occasionally, extra pauses, not reflected in the script, may arise in your voice-over. This may happen between sentences that end in a period or with websites with a period in the script. Here are some ways to reduce those pauses:

Use the above syntax to explicitly add pauses where you would like
Use a comma or no punctuation instead of a period (you don’t need perfect grammar!)
Spell out "dot com" instead of ".com"