Humor is a powerful tool to attract and retain viewers on YouTube. It can make your videos more entertaining, memorable, and relatable. But how can you use humor effectively without being offensive, boring, or irrelevant? Here are some tips to help you create engaging YouTube videos with humor.
The first step to using humor is to know who you are making videos for. What kind of humor do they enjoy? What are their pain points, interests, and values? How do they talk and interact online? You can research your target audience by looking at their comments, feedback, and other content they consume. You can also create personas, surveys, or polls to understand them better. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your humor to their preferences and expectations.
At the idea stage, think off the wall. Way off. Thinking "something like I've seen on Saturday Night Live" is a poor starting point. Thinking "I don't know, that sounds really nuts to me" is better. Whomever your audience is, the joy of seeing something unique never gets old. A good way to kickstart your ideation process is to watch 10 youtube videos that actually make you laugh. Really laugh, not just smile. That's your warm-up. Then write down 10 of your own ideas that have NOTHING to do with what you just watched, and see if any make you laugh. Really laugh, not just smile. The road from there should be a fertile one.
Knowing your audience will help you establish a genuine connection that will inform your decisions on the type of humor you use in your content for YouTube videos. Everyone has a different sense of humor and they will search for videos on YouTube that are tailored to their preferences.
There are many types of humor, such as sarcasm, irony, parody, satire, slapstick, and absurdity. Each one has its own tone, purpose, and effect. You need to choose a style that suits your personality, brand, and message. For example, if you want to make fun of a trend or a problem, you might use satire or parody. If you want to surprise or shock your viewers, you might use absurdity or slapstick. You can also mix and match different styles, but be consistent and coherent.
Once you've established who your target audience is for your YouTube video, you can choose a style of humor they can relate to. Some people prefer satirical videos, while others love watching parody videos. It's important to know all the styles of humor so that you can genuinely deliver content that your audience is looking for.
Writing a script will help you plan and structure your humor. You can brainstorm ideas, jokes, and punchlines. You can also test and refine your humor by reading your script aloud, asking for feedback, or using online tools. A good script should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. It should also have a hook, a conflict, and a resolution. A hook is what grabs your viewer's attention and makes them curious. A conflict is what creates tension and drama. A resolution is what resolves the conflict and delivers the humor.
Writing a script for an engaging YouTube video may sound intimidating or tedious to some people because they just don't like the idea of writing, but it is such a helpful tool! This can be a simple outline that organizes the beginning, middle, and end of your video so that it makes sense to you. Oftentimes when we read things a few times, we can catch some mistakes or identify areas for improvement. Perhaps the joke you heard in your head is not as funny when you hear it out loud, so now you can make some changes. Writing your script in any form is better than nothing!
Humor is not only about words, but also about how you deliver them. You can use visual and audio cues to enhance your humor and make it more expressive. For example, you can use facial expressions, gestures, props, costumes, and backgrounds to convey emotions, reactions, and situations. You can also use sound effects, music, voice-overs, and editing techniques to create contrast, timing, and rhythm. Visual and audio cues can help you emphasize, exaggerate, or subvert your humor.
Using humor to create engaging YouTube videos can taken to another level by using visual and audio cues. This is where you bring your production to life with expression and sound effects. With all the apps available and beautiful ideas in your head, you can utilize visual and audio cues to create amazing videos. Be expressive and deliver that performance so your audience believes you.
Humor can be a great way to connect with your viewers and show your personality. But you also need to be authentic and respectful. You need to be yourself and not copy or imitate others. You need to be honest and not lie or deceive your viewers. You need to be respectful and not offend or hurt your viewers. You need to be aware of your context and not make jokes that are inappropriate or insensitive. Humor can be a double-edged sword, so use it wisely and responsibly.