Punch Lines are NOT funny

Well, not exactly. I was recently in the audience at the Comedy Works to see a a few Colorado comedians. It was an excellent show.

I had a huge “ah ha” moment when watching the opening comic. I learned from him that sometimes the set up can get a bigger reaction than the punch line. He set up the joke this way: “I LOVE that sign we have on I-70 that says TRUCKERS, YOU ARE NOT DOWN YET.”

This set up got a HUGE reaction. Laughter and anticipation. We loved it because we have passed that sign a million times. It was specific and niched just for those of us that live in the Denver, Colorado region.

I honestly cannot remember the punch line, but I remember that it wasn’t very funny. But the joke was still worth keeping because the set up rocked.

So, fast forward a bit to my work. I did a corporate comedian date later that week, and used many of the same type of set ups. Very specific set ups to THAT group. My punch lines were fine, but the most important part was that the premise was specific to that audience.

Anyhoo…I bet that is more about comedy technique than you ever needed to know. I think it is fascinating.

Learn more about my work as a clean comedian here.

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