How to Use Humour Effectively in Your Marketing Content

Laughing Cheetah by Saad Khan on Unsplash

How funny are you?

Even if you’re not a natural comedian, I bet you could make people laugh if you wanted to. But what about in your writing? How good are you at creating amusing, memorable content?

The world is in a worrying state. So, we need distractions. And laughing is the best way to improve your mood. That’s a fact!

• Laughing relaxes your muscles, lowers stress levels and eases anxiety

• Laughing can even boost your immunity and decrease pain

• Laughing with friends, family, and colleagues helps to strengthen relationships

• What’s not to laugh … I mean, love?!

Think about it. When you’ve had a fun time with friends, aren't you more likely to remember the day fondly? Just as a silly ad on TV is memorable (sometimes annoyingly so!).

Laughter really is the best medicine. So let’s use it more in our content.

Here's how to use humour effectively in your marketing.

I’ve always advised caution about using jokes. It’s definitely a case of ‘know your audience’ – if your industry is in a serious sector, such as science or law, then your hilarity may need toning down a tad or ten. Clever, gentle humour may win the day, but nothing crass.

Of course, I’m making a sweeping generalisation. I know many lawyers who enjoy a good laugh down the pub. Scientists appreciate a good joke, too. Here’s one I found in an article on scientists’ favourite jokes:

An electron and a positron go into a bar.

Positron: "You're round."

Electron: "Are you sure?"

Positron: "I'm positive."

Although I did cringe at the word ‘you’re’, feeling it should be ‘your’. But that wouldn’t be so funny! Aargh, the pains of being a pedantic grammar nerd.

I love the idea of using animals in content for comedic effect. For example, you could liken your new and improved software to being as fast as a cheetah with a rocket up its proverbial.

Speaking of animals…

Photo copyright BBC

What’s furry, has a long tail, and giggles when tickled? A rat! Who knew?!

I heard this fact in a BBC Sounds podcast, ‘The Infinite Monkey Cage’, hosted by Brian Cox and Robin Ince. This particular episode is the Science of Laughter, where Brian and Robin are joined by Frank Skinner, Prof Richard Wiseman and Prof Sophie Scott. Do have a listen, it’s both interesting and amusing.

Laughing dog by TFU Photo on Unsplash

Humans aren’t the only mammals that enjoy a good laugh—chimpanzees, orangutans, and other apes do. Dogs and other mammals laugh, too. You can see them smiling as they frolic around, playing with other dogs or their owners.

Apparently, ‘duck’ and ‘quack’ are the two funniest words: Duck! ... Quack!! Did you laugh? No?! Hmm, it must be the way you tell 'em!

That’s where writing funny stuff can be tricky.

It’s easy to tell a silly joke to a bunch of people (well, for most people – I’m terrible at telling jokes, always messing up the punchline). But writing content that’s funny, especially when you’re a business, ain’t always that easy.

Here are a few pointers to help:

• Be tasteful – best not to use any deprecating comments about anything racist, gender related, sexual, or obscene. The last thing you want is to be sued

• Find situational, relatable events or habits to poke gentle fun at

• Only use sarcasm if you know it works well written down, and if it’s not harmful to anyone

• Never use humour against your competitors – that’s a definite no-no!

• Don’t try too hard to be funny. Read what you’ve written out loud, then edit. Better still, get someone else to read it. If the joke doesn't work, delete it

• Less is more – you’re not a comedian. Well, you might be! But in business, tone it down

Here are some fun writing devices to try. Techniques like exaggerating to the point of the absurd; alliteration to help make your funnies memorable; or using Thesaurus to find funnier words than the first one that popped into your head. 

My final words of wisdom about including humour in your content: Use microdoses of humour for maximum memorability.

Need a hand? 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼😂

But to be serious about being funny for a moment. When you need that extra help, you know where I am! Let’s entice those customer cackles with cunning writing skills. Then watch your sales grow!  

Make me laugh