Conversational Podcast EP16: Stop Making Your Website About You — Build A Brand That Books Clients

Your voice acting website might be the reason you're not booking work — and it has nothing to do with your demo. The real problem? You're the hero of your own website when it should be your client.

In this episode of "Conversational with Carrie Olsen," I sit down with Lizzy Gore — voice actor, web strategist, and Legacy Branding Mastermind alum — to talk about what it really takes to build a website that works for you. Lizzy went from high school radio speaking champion to full-time voice actor, and along the way she developed a sharp eye for what makes a voice actor's online presence actually book clients versus just look pretty.

We dig into the shift from 'here's who I am' to 'here's what I can do for you specifically' — and why that difference is everything. You'll walk away with a clearer sense of how to show up online in a way that feels authentically you and speaks directly to the clients you want to attract.

Episode Highlights:

• The Hero Problem With Voice Actor Websites — Most voice actor websites make the voice actor the hero — but your client needs to be the hero. Lizzy explains the shift that changes everything. (00:03)
• Lizzy's Journey To Full-Time Voice Acting — From Illinois state radio speaking champion to full-time VO talent, Lizzy shares how she built her career step by step — agent, pay-to-plays, and the scary leap. (03:19)
• Why You Must Love Your Brand Before You Market — Lizzy refused to do outreach until she was proud of how she looked online. This pre-marketing mindset is what separates sustainable businesses from stalled ones. (11:07)
• The Legacy Branding Breakthrough Moment — Analyzing other voice actor websites sparked a revelation: the work they were doing in the Legacy Branding course had real power to differentiate. (33:35)
• How Authentic Branding Ripples Into Real Life — Going through the branding process of the Legacy Branding course gave Lizzy a new kind of confidence — one that extended beyond the booth and into how she shows up in the world. (28:17)

3 Key Takeaways

1. Make Your Client The Hero Of Your Website

The biggest mistake voice actors make is building a website that talks about themselves — their voice, their credits, their personality — without ever addressing what the client actually needs. Lizzy flipped this script by leading with client pain points and outcomes, like letting them take a nap between sessions because she's so easy to direct. When your website speaks to your client's world, it becomes a magnet, not a resume.

2. Don't Market Until You're Proud Of What You're Sending

Lizzy spent six to eight months getting her headshots, copywriting, and website right before doing any direct outreach — and she says it was worth every minute. If you're sending emails you're embarrassed by or driving people to a site that doesn't feel like you, you'll lose momentum fast. The legacy branding process exists specifically to remove that friction so marketing feels exciting instead of draining.

3. Your Weird Is Your Competitive Advantage

In an era where AI can write a perfectly polished, completely generic bio in seconds, the quirky and specific details about you are what set you apart. As Lizzy puts it, "This is the time to be weird." The things that seem mundane to you — your niche interests, your background, your humor — are the exact things that make other humans want to connect with you. Lead with those.

My Perspective

I remember when Lizzy first came to me — she had a Tina Fey aesthetic in mind, cute glasses, teacher vibes. It would have been fine. But what we uncovered through the legacy branding process was so much deeper and so much more her. Watching her build brightsparkvo.com was one of those proud-coach moments — she took everything from the course and ran with it, doing deep dives into conversion copywriting and investing in professional headshots. The result is a site that is genuinely addictively scrollable, and it's because it's authentically Lizzy.

What's Coming Next..

If this episode got you thinking about your own website and branding, stay tuned — we have more coming on the practical side of marketing and outreach for voice actors. And if you're ready to do this work now, Lizzy Gore is available to help you with a website makeover or new build. Details below!

Action Step: The Client Hero Audit

Pull up your current website and read through it with fresh eyes. Count how many times you use the word "I" versus how many times you directly address your client's needs, pain points, or desired outcomes. If your website is mostly about you, it's time for a rewrite.

You can download the worksheet for this exercise at carrieolsenvo.com/podcast-resources

Resources Mentioned

• Lizzy Gore's Website: brightsparkvo.com
• Lizzy Gore’s website makeover
• Carrie's Legacy Branding Mastermind Program
• Voice123 (pay-to-play platform mentioned)
• Stars Talent Agency, San Francisco (mentioned in Lizzy's career path)

Connect With Me

• Text VOICE to 55444 for my free Client Hero Audit
• Email: [email protected]
• Leave me a voice message to let me know what you thought of the episode