How to Be Funny (... even if you're not) with Lianna Patch
Episode 866: Show Notes
Writing funny copy is an excellent way to make your brand memorable and connect with customers, but it can feel pretty risky. What if it’s not actually funny? Or worse, you end up inadvertently offending someone?
Joining us today to set our minds at ease is Lianna Patch, a conversion copywriter and comedian whose greatest dream is to make your customers pause, smile, and click – in that order. She’s written copy for Fresh Books, Igloo, and Manly Bands, among many other delightful clients, and regularly speaks at E-commerce and software conferences around the world.
Today, we dig into how to write funny, memorable copy that sells, for your online business. In our conversation, Lianna shares practical tips and strategies she uses with her one-on-one clients for creating engaging and authentic content. Tune in to hear all her actionable advice on how to start using humor, (even if it scares you) and create content that brings joy to your readers!
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The Power of Funny Copy
Humor isn't just for comedians; it’s a powerful tool for building strong relationships with your audience. As Lianna explains, humor can help you create a bond with your audience that can withstand bad news or mistakes. For instance, if you send an "oops" email followed by a humorous one, people will like you more than if you just sent a dry apology. Humor also enhances information recall, which means your messages are more memorable when paired with a joke.
Using humor can also reduce anxiety, serving as a social and emotional coping mechanism. It's why people use jokes to break the ice at conferences and social gatherings. This psychological benefit extends to consumer behavior – humor makes people feel more comfortable and connected, which can lead to increased spending. With so many advantages, incorporating humor into your copy is a no-brainer for engaging and retaining customers!
How to Start Adding Humor to Your Copy
Whenever people start thinking about being funny, they tend to get scared, as if they’re either funny or they’re not. But, the reality is that humor exists on a spectrum. On one side you have really boring corporate jargon, and all the way on the other end you have Cards Against Humanity. You don’t need to go to extremes; just turning the dial slightly towards warmth, friendliness, and a bit of goofiness can make a big difference. Adding a pun here and there can significantly boost engagement, especially if you’re in a traditionally “boring” industry.
For those hesitant about humor, Lianna suggests two fail-safe styles: observational humor and self-deprecation. Observational humor involves commenting on something weird or funny in the world around you, creating a shared laugh without offending anyone. Self-deprecating humor involves gently poking fun at your quirks, breaking the ice, and making you more relatable. These styles help in building a connection with your audience without crossing any lines.
Another great way to get started is by taking an improv class! It’ll add fun to both your life and your business. Start paying attention to what you find funny. Collect your favorite shows, movies, stand-up comedians, and memes, and look for patterns. Knowing what you find funny will help you develop an authentic sense of humor for your brand.
Where to Avoid Being Funny
While humor can be a powerful tool, there are certain places where it’s best to tread carefully. Lianna advises against using humor in situations where you don't have a clear understanding of your audience. This includes home pages and other highly visible parts of your website that a broad and varied audience might visit. Unless you have a deep understanding of your audience's sense of humor and are confident it will resonate, it's better to avoid making bold jokes in these areas.
In contrast, areas where you have a more personal connection with your audience – such as emails, podcasts, and social media posts – are ideal for humor. These platforms allow for a one-on-one relationship, where you can tailor your humor to the preferences of your readers or listeners. To do this effectively, Lianna suggests researching what your audience finds funny and looking for overlaps with your own sense of humor. This ensures that your jokes and references will resonate, fostering a stronger connection without the risk of alienating or offending someone.
How Manly Bands went from Matter-of-Fact to Hilarious
Manly Bands wanted to be the Dollar Shave Club of rings, with great products but more engaging copy. Their original descriptions were matter-of-fact, like, "This ring is made out of mahogany. It has a titanium inlay. It fits your hand unless you're a monster." They needed more personality.
Lianna suggested rewriting the copy to tell stories. One product description began with, "We like to think John Wayne would have worn this ring. He's dead, but he would have." These vivid, fun descriptions paint a picture in the reader's mind, making the brand feel like a fun friend rather than just another company.
The results were impressive. The humorous copy improved conversions from 20% to 200% across various SKUs without changing anything else on the product pages – no new photos, no redesigns, just better copy – proving that simply adding humor can make your brand more memorable and significantly boost sales.
Using Humor to Accomplish Goals
As humans, we're constantly switching between two states of mind: the goal state, and the play state. When we’re in goal state, we're super focused on getting things done; and, conversely, when we're in play state, we're more receptive to laughing and having a good time.
A lot of online businesses tend to keep people in that goal state with all of their communications. This might seem like they’re doing customers a favor since they are saying, “I respect your time. I don't want to make you read any longer of an email than necessary.” But, if you're doing that with your readers, you might accidentally be making them feel like your content is homework, which is a huge bummer.
Don't you look forward to opening some brands’ emails because you know they're going to make you smile? Well, you can be that brand!
How to Create Irresistible CTAs
CTAs are a critical part of sales and trigger copy can make a huge difference. Usually, this copy is used to ease anxieties, with phrases like "your credit card information won't be saved." However, Lianna suggests flipping this approach to show that a human is behind the message.
For example, Lianna worked on a software product where the click trigger copy read, "We do collect your credit card information, but that's just because we have a lot of online shopping to do." This made people chuckle and trust the company more because they felt a human connection.
You can even be funny in the button copy itself. Think about making that button irresistibly clickable. Moo, the Paper Company, once sent an email with a GIF of a hand chopping a watermelon and the button said, "Chop, chop." People loved it and couldn't resist clicking!
Don’t Be Afraid to Play with Language
When it comes to grammar and copy on the internet, you have a lot more freedom than you might think. Find ways to edit in some casualness. There are lots of ways to do this. You can pretend to make a mistake by making a joke and then using strikethrough. You can capitalize just one or two words in a sentence to give it more of a spoken cadence. You can use an ellipsis at the end of a sentence to add drama, like a drum roll. None of this is grammatically correct, but it’s effective!
Another great tool in your toolkit is adding parentheticals or asides. It’s a chance for you to connect with your audience directly, from sharing a joke to offering commiseration. An excellent example of this is a transactional email response from Warby Parker that reads: Sorry to hear your password has gone missing! (It happens to the best of us.) They’re not just being humorous, they’re also making the recipient feel like there is a human on the other side of the interaction. Any time you can add a little conversational parenthetical to bring humor in, you should do it.
There are so many ways to have fun with how you write. So play with language and be sure not to take yourself too seriously!
Finding Humor in Unexpected Places
Finding humor in unexpected places can be incredibly rewarding for readers (and fun for writers!) Those unanticipated little spots, like your unsubscribe copy and your transactional emails, are a wonderful opportunity to add a dose of something fun, like a GIF or an emoji. This can be especially rewarding to encounter post-purchase. In fact, it could make or break the customer experience.
Think about it like this. We’ve all had that experience where a brand gets us in the door with their amazing ad and hilarious product page; and when we order the product, we expect the receipt email to say something awesome; but instead, it says something totally bland like “your order is confirmed”. And the feeling you’re left with is “Oh, because you got my money now you don't care anymore” – which sucks.
If you’re going to use humor to connect with your audience, be sure to stay consistent! You don’t want to build that connection, only to throw it away.
Quote This
“Knowing what you think is funny will help you hone your quote, unquote, authentic sense of humor.”
—Lianna Patch
Highlights
The Power of Funny Copy [0:03:35]
How to Start Adding Humor to Your Copy [0:04:30]
Where to Avoid Being Funny [0:08:30]
How Manly Bands went from Matter-of-Fact to Hilarious [0:10:05]
Using Humor to Accomplish Goals [0:15:09]
How to Create Irresistible CTAs [0:16:45]
Don’t Be Afraid to Play with Language [0:20:05]
Finding Humor in Unexpected Places [0:28:19]
OUR GUEST:
Lianna Patch
Website | Linkedin | Instagram | TikTok | X
Lianna Patch is a conversion copywriter and comedian whose greatest dream is to make your customers pause, smile, and click (in that order). She’s written copy for Freshbooks, Igloo and Manly Bands, among other delightful clients, and regularly speaks at ecommerce and software conferences around the world.
OUR HOST:
Abagail Pumphrey
Boss Project on Instagram | Facebook
Abagail Pumphrey, the Co-Founder & CEO of Boss Project, has been a driving force in the creative entrepreneur industry since 2015. With a passion for empowering service-based business owners around the globe, she became internet-famous after the launch of the transformative training, "Trello for Business." This innovative system revitalized the operations of over 10,000 business owners, making a significant impact on the online business landscape.
Under Abagail's leadership, Boss Project has been featured in prestigious publications such as Forbes, Marie Claire, INC, and HuffPost. Her twice-weekly podcast, The Strategy Hour, is a staple in the business community, continuously topping Business and Management Charts on Apple with millions of listeners from around the world.
Abagail's superpower lies in her ability to break down complex concepts into easy-to-implement, duplicatable systems. As an expert in online sales and a data-driven strategist, she has turned a layoff into a 7-figure work-from-home business. Abagail's mission to help more female founders become financially free, without letting their businesses take over their lives, continues to inspire and guide entrepreneurs on their path to success.
Key Topics:
Funny Copy, Copywriting, Humor, Connection, Editing
