Humour is a human trait. Using humour in blogs can help personalise content and build trust. It can make reading your blog fun for your audience. Readers take just a few seconds to decide whether or not your content is useful. You don’t want to make reading your blog hard work – your content needs to be entertaining and engaging.
People have a natural inclination to be funny – humour can be used as a coping mechanism when feeling anxious and is a great way to form bonds. In writing, it is a way of humanising us. It can demonstrate that a writer’s opinion aligns with that of the reader. It is a way of building trust, can boost your brand equity and enhance the perception of authenticity. Often it can also provide a point of difference from your competition.
Some people are naturally funny. Others think they are funny. One thing for sure, is the tightrope of keeping funny in check is a balancing act. Here’s our top 10 tips of how to use humour in blogs … and when to keep the jokes in the box.
Do’s and don’ts of adding humour to blog writing:
1. Keep comedy classy. There’s a fine line between funny and offensive. Aim to keep your content tasteful. You can bet that if your blog offends somebody it will go viral very quickly and not for the right reasons.
2. Avoid sarcasm. When introducing humour to blogs it’s important to keep the tone positive. Sarcasm can be polarising. It’s difficult to convey in writing and can come across as cynical and scornful.
3. Use it sparingly. Coco Chanel famously said to always take one thing off before leaving the house. This ‘less is more’ advice can also be applied to blog writing. Limiting humour to attention grabs and to reinforce an angle will help you to keep the jokes in check. There’s no need to be a stand-up comedian.
4. Don’t be obvious. Humour doesn’t need to be overt, it can be just as effective when subtle.
5. To reinforce authority. Often when we want to demonstrate our authority on a matter, it is necessary to be critical. Using humour is a good way of criticising flaws in others while demonstrating value in an entertaining way.
6. Humour, not comedy. There’s a difference – while humour is a stylistic choice, comedy is a genre. Although blogs can be entertaining, they are not an entertainment act. Blog writing is about answering the questions and solving the problems of your target audience. Using humour is a great way of engaging your audience and demonstrating that you understand their needs.
7. Get a second opinion. It’s important to have your blog checked by another person. When having your content proofread by another party, be sure to ask that tone and relevance is reviewed. This is just as important as checking spelling and grammar.
8. Use metaphors. Comparing two things that are otherwise unrelated can help you reinforce a point and add a light-hearted touch to your blog.
9. Aim for a smile not a laugh. Everyone likes to smile! Incorporating humour into blog writing is not necessarily for laughs, it is more about demonstrating value to your audience.
10. Introduce storytelling. Humour is a great way of incorporating storytelling into your written content. We have talked a lot about the power of storytelling. Day-to-day stories are often the most powerful and engaging. Adding humour to your story is a great way of connecting with your audience.
