Using Humour To Extend Your Reach
Posted by Patrick on February 28th, 2008
Photo by Kieran Lynam
Humour is one of the most-efficient types of communication used to broadcast a message. This applies to any media, blogs being no exception. It can literally turn a regular post into a heavily stumbled-upon article.
I recently published two guest posts where humour was used to discuss, one about how to make money blogging, and the other about social media. To my total surprise, the resulting traffic to the texts was astonishing. The articles can be found here:
10 Reasons Why Bloggers Hate Blogging
Bonsai Blogging: How to Fail with Social Media
Why was I surprised? Well, when I first started brainstorming these two articles, I wasn’t planning on using humour. During the writing process, however, I thought up a few jokes to plug in here and there, and at one point, I had so many hilarious ideas that I had to rewrite the entire post. It was worth it, though.
Prudence
While being very effective, writing a humorous text can also be incredibly challenging. One problem you can face is misinterpretation, and this is exactly what I feared with 10 Reasons Why Bloggers Hate Blogging. Once I was done writing it, I sat on the post for about two months, wondering if I should publish it or not. I was afraid some jokes would potentially offend new bloggers. Well, guess what? New bloggers were the ones who thanked me the most for writing it. Just look at the comments it got and you’ll see for yourself!
Humour Gets Prime Time
At first you might think that humour would be difficult to apply to your niche. But wrong you are. Will you agree the following two statements are true?
- People like to be informed: In this day and age, we are exposed to information like no other generation has experienced before. Thanks to technology and the Internet, we consume impressive amounts of information, from all over the globe.
- People like to laugh: Stand-up comedians are popular these days, and their shows often sell out almost everywhere they go. Just check out the number of sitcoms on television you’ll see how laughing—and laughing hard—is on the rise. Some of this years most popular, big-screen films were comedies, as well. Producers know this market is profitable because it easily reaches a broader audience.
Combined together, information and humour are a perfect pair for pleasing a wide range of readers. And be ready to receive a truckload of social-media users. Stumblers and diggers in particular rave for humorous posts. If you can combine vital information or tips with humour, you’ll be a happy camper when you check out your blog-traffic stats.
If you wish to give humourous blogging a try, here are five principles you could apply to your next post:
Satire
Take normal behaviour and demonstrate its negative facet by using mockery and derision. This is a very powerful form of humour that has high-reaching potential for bloggers. Both 10 Reasons & Bonsai Blogging were satires. It’s also an interesting way to start brainstorming for ideas. Take a topic, shake it up, turn it upside down and try looking at the dark side. Then, let the words pour out of your brain.
Humorous Text VS Humorous Sentence
Writing a funny post doesn’t necessarily mean writing a stand-up comedy. You can use humour from top to bottom, just like I did with 10 Reasons, but inserting a few jokes here and there does an excellent job too. It entertains your readers and lightens up your topic. Don’t hesitate to end a heavy loaded paragraph with a smile.
Invent Funny Quotes
This is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd. Inventing funny quotes is not that hard. Describe a situation, usually something everyone are familiar with, and throw in a funny, personal observation that reflects a certain reality. You can even twist a famous quote and make it yours. Here’s an example using one of my favourite quote from Leo Durocher:
“Show me a good loser and I’ll show you an idiot.”
And my twisted version would go like this:
“Show me a successful blogger and I’ll show you an unsuccessful writer.”
Describe Something Differently
Invent a definition for something that does not exist. In my post Bonsai Blogging, I came up with a definition for the term “Bonsai Blogging”. It goes like this:
Bonsai Blogging is the art of miniaturizing traffic by blogging into an isolated container. This method has proven to be efficient for stopping growth, allowing you to fail with dignity.
Avoid Cursing
One of the most funniest and popular sitcom of all time, Seinfeld, never used cursing in 179 episodes, with the exception of 1 show where Jerry was offending a little boy’s parents by cursing in a restaurant. Yes, cursing can be very funny, but it’s far from being a requirement to make people laugh. It could also offend some of your readers and even compel them to unsubscribe.
Summary
It may take a few tries before you are satisfied with your first humorous post, but trust me, it’s always worth a try. Give it a shot and try to get it submitted on StumbleUpon by a power submitter, you should get good results. Do you have other writing tips you would like to share?
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February 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Humor can cross boundaries and build community.
I agree with you about avoiding swearing. Even Chris Rock has lightened up.
February 28th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
That’s a good way of seeing it. It does cross many boundaries. Thanks for stopping by.
Patrick
February 28th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I fully agree with you. Humour makes you vote for a post (i.e., Stumble), comment, send the link to a friend, etc. However, as you are saying in the last paragraph, mastering humour isn’t an easy task. I believe it requires a degree of imagination that not all writers will master.
Thanks for sharing this.
February 29th, 2008 at 5:25 am
I couldn’t agree more. If a reader leaves a page with a smile on their face the chances of them returning are dramatically increased.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:52 am
[…] generally understandable and universal stylistic techniques (e.g. humour is one of the proven methods to expand your […]
February 29th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Hey, it worked on me. The Bonsai Blogging post was brilliant.
You’ve got yourself a new follower.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I fully agree, some humor in an article or a post with an embedded funny video is something all readers appreciate. Just look on youtube how many people watch funny videos.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Humor is very important especially if you want to break the ice between you and your readers. Also bloggers who have sense of humor, in my opinion, always look smart and witty..^^..
February 29th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Damn! I love cursing!
February 29th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
@Matt: I think you brought a very good point. I agree chances are much better you will revisit the site.
@Diane: Thank you for the kind words. I’m happy to hear that
@Internet Marketing Joy: That’s a very good point. Ice breakers are important on the Internet and yes humour is a good one.
@Everyone: Tad Chef is very funny and has a great sens of humour in his posts. Checl out his blog at: http://seo2.0.onreact.com/
Thanks everyone for dropping by.
Patrick
March 1st, 2008 at 9:31 am
Great post! We need more smiles the world. One thing I might add to your list is cartoons. I write cartoons, mainly for business presentations and newsletters, but lately I’ve noticed more interest from bloggers in using them for blog posts.
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[…] last, but definitely not least, Piggy Bank Pie shows us how to use humor to expand our reach. While reading the hows of being funny, do pay attention to the […]
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:41 am
Hi!
I ‘ve read your post and I think it is great. Some things I was doing are confirmed by your opinion. I have more than 20 blogs, but one is 100 % humour. And guess what? It is the one - by far - which receives more people. And the, they go to the others I have.
Great idea
Thanks again
Héctor
March 4th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Great post, Patrick. Entertaining people always makes them come back for more.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:23 am
[…] Patrick advises to use humor to extend your reach. I could not agree more! Tags: Blog Strategy, blogging strategy, Blogging Tips, Blogs, Valuable LinksShare This […]
June 24th, 2008 at 9:54 am
[…] Max’s blog combines blogging tips and tricks with humour, a proven recipe that’s very efficient for John Cow. It sounds to me like a very interesting avenue. Too many bloggers these days are proclaiming themselves Pro Bloggers, and their blog often suffers from a lack of original and in-depth content. If you’d like to read my take on Humour Blogging, check out this very popular post I wrote last February: Using Humour To Extend Your Reach. […]
June 26th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
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July 1st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
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July 25th, 2008 at 2:01 am
[…] a blog post on Piggybankpie, Patrick says that humour is one of the most efficient types of communication you can use if you […]
August 13th, 2008 at 9:46 am
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February 12th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Thanks for this post, I have been reading a few links a friend of mine sent me regarding blogging personalities, and different methods of pleasing your readers. I am really enjoying your posts keep em coming!
May 11th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
There is nothing worse than to read a boring article. This is what makes humor so important. Keeping your readers interested and wanting to read more will reduce your site’s bound rate, and make your site “sticky”. But like the article states, you have write your articles with tact.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:04 am
I think humor is effective because it’s something that everyone can relate to, and it provokes thought and a response from the readers.
December 16th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
I’d much rather read a humorous take on a subject than a rehash of a blog post I read just 3 blogs over. It takes the standard top 10 blah blahs to a new level
Dwippy