Throughout this year, I've received a number of emails asking for VO advice. I'm flattered and grateful people feel I can help them with voice-over and most of these messages have been wonderful but one or two have lacked in some basic courtesy and politeness. So I just wanted to share some thoughts on politely asking for advice, based on the things I used to do when writing to voice actors and things people have done when writing to me that I have liked :)
Let's begin at the beginning of your query message. Firstly, at the start of your message, it's really good if you open with why you like or admire the person you are asking advice from. It's nice to be nice. Explain why you are asking *them specifically* for help - such as if they're a character you like or if they did an interview and said something that resonated with you, so you'd like some follow-up advice and/or something more directly tailored to your personal situation.
Try to include "please" and "thank you" in your message. I know that sounds obvious but still, I've literally had an email containing neither of these. Don't wait for a person to respond to be respectful or show gratitude, do so in your first message. I know the word "please" can be awkward and clunky to insert into questions but putting "thank you" at the end of an email isn't. Phrases such as, "I was just wondering if you could help me please?", "If you would be willing to answer this I would be so grateful", “I hope you don't mind if I ask” and "Thank you in advance" or things akin to those will really get you a long way :)
If you can, please try to be specific with any questions. Again, it's nice if your question is related to why you are asking *this particular person* and not someone else e.g. I am from England, so people ask me what it's like moving a big distance or about accents. This is small but questions like, "What do *you* think is important when making a demo?”, “How did *you* get an agent?” “What steps did *you* take to get work?" are better than "How do I make a demo? / get an agent? / get work?" The first questions are more personal, you're asking for *their* input and stories but the second ones are more vague and you can just look them up on Google.
If you can, try to write your message in any way that acknowledges that they may be a busy person and that if they respond they would be giving up their personal time to help you. Nobody ever owes you a reply, it's something you have to earn. Essentially, it's good to include anything that acknowledges you are grateful to them for reading the message and thankful for their time in answering :)
If you just say hello, rush in with questions impersonally without saying “please” or “thank you” and without showing any respect for their time… it won't look good and the person will be less likely to want to respond… ESPECIALLY if your whole message just looks like it could be copied, pasted and sent to dozens of other people.
So, to summarize: don't rush into your questions, introduce yourself and start with any compliments you have first (don't save them for the end), say “please” and “thank you”, be respectful of their time and grateful for their help, use language and phrases to illustrate this and try to make your message and questions personal to them, to their life and career.
Nobody's perfect and I may not have done all of these things in every single message I've ever sent to people myself. However, if you can do them, they'll definitely give you a good headstart in getting the answers you seek. Good luck and thank you for reading :)