If time plus tragedy equals comedy, there’s no wonder why we’re in a golden age of jokes right now. You’ve undoubtedly noticed how content creators, influencers, brands, and comedians of all flavors have been popping up on your daily (and nightly) scroll. That is, of course, in addition to your regularly scheduled cat videos.
But exactly why are social media algorithms favoring comedy content? While every platform’s formula relies on a different mixture of metrics to promote top content, making everything a joke can seriously help you out, no matter where or what you’re posting.
There are a few reasons why skilled comedians have been able to draw in audiences since the very first chicken crossed the road. Whether it’s a court jester, the comic relief in a Shakespearean play, or your favorite stand-up, comedians offer their audiences a kernel of truth in their jokes. The raw material they use to deliver jokes comes from real life and touches on shared human experiences.
Because of this, comedians on any stage can build a relationship of trust with their audiences, who cheer them on, knowing that every set-up will deliver a killer punchline. This power speaks to how vital comedy is as a universal language. No matter where you look in the world, people have been leaning on laughter as a storytelling tool and a coping mechanism. There’s a reason that Business Insider said that “The Office” was the most streamed show in 2020 (and we all know what was happening in 2020).
Laughter is innate. It’s something that AI can’t replicate, and so it helps us sniff out social media accounts that feel fake and contrived. In an interview with American Masters from PBS, legendary comedian Carol Burnett said, “When you don’t have an IQ, you can’t have a sense of humor,” so don’t shy away from using your human intelligence to crack a joke and signal to others that you’re a real person they can connect to.
Breaking it down by platform
Beyond getting a few laughs, your comedy chops can help you build an audience and followership that relates to and trusts you and becomes a fanbase that wants to see you succeed. When you combine that with the fact that social media algorithms are designed to promote content that will keep an audience watching, it only makes sense that using social media can be a massive benefit for your comedy career.
Let’s look at the specifics by platform.
TikTok
One of the most popular apps this year, TikTok has an interesting algorithm that prioritizes interaction metrics over a follower count, according to The Infinite Agency. It tests posts with smaller audiences before they get boosted to larger and larger populations. Like on the show “American Idol,” the better you do in your auditions, the bigger the audience you’ll eventually have. That’s why you might see smaller creators with minimal audiences blow up overnight with one viral post (à la Kelly Clarkson).
Of all kinds of content out there, comedy is most likely to be a hit, no matter which test audience your post finds. If high school taught us anything, the class clown is usually one of the people who can fit into whatever social sphere or extracurricular they land in. Creating funny content is one of the best ways to help people remember you and to build and maintain your popularity.
Luckily, you can combine all that hilarity and charm with some brains to pack a bigger punch. As Adobe says in this blog post, using TikTok’s analytical tools can help you gain insight into your audience’s age, location, and most active times to help get an idea of what might land well with them. A well-timed silly post has the potential to build a broad audience and have people incorporating your joke into their everyday vocabulary and stitches (incoming).
Additionally, the TikTok algorithm is an excellent playground for creators to test their niche material. With millions of regular users, there’s bound to be someone for whatever you’re making. Creators can embrace their weirdness and absurdity with the knowledge, with time and patience, that if they hit the right audience, they might just go viral.
Like TikTok, according to this StoryChief article, Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes post engagement, but the emphasis is on the immediate frenzy a post creates. Instagram treats business and personal accounts fairly equally compared to other sites (like Facebook, for example).
In a space where businesses, influencers, cultural figures, and personal accounts all mingle, leaning on humor as the universal language can help bridge the gap between audiences of different generations, locations, and backgrounds. A company, for example, that throws away corporate-speak in favor of a more humorous brand voice is more likely to have a more personable relationship with its target audience.
However, while social media can help connect you with new audiences, you shouldn’t necessarily try to appeal to everyone. As Holly Phillips writes in this blog post, you can reinforce your account’s brand by only following accounts relevant to your niche, then engaging with the app regularly (you might want to consider limiting it to a scheduled time) while staying true to your unique voice.
Building a following around your particular flavor of humor is especially vital when there’s a new trend sweeping the platforms every week. Creators who keep an ear to the ground can add their voice to the momentum behind a trending joke and remain distinctive. For example, accounts like Betches regularly repost popular videos and add their quip style in captions.
However, keep in mind that algorithms change, and according to Hootsuite, all of Instagram’s different sections have their own, so focusing on creating fresh, quality content is one of the best ways to secure that long-term growth. Tapping into and expanding your brand of humor is one of the best ways to ensure your posts will never feel fake or (*shudder) like clickbait.
For instance, you wouldn’t see an unhinged green owl dancing around in various costumes and think of anything else but Duolingo. Duolingo has over three million followers on Instagram and is known for its posts and reels featuring characters determined to bully you into finally learning that language.
Surprise! Believe it or not, LinkedIn has become the dark horse social media platform where people flex their jokes and not just their thought leadership. Business Insider recently published an article looking into the rise of joke posting on the business platform due to a clash in attitudes towards work after the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the crisis, the workforce burnt out trying to cope with the pressures to be productive while navigating health risks, a demanding corporate culture, isolation, and economic struggles (we’re not forgetting anything, are we?). People wanted to see a more human side to the professional grind and revel in jokes that take down the image of a super intense (and unrelatable) CEO.
Storychief says that LinkedIn’s algorithm favors those who post frequently and generate a lot of comments. Unlike Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, LinkedIn is a great place to write long, text-heavy posts to get the conversation going. This setup is perfect for those who like to satirize the American workplace in long posts using the typically dramatic multi-’graph LinkedIn format.
Of course, this allows comedians and writers to show off their talents to an audience more diverse than the ones they might find on apps like Twitter/X and Bluesky. Plus, good jokes generate the comments and conversation needed to get boosted within the algorithm. However, companies who can use humor in their posting and show a little personality (like Duolingo does on Instagram) can also benefit from this system.
The increase in humor and jokes online shows that people, whether at work, looking for work, or trying to escape from the stresses of work, are tired of the hyper-productive drive that tends to define the American work culture. Companies that use humor to show that they’re human, too, are more likely to resonate with mentally taxed audiences.
According to Business Insider, LinkedIn is still focused on emphasizing the use of the platform for knowledge sharing and networking but also understands that a bit of comedy has its place (all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy). Ultimately, audiences do have a role in how a platform develops, and the fact that people are making joke posts more popular indicates where the focus will be in the future.
Comedy is timeless
Long before we had social media, phones, or even the urge to take pictures of our food, humans used comedy to cope, communicate, and bond through shared experiences. Now that we’re chronically online, clickbait, prominent ads, and hyper-work-focused content inundate us all. Comedy allows posters to connect with the human intelligence that people want to interact with, and those engagements boost the content within the algorithm.
Companies that are wise to people’s weariness with hyper-professionalism can also take advantage of this by showing off a sense of humor and personality that their target audiences can relate to and will want to follow.
Find a way to make it work without losing your brand voice. (Let us know if Manychat can help once your popularity takes off and you’re inundated with engagement.)
