Scams & Rip-Offs

I Recently Took a $25 Webinar That Turned Into a $5,000 Sales Pitch. How Do I Know if It’s a Scam?

  | 
Team Clark is adamant that we will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser. To support our work, we do make money from some links to companies and deals on our site. Learn more about our guarantee here.

Welcome to Ask Clark, a column designed to answer your financial questions, by money expert Clark Howard.

A $25 Webinar on Voiceover Work Turned Into a $5,000 Sales Pitch. Is It a Scam?

Mary Ann from South Carolina asks: “I was wondering if you had any advice about getting into the voiceover industry. I recently took a $25 webinar that turned into a sales pitch for a $5,000 training package. How do I figure out what’s a realistic expense to get started vs. a scam?”

Clark’s Take on Voiceover Job Prospects Today

Clark says: “This is what we call ‘bad ugly’: the idea that you go to a webinar that costs little or nothing and it’s really just a sales presentation to get you to sign up for very expensive classes and training.”

Clark says the voiceover industry got hot a few years back, and at the time, the Consumer Action Center got many calls about it.

“The truth is there is not the amount of voiceover work available that is being pitched online,” says Clark. “And so don’t believe that this is going to be a good side gig or career opportunity for you.”

“If you were to take a very inexpensive class for voiceover, at least you wouldn’t put a lot of money at risk, but the realistic thing is that the income-earning power is not very high right now in the business,” Clark says. “There are a small number of people that make a lot of money in voiceover, but for the most part, even people who have done it for a long time have seen their incomes trend down over the last decade.”

Nonetheless, if you’re interested in voiceover work, some resources that you can sign up for include:

  • Voice123: Find jobs in this voiceover marketplace.
  • Backstage.com: Find casting calls for voiceover work.
  • ACX: Connect with authors who need audiobook narrators

To hear Clark’s full take on this question, listen to the segment from his podcast:

Do you have a question for Clark? Use this form to ask him! And remember that you can listen to the Clark Howard Podcast at any time here.

If you have a question but don’t want to go on-air, contact Clark’s Consumer Action Center for free money help.

More Resources From Clark.com:

This post was last modified on July 7, 2021 8:27 am

Recent Posts

Fubo Drops Popular Channels Amid Dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery

If you're considering subscribing to Fubo, you need to be comfortable missing out on some…

4 hours ago

5 Things To Know About the Wells Fargo Signify Business Cash Card

Are you looking for a way to earn 2% back on every purchase you make…

10 hours ago

How Dividing Your Monthly Credit Card Payment Speeds Up Your Payoff Date

You're not alone if you're running a balance on your credit cards. Collectively, Americans are…

11 hours ago

5 Things You Should Re-Shop To Save Money

A big part of saving money comes down to knowing how to comparison shop. But…

1 day ago

What Are My Retirement Account Options if My Company Doesn’t Offer a 401(k)?

If you work for a big company as a full-time employee, chances are you have…

1 day ago

Peacock Price Hike: Prepare To Pay More for NBC’s Streaming Service

Are you a Peacock subscriber? You soon will have to pay more to watch NBCUniversal's…

2 days ago