Using Humor To Persuade — Does It Work?

Self-assembly toys may be the cruelest joke in the world. They look easy to put together. But you always run into trouble.
My parents bought a plastic basketball hoop for their pool. They said it would take five minutes to put together. The instructions only had five steps. It looked simple enough.
Once I emptied the bag of screws, washers and bolts I knew it would take more than five minutes. I ran into a roadblock on the second step. A Youtube video bailed me out, though I had to watch it several times.
Pieces Left Over?
When I finished ninety minutes later, I knew something was wrong. I ran into the common problem of DIY assembly novices. Three unused parts remained after finishing.
The thing felt sturdy enough. I assumed it was just a sick joke by one of the product engineers.
“Let’s throw in three extra pieces to screw with everyone’s mind.”
Despite my possible misstep, I felt a sense of pride at completing the task.
A Failed Attempt At Humor
Another guest at the house squashed that feeling minutes later.
“Finished? It’s about time. A high school kid could have finished it in half the time.”
I went from hero to zero in a matter of seconds.
He intended the comment as a playful jab. Still, it stung a bit. Humor is funny when it works. It backfires when it fails.
This why I stay away from humor in any sort of persuasive writing.
One segment of your audience my find your humor funny. Another segment may find it flat. A third segment may find it infuriating.
Humor entertains when it works but it rarely advances the sale. Nobody listens to a funny joke and thinks:
“Aha. That was so funny. I must buy that 30 day diet plan.”
When you feel the need to use humor, keep it outside the sales process.
Call To Action
Want to know my best persuasion and creativity tools? Find it here.
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