Adding your voice

Why add your voice

Your AI already responds in your style and tone in writing. Adding your voice takes this further, as it gives your AI the ability to respond to your audience in audio. This can enhance your audience's experience, provide a more personal connection, and make conversations feel more like working with you directly.

How to add your voice

Once we have enabled voice for your Coachvox account, there are a few steps to get set up:

1. Create an ElevenLabs account
2. Create your voice in ElevenLabs
3. Connect your voice to Coachvox
4. Test your AI's voice

Create an ElevenLabs account

To add your voice to Coachvox, you'll need an account for ElevenLabs - the voice cloning technology powering this voice feature.

You create your own ElevenLabs account and give your Coachvox account access via an API key. ElevenLabs will then bill you directly for voice generation usage, so you stay in full control of your account and costs.

To do this, go to elevenlabs.io and create an account. Which plan you select depends on which type of voice cloning you want to use. These are your options:

• Starter plan (around $60/year, billed annually) - includes Instant Voice Cloning, which uses about 1-2 minutes of clear audio and is the simplest option. (We recommend trying this first!)
• Creator plan or above (around $220/year, billed annually) - unlocks Professional Voice Cloning, which uses a longer sample - from 30 minutes up to a few hours - and creates a more accurate version of your voice.

Usage credits

Your ElevenLabs plan includes a set amount of credits each month, and each voice generation uses up some of that allowance. You can check your usage and credit balance from your ElevenLabs account.

Create your voice in ElevenLabs

Once you have chosen your plan, it's time to create your voice. What you'll need depends on which type of cloning you're using.

Instant Voice Cloning

You'll need about 1 to 2 minutes of clear audio of you speaking.

ElevenLabs lets you record directly in your browser as part of the setup, so you don't need a separate recording tool, or you can upload an audio file.

We recommend creating and reading from a script specifically for this - see writing a voice script below for tips and an AI prompt to help you write one.

Record your voice

1. In ElevenLabs, go to Voices, then click the + icon.
2. Select Instant Voice Clone.
3. Record directly in your browser or upload a recording.
4. Confirm you have the rights to clone this voice, give it a name, and save.

Your voice appears under My Voices and is ready to use almost straight away.

Professional Voice Cloning

You'll need 30 minutes to a few hours of audio, so this is a great option if you have existing recordings - podcast episodes, webinars, course content, talks, or other videos. A mix of varied, natural-sounding content usually works better than just using one source.

You can also record some new dedicated audio in ElevenLabs. See writing a voice script below for tips.

Record your voice

1. In ElevenLabs, go to Voices, then click Create Voice.
2. Select Professional Voice Clone.
3. Upload audio files of your spoken voice
4. Verify your voice by recording a short sample through ElevenLabs, ideally with the same setup you used for your main recording.

Your voice then goes into training. This usually takes 3 to 6 hours, though it can occasionally take longer. You'll get an email and an in-app notification once it's ready.

Connect your voice to Coachvox

To connect your ElevenLabs account and voice to Coachvox, you first need to create an API key so the two can communicate.

Create your API key

1. In ElevenLabs, go to API keys and create a new API key.
2. Set the following minimum permissions on your key:
   • Text to Speech = Access
   • Voices = Read
   • User = Access
3. Set a spend limit on the key so you can cap your usage costs.

Add your API key and voice to Coachvox

Then head to your Coachvox AI settings:

1. Toggle on 'Enable voice in chat'.
2. Add these details:
   1. Paste your API key into the "ElevenLabs API key" field
   2. Give your voice a name (this is just for you)
   3. Paste your voice ID into the "Voice ID" field
3. Click 'Connect voice'

Your ElevenLabs voice is now connected to your AI.

Test your AI's voice

Once you have connected your voice, head to fine-tuning and have a conversation with your AI to see how it sounds.

Writing a voice script

If you're making a new recording for the purpose of creating your ElevenLabs voice, writing a script first can make a real difference to the quality and accuracy of your voice clone. Without one, most people don't speak naturally, don't include enough variety, and may end up with a voice that doesn't quite sound like them.

Tips for a great voice script

Keep this simple - aim to sound like you on a normal day.

• Speak naturally - Write how you talk, not how you write.
• Use your coaching voice - Speak as you would when working with clients.
• Use your real language - Include words, phrases, and ideas you use in your work.
• Add variety - Mix short and long sentences. Include questions and emphasis.
• Show some range - Let parts feel calm, others more energetic or passionate.
• Aim for 400-500 words - This gives you enough material for a strong, accurate voice.

Generate a script with AI

Here's a prompt you can use with ChatGPT or Claude to generate a script. Fill in the square brackets in the context section of the prompt with information about yourself and your work.

I'm creating a script to read aloud and record for an AI voice clone of me on ElevenLabs. The recording will capture my tone, pacing, rhythm, and emotional range - not exact wording, so prioritise spoken naturalness and vocal variety over literary style.

Context about me:
Area of expertise: [describe your expertise]
Who I work with: [describe your audience]
What I help them with: [the problem you solve or outcome you deliver]
My coaching / communication style: [e.g. direct, nurturing, challenging, practical]
Avoid: [any words, phrases, or styles that feel unlike you]
Write a natural, conversational 400-500 word script I can read aloud in one take. 

It should:
Sound like speech, not writing: mix short and long sentences, include questions, statements, and exclamations, and vary the emotional tone (calm, energetic, reflective).
Mix storytelling, explanation, and speaking directly to the listener, and make it feel like I'm talking to a real person; include one moment of real emphasis or passion and one more thoughtful, reflective moment.
Use realistic phrasing and transitions ("you know", "so", "the thing is") and domain-specific language from my own field.
Avoid sounding formal, scripted, or overly polished, and skip contrast reframes ("it's not about X, it's about Y") or metaphors.

Don't include stage directions or labels - just the script itself.

Recording tips

Read your script once through so you know where the different emphasis and inflections occur, then record it - either directly in ElevenLabs' browser recorder, or record it with other software and then upload the file.

We recommend:

• Do this in a quiet space - background noise reduces quality.
• Speak at your normal pace and volume.
• Don't overthink it - natural is better than perfect.
• Small imperfections are fine - they help it sound realistic!

Troubleshooting

Q. Which ElevenLabs plan should I choose?

A. Instant Voice Cloning is the quickest way to get going, so we recommend beginning with the Starter plan. You can always upgrade later. If you have plenty of existing recordings of yourself, such as podcast episodes, webinars, talks, videos, you may want to choose a Creator plan straight up so you can use Professional Voice Cloning for a closer match.

Q. When trying to add my API key and voice ID in my Coachvox account, I get an error message saying it could not verify the voice in ElevenLabs.

A. The most likely reasons are that the API key or the voice ID is incorrect. It's worth noting that ElevenLabs gives you the option to copy the 'API ID' after you have created it, but this is not the same as the API key. The API key is only shown to you when you create the API key initially. If needed, you can create a new API key.

Q. I copied my ElevenLabs API key, but lost it, and still need to copy it into Coachvox. What shall I do?

A. ElevenLabs will only let you see and copy an API key once, so if you didn't save it, you can't access it again. Simply delete the unused API key and create a new one. Deleting an API key in ElevenLabs won't delete any voices you have created.

Q. I didn't set up my API key with the right access settings. How do I change it?

A. No problem. Just go to your API key and click the ⋯ (More Actions) icon, then Edit, and you can make changes to what it can access, read, or write.

Q. I'm not happy with how my voice sounds - what should I do?

A. If you used Instant Voice Cloning and it's still not quite capturing you, consider upgrading to Professional Voice Cloning instead - the extra audio usually gives a noticeably more accurate result.

If you've already tried Professional Voice Cloning and it's still not quite right, try creating a new clone with different and more varied audio.