5 comedy inspired copywriting tips that work

It’s my turn. The glare of the stage lights prevents me from seeing all but a few faces. I stride forward, the adrenaline making my legs more confident than my mind.

Taking the mic, I clear my throat. I squint into the lights and a sea of silhouetted heads look back at me.

Apparently we humans have an inherent fear of standing up in front of a crowd. Something to do with when we were living out on the savannah and the only time we would be on our own with a ton of beady eyes trained on us was when we were prey.

As I stand on stage waiting to do my first ever stand-up comedy gig in London’s East End, I get it. I’ve got five minutes to make these folks laugh. Or I die.

I learned a lot from my time doing stand-up comedy, and it’s amazing how much of it can be applied to copywriting.

Here are five tips I’ve successfully applied to my own writing. I’ve been getting paid to write online copy since 2012—this stuff really works. (Unfortunately my comedy career didn’t quite take off. 🤔 )

1. Always put the punchline at the end

A good comedian will never bury the funny part of a ‘bit’ (technical comedy speak for a segment of a joke) in the middle. They may have a funny middle, but they damn-well better make the end funnier, because the punchline always, always comes at the end of a joke.

As in comedy, as in copywriting. If you want readers to take action, put that action at the end of a sentence. Don’t bury a call-to-action in the middle of a sentence. (Don’t bury key messages there either.)

2. Use the rule of three

Now we’re getting into cognitive psychology. In both comedy and copywriting, the rule of three appeals to the fact our brains naturally seek patterns and find satisfaction in threes.

Comedians use this in both structure and content. When constructing a joke it looks like this:

You likely already structure most of your writing with a setup, buildup and punchline—you just don’t call it that. 

With the content of jokes, comedians use the ol’ triple listing, where they present three items or ideas in quick succession, escalating in absurdity, or creating a funny contrast with the last one.

In copywriting, you can use the triple listing to drive home a certain point. For example, which of the below has more impact when you read it out loud?

The second one, right? 

While your aim might be to persuade and convince more than to make your readers lol, the method still works.

3. Tell stories

There are a few one-liner purists in the comedy world, but most comedians tell stories. That’s because stories captivate.

Stories draw people in, and once these comedians have them eating out of the palm of their hands, they can subvert expectations and make ‘em laugh.

Like successful comedy, effective copywriting taps into emotions. Whether it's humour, empathy or excitement, evoking emotional responses makes your copy memorable and persuasive.

4. Relate to your audience

Yes, another ‘know your audience’ tip. Eye roll 

Bear with.

Stand-up comedians tailor their material to resonate with specific audiences, often changing their act on the fly depending on that audience’s reaction. Copywriters can (more or less) do the same. 

As copywriters, we should regularly test different approaches, headlines and messages to optimise their effectiveness. A/B testing and analytics tools can help us learn what resonates with our audience and what doesn’t.

The key is to make sure you’re relating to your audience, and to change tack if you’re not.

5. Make every word count

My stand-up gigs were rarely longer than five minutes. In the biz, this is called a ‘tight five.’ Not a loose five, not a baggy five, but a tight five. 

Comedians have limited stage time, so they make sure every word counts. 

Good copywriters know this and are concise, ensuring each word serves a purpose and contributes to the story or message.

And that’s it for now! Let me know what you think of this week’s issue in the poll below.👇️