From Siri to Amazon Echo’s Alexa to Google Voice Search, you may have noticed that the majority of the world’s leading technological services have employed female voice over artists.

In fact, a lot of companies pioneering advances in artificial intelligence (such as service robots appearing in Japanese hotels) predominately use female talent to give the software a voice.

A great voice over can make any product more relatable to your consumer. For more information on how voice over artists can benefit your brand, read our blog: ‘Win consumer trust with professional voice over talent.’

Female voice talent was also employed during Fiat’s pricey Alfa Romeo Super Bowl campaign spots this year, at a time when billions of eyes were focused on the event. It seems as if this is a growing trend – but why? 

The benefit of using female voice over artists

Female voice over talent is extremely popular within the technology sector, and it turns out this success may be down to a question of trust.

A survey by ConversionXL has suggested that both men and women subconsciously prefer female voices when they listen to messages because they find it more attractive, soothing and trustworthy. In some cases, even amateur female voice over actors were found to come across as more trustworthy than professional male talent. ConversionXL suggest this can be due to the female voice’s higher pitch, which can hint at confidence.

A poll by Harris Interactive also found that 46% of respondents found female voice over artists more comforting and soothing than male actors, adding evidence to the theory. Other studies have highlighted the melodic and emotional qualities in female voices which may benefit voice over work.

When Siri was first launched, Stanford professor Clifford Nass commented: “Babies will attend to a female voice more than they will a male one.” He suggested that a natural predisposition to female voices may be programmed into people from the day they are born.

Should you use a female voice over for your business?

There’s plenty of research and studies that come to the conclusion that female voices may give a better impression of trust.

However, a study published in the journal PLOSOne found that low “masculine” voices may be better suited for leadership roles. Research found that participants perceived lower-pitched voices to be more competent and trustworthy, and also assumed that the voice’s owner was physically stronger.

For this reason, it makes more sense to research your audience according to the services you offer. Certain demographics are more likely to connect to certain messages advertising certain types of products. The gender of the voice over artist can potentially play a very important part in the way you approach and connect with your target market.

Using female voice over artists for the technology sector

Let’s come back to the subject of artificial intelligence, and why some of the world’s top software engineers are choosing to put female voices into this technology. An article published by Live Science points out that most software engineers are male, and may simply want a female voice to represent their products.

The article also suggests that artificial intelligence tends to perform tasks traditionally associated with women, filling roles such as maids, personal assistants or museum guides.

On a more positive note, it could just be that the more trustworthy female voice helps to put people more at ease around artificial intelligence, at a time when the technology is still very new and disconcerting to many.

Whether the technology sector is making a conscious decision to use female voice over talent or this is down to something more inherently primal, there’s no doubt that female talent is enjoying a serious purple patch in the voice over industry.

Voice Talent Online has more than 1,500 male and female voice over artists, and offers a flexible and professional service. We speak your language – contact us today to find out more about our localisation, voice acting, dubbing and translation services.

A great voice over can make any product more relatable to your consumer. For more information on how voice over artists can benefit your brand, read our blog: ‘Win consumer trust with professional voice over talent.’