Comedic Video Tips to Make Your Audience Laugh
Nothing drives engagement with your viewership like a good laugh. Comedy can disarm your audience and ensure that they pay attention from start to finish. Moreover, being funny is practically a prerequisite for going viral. However, comedy can be risky. Jokes always make light of some issue, and it is hard to avoid inadvertently offending some group of people. Without in-person delivery, it is impossible to “read the room”. As such, it could be unclear to the audience that your video is meant to be laughed at. To guarantee you get some laughs and drive engagement in your next comedic video, we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you out.
Be Outrageous
To ensure that your next comedic video is well received by your audience, it is imperative that you make it clear that humor is your intent. The best way to do this is to go over-the-top. Think Terry Crews in those Old Spice Commercials. This requires you to think outside the box to ensure that your video is sufficiently hilarious, but also requires you to stick to your brand enough to be sure that you’re communicating your message. Depending on your brand and the products you sell, you have a variety of options. Some brands focus on a lifestyle. This includes alcoholic beverages (think Dos Equis) and clothing. On the other hand, some focus on the product features. A good example of this is car commercials. Lifestyle brands lend wide flexibility, while product-centric brands provide a much narrower window for humor.
Pick a Theme for Your Comedy
Comedic videos are far more powerful if they are part of a series. A recurring theme allows you to build on the relationship that you have developed with your audience in past comedic videos. It also means that your humor can become more nuanced since the theme serves as a tip-off that the video that they are watching is meant to instigate a laugh. Use the same theme in a few hilarious comedic videos, and before long your brand is known as being cool and relatable. Moreover, you could be starting a new viral trend and the whole internet is interacting with your brand and products.
There are some easy ways to reinforce your theme. In most cases, the best way to establish a theme is to use the same talent. Humans are hardwired to recognize faces. However, this can be a challenge if you can’t guarantee that your talent will be willing to do more videos. It also gives them the power to demand higher compensation for their work. However, you could substitute a familiar place with a familiar object or setting. While less effective, sets and props are far less expensive and far more dependable than human talent.
Pick Your Music Carefully
In corporate video production and commercials of all kinds, background music is key. This is even more true for comedic video. For starters, music can serve as an effective way to establish the theme we talked about above. Music also plays an outsized role in how your audience interprets the comedy. A quick shortcut to setting the mood for comedy is to use lighthearted music. On the other hand, you can make your audience laugh by contrasting your music with the video. For example, pairing bright and happy images with ominous music can draw a laugh out of your audience. Note on the other hand, that while it can be tempting to create a parody using music, (Jaws is a common favorite) this can backfire. You could run the risk of copyright infringement, and if your video does, in fact, go viral, this risk only becomes more pronounced.
When in Doubt, Make Fun of Yourself
In almost all comedy, something or someone has to serve as the subject or “butt” of the joke. While many people enjoy a good laugh at themselves, you always risk alienating your audience when you make a comedic video. Sometimes this risk is acceptable if you know enough about your target audience to be confident that your joke will be well received. However, if you don’t know this – and sometimes even if you do – it is often better to make fun of yourself or your brand.
Making fun of yourself can be a powerful way to endear you, your company, your brand, and your products to the audience in your comedic video. It makes it clear that you don’t take yourself too seriously and avoids accidentally offending your audience. Think about it: which of your jokes are best received while sitting around and having a beer with friends? Do you get a better laugh out of putting someone else down, or for a sly self-deprecating remark? Of course, this all has to be done in balance, as if your audience doesn’t recognise the joke or believes there’s some truth the ideas then you could harm your brand.
Talk to Your Scriptwriter
Nobody knows what works better in a comedic video than a seasoned professional. If you have any hesitations, talk to your scriptwriter about your audience and your message. Chances are, she will be able to offer you some valuable insight to help ensure that you keep your audience chuckling.
Do you believe that comedic videos are more engaging? Comment below and let us know what you think!
