Better #22

Howdy all,

What’s the Golden Rule of social media? “Tweet others the way you wish to be tweeted.”

Just a little joke there (🙄) to get things started, because today we’re talking humour.

I’ve been spending time thinking and talking about being bolder on social media- what it means to take risks and why we need to do stuff that makes us uncomfortable in order to get results.

As part of that, the idea of using humour keeps cropping up. We know that a few councils and government departments are getting great results sharing funny content, but most of us still put it in the too-hard basket.

Why is that? What’s so scary about trying to be funny every now and then? And what are we missing out on?

That’s what today’s edition is all about: why humour should be a tool in our social media toolbelts.

I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers,
Seamus Boyer 👋

‘How could we surprise and delight our audiences today?’

… is a question very few government agencies and councils apparently ever ask themselves.

But maybe they damn well should, right? Because, you know, fun. And also effective.

Social media is a crowded, competitive space. Councils and government departments aren’t competing against each other, they’re competing against the world’s best and most resourced creators, whose sole job is to grab and hold people’s attention. Think Mr Beast, who spends about USD$2.5m per video.

These creators can have whole teams dedicated to creating content, and because they’re dealing in pure entertainment, have a lot more content levers available to them than most government organisations. 

There’s also the algorithm to negotiate, with the flood of recommended content on most platforms making it increasingly difficult just to reach the people who actually want to be reached by us.

All of which means that our social media posts need to: a) stop the scroll to have a chance at working, then b) need to draw the user in to spend a bit of time absorbing the message.

Regardless of your sector or industry, there are plenty of ways to do these two things, but often we choose not to, instead opting for bland and boring.

YouTuber Finn McKenty sums up the situation well: “I think there’s a lot of people that hold themselves back by not taking advantage of the algorithm, specifically by refusing to make content that’s a little bit entertaining.”

I like to think about entertaining content as doing one of four things - making people go wow, aha, aww, or lol. Of these four, humour may be the scariest, but it’s perhaps also the most consistently effective.

Why does humour work?

In the wonderful book on wit in graphic design, A Smile in the Mind, the authors convincingly lay out the case for humour.

Their number one reason? It wins us time.

“The audience can be arrested by bold imagery, a startling use of colour or elegant photography. But for how long? The best way to win time for the message is to offer something that intrigues. Then the recipient is seduced into making a commitment. Someone who is intrigued will stay with the item until curiosity is satisfied. So the first benefit of witty design is that the recipient becomes willing to hear the message. The audience becomes captive. The communication has the best possible start.”

From there the benefits continue: humour invites participation (what am I looking at), it gives the pleasure of decoding (think memes which are often essentially in-jokes), it gives reward (when you get it), and it forms a bond (I get it, we think alike).

Ultimately all this makes the content memorable, which means winning even more time as the person keeps thinking about it or returns to it later on. 

And what is better than leaving a lasting positive impression in the mind of someone we’re trying to reach?

Is humour appropriate for government?

Obviously it’s going to depend on the context - things like the organisation itself, the work, the brand, the target audiences, the channels. All of the normal things which need to be considered as part of the strategy process.

But there’s no reason for humour not to be part of a government or council social team’s toolbox. I mean, we’re all people right, and people like connecting with people on social media, and humour is a wonderful connector.

If your bosses say it’s too risky to try, then consider the flipside: what’s the risk to your organisation of being ignored or going unnoticed? That might get their attention.

You can also use case studies from other government organisations using humour and getting way more engagement and positive sentiment than you are (see examples below).

Because surely the goal is to be super effective, right? If that means reaching and engaging bigger and different audiences, then being funny will likely move the dial much more quickly.

And remember, you can be funny without being all unhinged and clown-like. In fact, we might be seeing a move away from that particular brand of humour, and toward a more measured approach more about being relatable and human.

Maybe your organisation can be at the forefront of that movement?

Who does funny well?

More government organisations are using humour now than even a year ago. But the number is still fairly low.

There are the OGs - the New Zealand Police - who still do funny to get across serious safety messages. They’ve been doing this for so long now some of it feels a little easy breezy TBH, but they also regularly pop up with something new to keep audiences interested. And the stats don’t lie - they reach a lot of people.

Waka Kotahi uses a jaunty, playful style to spread the word about things like indicating, merging, and changing lanes. Transport for NSW pushes the boat out a bit further, using more trend-based content and the odd skit to stay relevant with the yoofs.

In terms of councils, Invercargill City Council uses the classic ‘veg and lollies’ approach - using funny and relatable content to draw people in then hit them with the more traditional (serious) stuff. Wellington City Council and Palmerston North City Council both do some pretty out-there TikToks, but I have definitely noticed both of these drying up recently.

Some other notable examples are The National Park Service, Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the delightfully wacky U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Back in New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora Heath NZ is going about its business in a very deliberate way, using short-form video to share practical health advice in fun and engaging ways, and carrying on the Instagram approach of the likes of Queensland Health.

The team even spelled out the strategy in a LinkedIn post referring to a funny video they made: “While we didn't break the internet, we saw heeeaps higher engagement than we normally do, with more positive sentiment. A small step”.

The post went on: “In government agencies, supportive leaders are crucial for promoting new ways of communicating with the public. While sticking to standard messages feels safer (we're definitely guilty of this!) in most cases it doesn’t engage people. We’re working on trying new things, aiming to evoke a smile or an emotion more often with our health content. Hopefully, this might make our messages more memorable. We'll keep trying!”

I mean, it’s hard to ask for anything more, right?

What if I’m not funny?

You are. Everyone is, in their own way. 

The problem is, a lot of people think in terms of making someone literally lol (or rofl), which is incredibly difficult to do. Instead, I like to think about making someone briefly smile, or making someone’s day just a fraction better than it was.

That’s all, and it's enough.

You also don’t have to start with funny posts, where you might create very public expectations around your punchline, whatever that might be. Start in the comments or the subject line of your newsletter. Puns and dad jokes are generally mild and inoffensive, and a fine way to dip your toes in.

A great example of a gentler but just-as-effective approach to humour (in my mind, anyway) is the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. They specialise in snappy post intros that highlight a weird and wonderful fact about an animal or plant. Using everyday language, they write in a lovely, engaging way that makes you smile while learning some small thing.

That’s it. That’s the schtick. Check it out below.

It’s not likely to set the world alight, but it is genuinely interesting, makes sense for the organisation, and keeps me coming back for more even though the organisation really has nothing to do with me in the slightest.

The important thing is to use your judgment and audience knowledge to find a small opportunity, then try something (also small) out.

If the problem is your boss, check out my article on Tips for swapping caution for courage in our comms. There’s plenty of practical advice in there.

And if humour is still a hurdle too high for you/your team/organistion, then maybe try and be super helpful instead. Or really kind and thoughtful. Or a more open and natural version of yourself. 

Basically be anything except bland and boring. There’s already enough of that on social media as it is.

Good luck.

That’s it for this edition. Thanks for reading.

Want to be bolder, funnier, or take more risks in your content or social media? I help ambitious teams with just these kinds of challenges, so get in touch.

Together we can uncover and develop a super-effective approach that makes sense for your organisation and gets great results. Email me to start the conversation.

See you in two weeks for more tips on how to get a little bit Better 👋