Audio descriptions for handmade products: finding a voice artist and making a catalogue clearer

Practical steps for commissioning accurate audio descriptions of handmade products, testing listeners and keeping voice recordings matched to each item.

Choose a small, varied pilot

Select a few different items, perhaps a ceramic cup, a woven bag and a wooden accessory. Ask each maker to confirm dimensions, material, surface texture, colour choices and intended use. Record what is uncertain rather than inferring the production method from a photograph. A narrator should receive an approved product fact sheet, not an invitation to guess how something feels or was made.

Write a descriptive script, not a sales pitch

Name the object first, then explain its form, relevant texture and practical features in a logical order. Replace claims such as “beautiful” or “perfect for everyone” with concrete distinctions a listener can compare. In particular, do not say a ceramic item is food-safe merely because it resembles a cup: the seller must confirm the intended use. Audio descriptions carry the same responsibility for accuracy as the printed listing.

Brief the voice artist and test the format

Specify British English or another needed language, preferred speaking pace, pronunciation of makers’ names, recording environment, file type and approximate duration. Request a short sample based on a genuine approved listing. A phone recording may help test the script, but audition the finished audio on ordinary headphones and a phone speaker. Agree who can request corrections and what licence covers reuse in adverts or videos.

Check listening usefulness and accessibility

Invite a small number of willing listeners to compare two products using only the recordings. Ask which characteristics were useful or missing; avoid prompting them towards the desired answer. This is an informal usability trial, not a certified accessibility assessment. Keep an accurate transcript next to every clip for customers who cannot hear audio, and make playback controls straightforward to locate and operate.

Keep descriptions attached to the right product

Link each recording to the exact stock keeping unit and version of the approved description. If a size, material, colour option or use changes, review the audio instead of leaving an obsolete recording online. Assign someone responsibility for checking product updates and archiving old files. Clearly name exports so that a similarly shaped item cannot silently receive the wrong track.

Illustrative example from York

Imagine a small York shop testing narration for three handmade ceramic vessels and two woven shopping bags. The owner supplies confirmed measurements and material information to a freelance reader. After a listening trial, the team removes decorative adjectives and adds the bag handles’ dimensions. This is a hypothetical example, not a claim about an existing shop or available freelancer.

Find a collaborator through Match2Go

Describe the products, script length, language, expected audio format and review process when seeking a narrator or editor. Share sensitive business material privately after agreeing terms. Match2Go is a geosocial service made by people for people, enabling direct contact between customers and collaborators. It does not buy paid advertising; it grows through recommendations. If useful, share Match2Go with friends and colleagues who may need a direct connection.

Prepared with AI assistance; independent human editorial review has not been confirmed.