Latest / Social Media Marketing with Fexingo: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Platform Strategy / Why Brands Are Hiring Social Media Comedy Writers
Transcript
- Lucas: So we are starting to see brands hire something that a few years ago would have sounded ridiculous — comedy writers. Full-time, in-house people whose job is literally to make jokes for a brand's social media feed. Luna: Not copywriters who also do humor on the side. Dedicated comedy writers. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just the obvious suspects like Wendy's or Duolingo. We're seeing financial services, B2B software companies, even insurance brands hiring people with stand-up or sketch comedy backgrounds for their social teams. Luna: What's driving this? Is it just that the algorithm rewards entertaining content? Lucas: That's part of it. But I think the bigger reason is that the bar for organic reach has gotten so high. A standard promotional post gets almost zero organic visibility. But a genuinely funny post — especially one that gets shared — can outperform a paid ad in terms of brand recall. Luna: There's research on this. I remember a study from the Journal of Advertising Research that found humor increases purchase intent by something like 20 percent, but only if the humor is relevant to the brand. Lucas: Right. And that's where the dedicated comedy writer matters. A general copywriter might be able to write a pun. But a comedy writer understands timing, subversion of expectations, and — critically — how to land a joke without alienating the audience. Luna: Let's talk about Duolingo. Their TikTok account is basically a comedy account that happens to be run by a language learning app. They've got 13 million followers. Lucas: Their social media manager, Zaria Parvez, has talked about this. She essentially built the brand's voice around absurdist humor — the Duolingo owl as a chaotic, slightly unhinged character. It's not a translation of their marketing copy. It's a distinct comedic persona. Luna: And that persona drives engagement. People look forward to Duolingo's posts the way they look forward to their favorite comedian's posts. Lucas: Now, not every brand can pull that off. Wendy's has a very specific tone — snarky, confident, occasionally roasting other brands. That works because it's consistent. If a bank suddenly started roasting its competitors, it would feel forced. Luna: So the comedy has to fit the brand's existing personality. You can't graft humor onto a brand that's always been serious. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why hiring a comedy writer is different from just asking your social media intern to be 'funny.' A good comedy writer will ask: what is this brand's natural voice, and where are the gaps where humor can live? Luna: Ryanair is another great example. Their social media is incredibly self-deprecating. They make fun of their own fees, their cramped seating, their customer service. It's almost like they're in on the joke with the customer. Lucas: And that's a really smart move, because it disarms criticism. If you're already joking about your own shortcomings, the criticism loses its sting. Plus, it makes the brand feel human. Luna: There is a risk though. Humor can backfire spectacularly. Remember that tweet from a fast-food brand that made light of a serious social issue? It was up for less than an hour before it got deleted, but the screenshots lived forever. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's why having a comedy writer doesn't mean you skip the approval process. It means you have someone who can assess whether a joke is funny in a vacuum versus whether it's funny in the current cultural context. They're essentially a filter. Luna: So what does a brand need to consider before hiring a comedy writer? I imagine it's not just about budget. Lucas: First, they need a clear brand voice document. If the brand doesn't know its own personality, a comedy writer can't build on it. Second, they need to be willing to let the writer take risks. Comedy that is too safe isn't funny. And third, they need a fast approval process. Timely humor is dead humor if it takes three days to get legal's sign-off. Luna: And the comedy writer themselves — what kind of background do they typically have? Lucas: I've seen a mix. Some come from improv or stand-up. Others have written for late-night shows or online video series. What they all have in common is an understanding of structure — setup, punchline, misdirection — and an ability to write quickly and under pressure. Luna: We should also talk about metrics. How do you measure whether a comedy writer is actually adding value? It's not like you can tie a joke directly to revenue. Lucas: True. But you can look at engagement rates — specifically shares per impression. A funny post gets shared at a much higher rate than an informational post. You can also look at brand sentiment analysis and follower growth. But the real metric is probably brand recall. If people remember your brand because they laughed, that's sticky. Luna: There's also the halo effect on other marketing. If a brand's social feeds are entertaining, people are more likely to click on their ads or open their emails. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the argument for investing in comedy writers. It's not just about the posts themselves. It's about making the brand feel like someone you'd want to follow — even if you don't need their product right now. Luna: So who's doing this well right now? Besides the ones we mentioned. Lucas: Scrub Daddy — the sponge company — has a very playful, almost absurd Twitter presence. And then there's the gaming company Razer, which uses a lot of self-aware humor about gamer culture. But I'd also point to some B2B brands like HubSpot, which has a TikTok account that parodies corporate jargon. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's clever. Luna: If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own work or just enjoyed thinking about, a couple of dollars a month at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo genuinely helps keep these episodes ad-free. We don't run sponsorships or premium tiers, so listener support makes a real difference. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small way to keep this going without having to chase advertisers. And we appreciate it. Anyway, back to comedy writers — I think the really interesting question is whether this trend will scale. Can a mid-size brand with a limited budget justify hiring a comedy writer? Luna: Maybe they can start by contracting with a freelance comedy writer for a few posts a month. Test the waters before committing to a full-time hire. Lucas: That's a smart approach. And there are actually agencies now that specialize in brand comedy. They'll do a voice audit, write a batch of posts, and train the internal team on comedic principles. Luna: It does feel like the line between entertainment and marketing is dissolving. Brands are becoming content creators first and product sellers second. Lucas: And that's a fundamental shift. If you look at the most successful brand accounts on TikTok or Instagram, they're not selling. They're performing. The product is almost secondary. And comedy writers are the ones writing the script. Luna: But there's a risk of sameness, right? If every brand starts doing comedy, won't it all blend together? Lucas: Absolutely. The brands that stand out are the ones with a unique point of view. That's why a comedy writer needs to be embedded in the brand culture, not just someone who writes generic jokes. The best brand comedy is weirdly specific to the brand's world. Luna: So the next time I see a funny post from a brand, I might wonder if there's a comedy writer behind it. Lucas: Probably. And increasingly, that's becoming a standard role in social media teams. It's not just a nice to have anymore. It's becoming a competitive necessity in a crowded feed. Luna: I'm curious to see how this evolves. Will we see comedy writers become as common as community managers? Or will it remain a niche role for only the boldest brands? Lucas: I think we'll see it become more common, but with a twist. The role might merge with content strategy — a hybrid writer who understands both brand strategy and comedic timing. The brands that figure that out first will have an edge. Luna: And for the rest of us, we can just enjoy the jokes. Lucas: Exactly. It's a rare win-win. The brand gets attention, and we get entertained. If the joke is good, nobody loses.