How to record a voicemail people actually listen to.
Most business voicemails get the first 5 seconds before the caller hangs up. The ones that don't share four traits. Here's how to record one.
Most business voicemails get the first 5 seconds before the caller hangs up. The ones that don't share four traits. Here's how to record one.
(1) Identify yourself in the first 3 seconds, (2) say what to do RIGHT NOW (not later), (3) spell URLs out loud, (4) keep it under 25 seconds. The whole greeting can be one sentence and that's often the best version.
Bad: 'Hi! Thanks for calling. You've reached the office of [long company name and tagline] — [pause] — we appreciate your call! Please leave a message...'
Good: 'You've reached Glen Gomez-Meade.'
The caller already knows they want you. Don't make them wait through introductions to get to the action.
Bad: 'I'll call you back soon.'
Good: 'For urgent matters, go to glen dot OutOfOfficePro dot com.'
Tell the caller what to do, not what you'll do.
URLs are hard to catch on first listen. Always spell:
'glen dot OutOfOfficePro dot com — that's G-L-E-N dot O-U-T O-F O-F-F-I-C-E P-R-O dot com.'
Yes, it sounds long. Yes, it's the difference between callers writing it down and callers giving up.
Caller patience runs out fast. Aim for 15–20 seconds. 25 max.
If you can't fit your message in 25 seconds, you're including too much. Cut something.
'Hi, you've reached Glen Gomez-Meade. I'm currently out of office. For urgent matters, go to glen dot OutOfOfficePro dot com — that's G-L-E-N dot OutOfOfficePro dot com — and you'll be routed to the right person right away. For everything else, leave a message. Thanks.'
20 seconds. Identifies you. Gives an action. Spells the URL. Done.
Read it aloud, you're done. 14 days free.
Start 14-day free trial →