If you want to grow your following quickly on Tik Tok then comedic content is the way to go. Not only is it most likely to get engagement, especially shares, but it’s also the most fun to create which means you’ll be more motivated to put the effort into doing it.
Many brands on Tik Tok have gone for a memes first approach when it comes to their content which is easy to mass produce however can feel a little shallow. This approach works best if you’re focused on a specific field or situation, such as Ryanair making memes about going on holiday, but what do you do if your business isn’t specific?
Lumix is a brand of film equipment by Panasonic and have found the best solution for this. Their Tik Tok page is full of short skits which combines using their equipment in a comedic way, such as creating a background for a zoom meeting, which is not only hilarious but also genius. There are not many brands on the web that are attempting this style of content because of the time and effort required, as well as the low pitfalls of failure if it doesn’t work, but if you can make it work then the rewards are massive.
The Formula for Comedy Sketches
I watched many of the classic British comedy sketch shows in preparation for this article and have broken down the formula that they use to create classic moments that we all remember. From The Mitchell and Web show to Trigger Happy, most of these shows will follow a similar formula because of how effective it is.
The key is to take a common situation, add an element to it, and then have a reaction to that element. My favourite example of this would be in the Mitchell and Web Look where a real estate agent acts as if a commercial swimming pool was a house for purchase. The skit has the agent showing a couple around the pool, mentioning how it becomes deeper at one end, whilst they swim around fully clothes. It then ends as a lifeguard blows his whistle and orders them out the pool before diving in as they swim away.
This works because, up until the lifeguard appeared, no one treated the situation as if anything was off. Whilst the added element can be funny (treating a pool as if it was a house), the real comedy comes from the reaction to the element (the lifeguard treating the pool like a pool).
You’ve probably experienced this your entire life but never realised it. This is the reason why you can remember the times someone did something really stupid in school and then got told off for it. The student would have done something out of place, such as thrown a book across the class, and then the teacher would have reacted appropriately for the actual setting they was in.
How to Make Comedic Sketches for your Brand
Lumix USA ran a series of Tik Tok videos where a man would light up his background to look like a film genre before a weekly zoom meeting with his boss. This series is hilarious, has million of views per entry, and shows that brands can also use the comedy formula to create content that’s still professional.
Brands will always have a tougher time creating comedy than normal content creators because they have to maintain a professional image which can limit them. The way around this is to take a mundane situation and then overexaggerate elements using logical extremes to create comedy. This not only allows you to add that comedic element to your sketch but also allows for a realistic reaction which won’t appear unprofessional.
In the first entry of the Zoom Call Series, the man sets up his background to appear like a sci-fi film. We see him using different tips and tricks to create a glimmering effect on the wall behind him, and then mess with his camera settings to create the desired lighting. Once this is all complete, the man joins the meeting only for the boss to be ask where he’s been since the meeting was supposed to begin 15 minutes ago.
Why are Unexpected Punchlines so Funny?
The premise of this video would have been funny enough on its own, but it’s taken to the next level by the bosses reaction. Most viewers would have expected a confused reaction, or maybe even the meeting going ahead with the man looking out of place, but Lumix crafted an entirely unexpected reaction which makes this hilarious.
There’s a reason why unexpected punchlines, situations, or comments can make you laugh so much. Our brains are always trying to predict what will happen next however this system crashes when something it couldn’t predict happens. The brain quickly releases dopamine to fill the gap which then makes you laugh. Your brain is also always trying to learn new things and it does this through connections experiences and emotions. For example, cheeseburger = delicious, and rewards itself for making this connection by releasing dopamine (which will make you laugh).
This is why logical extremes are the best way forwards when it comes to creating comedy in any form (memes, sketches, stand up, etc) because you’ll active 2 dopamine releases. The first will be from the unexpected and the second will be from the brain realising what you’ve just done. This double hit of dopamine makes you laugh much harder which then creations an emotional connection to whatever made you laugh. This is why you have favourite comedians and comedy shows because your brain associates them with making you feel amazing.
How to Use Logical Extremes to Create the Perfect Punchlines
Logical extremes are crucial to brands because they allow them to control how unprofessional they want the joke to be.
A logical extreme is exactly what it sounds like and is just as easy to create. Simply take a common situation, such as someone using your milk at work, and then pick an element of that to take to the extreme. For example, fighting the person who stole your milk or the milk thief constructing an elaborate plan to take your milk from the fridge as if it was a heist.
This is great techniques for brands because they can control how silly they want to take the idea. The best method for this is to write out the situation in the middle of a piece of paper and then expand each element along its logical extremes. I call these logical trees and I normally have the “better” extremes heading upwards and the “worse” extremes heading down. This will allow you to not only see all of your options and then construct the best joke but will also allow you to see many potential jokes at once (which makes creating weeks’ worth of content much easier).
Overview
- Use the comedy formula to create sketches for your brand
- Unexpected punchlines are hilarious because your brain released dopamine whenever something it couldn’t predict happens
- Use logical extremes to create the joke and control how unprofessional it becomes
