Write to Your Audience's Truth, Not Your Own
Founder and Head of Growth, White Label Comedy
A piece of content can be genuinely funny and still fall flat, because it reflects your truth instead of your audience's. The thing that makes content land is a relatable truth: a statement your audience already believes, that makes them think "yes, that is so true" or "that is so me." Get the truth wrong and even a good joke bombs.
Funny is not enough
It is tempting to assume that if something makes you laugh, it will work. It will not, not reliably. A joke built on an in-joke only you and your team get is still an in-joke. It might be sharp, but your audience will glance at it and scroll on.
We have cut jokes we loved for exactly this reason. They were funny, but they reflected one of our truths, not the reader's, so they had no real chance of landing. Funny is the delivery. The truth underneath is what actually connects.
What a relatable truth is
A relatable truth is any statement, feeling or moment your audience already recognises as true about their own world. Their small joys, their frustrations, their quiet fears, the daily annoyances only people in their situation would understand.
When you build a joke on top of one of those, it becomes almost irresistible to the specific people you are trying to reach. They are not just laughing, they are agreeing, and agreement is what makes them engage and share.
Truth even beats funny
Here is the part most people miss: a strong enough relatable truth drives engagement even when it is not especially funny. When people recognise their own experience in something, they will hit like just to say "yes, this is me," joke or no joke.
That is why the work starts long before the punchline. Get clear on what your audience genuinely believes and feels, and reflect that back to them. The truth does most of the heavy lifting; the humour just makes it travel further.
Work with us
Digging out the specific truths your audience recognises, and building content on top of them, is exactly what our team of comedy writers does before writing a single joke.
If you would like content built on what your audience actually feels, work with us.
Adam Hunt
Founder and Head of Growth at White Label Comedy. He spends his days convincing serious brands that funny is the most profitable thing they're not doing.
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