The reason I’m a big fan of humour isn’t because I’m a noble soul, fulfilling my destiny of spreading joy as far and wide as possible.
(Imagine Mother Teresa, on stage at the Comedy Store… “How about that online dating, eh? I wrote “missionary” in the position section and got 5,243 messages…”)
Of course, I AM that magnanimous and generous, but that’s still not why I’m doing it.
After all, smiles don’t pay the bills.
If you don’t believe me, go into Tesco, pick up a laptop and ask how many one-liners they’ll take for it.
They’ll laugh. And not in a good way.
Laughs don’t cause people to open their wallets. If they did, we’d see a lot more creative muggers.
“Wait, so if comedy doesn’t make you an instant gazillionaire, what’s the point?“
Comedy, like copywriting, speling (totes intentional), and anyone who applies to be on Big Brother, is a tool.
It’s a weapon in your armoury to help you get – and keep – your audience’s attention.
Not only that, but humour puts your audience in a better frame of mind as they’re absorbing your marketing.
You’re more persuasive and memorable when you’re funny.
And you don’t have to be “Mr Saturday Night Live” to do this.
All you have to do is sprinkle in a few moments of levity into your words every now and again. That’s enough.
P.S. I should probably still put a link to this in this bit. It’s open until Sunday.