Nobody saw it coming. But what was immediately apparent when the LOLCats blog, ICanHasCheezburger, got popular back in 2007, was that humor touched us all and connected us in a way no language could ever do.

Fast-forward to today and social media has replaced blogs, but humor still thrives on the Web. In an age when people go on social media to get a respite from the daily grind and stress of work or school, humor can be a pretty powerful force. It relieves stress, and connects us in an instinctive way that makes us tear down walls and see others as more like us. It makes brands appear human and more likable.

Get more people to follow you on Twitter by injecting humor in your posts – it gets easier with practice. Below are some great examples of brands and Twitter users who know how to use humor to propel themselves to Twitter stardom.

Image credit: mashable

The 5 Funniest Tweets by Brands

Old Spice

Old Spice is one of the many brands known for their use of humor across all their social media channels. Their marketing campaigns are all consistently humorous and even if they don’t always connect directly to their products, the posts are always received positively. Just ask their 220K Followers on Twitter.

Want to be as popular as Old Spice? Start your journey by buying Twitter Followers that look and behave like real people. These high-quality accounts will attract organic Followers to you on the platform, as long as you’re putting out funny Tweets that people want to read. People tend to follow users with a large following, rather than small followings. This phenomenon is called Social Proof and it is very effective.

DiGiorno

DiGiorno  is one of the funniest brands on Twitter, regularly producing funny tweets that gain tons of attention. They had a mishap in the past when they jumped on a hashtag with a controversial topic, but they handled the mistake gracefully and were able to come back into their audience’s‘ good graces.

Nowadays, their witty and funny tweets continuously light up the platform, bringing a laugh to their viewers.

Charmin

Charmin is a brand of toilet paper that markets their product in a creatively funny way, promoting the use of their toilet paper without being crude.

Charmin also responds to playful tweets by their audience and will sometimes involve other brands in their repartee. Have a look at how they mocked the macho image of Old Spice. The picture their suggestion conjures up is just hilarious.

Moosejaw Mountaineering

Moosejaw Mountaineering is an outdoor retailer that doesn’t take itself too seriously. In fact, they call themselves “the most fun outdoor retailer on the planet.” Check out one of their amusing tweets below. As they demonstrate, one of the keys to good humor is to be thought-provoking.

Arby’s

Arby’s likes using pictures in their tweets, and so far, this quick-service fast-food sandwich restaurant chain has been very successful in collecting Retweets and Likes for their funny posts. See one below.

The 5 funniest tweets by people

According to scientific research and the real-world studies of Mr. Kurt Mortensen, which he discusses in his book Maximum Influence, using humor in this fast-paced age makes people “remember you and continue to hold you in a positive light long after the initial exchange.” This seems true for the following users whose funny tweets got the attention of the Twitterverse and beyond.

Josh

This tongue-in-cheek tweet by user Josh pokes fun at what historians have often said of Shakespeare. He took great advantage of this error by a Shakespeare bot to gain more Followers and become more popular on the platform.

James Kirkpatrick

This priceless tweet by James Kirkpatrick takes a moment to read, but it’s pretty funny and clever once you read the titles of the books in the picture.

Sarah Lyons

This back-slappingly-funny narrative of Sarah Lyons’ visit to the dentist surprised even her when the Twittersphere gave such a massive response. Her candidness earned her tweet thousands of Retweets and Likes.

Bakoon

Bakooon’s rise to fame was assisted by this clever caption of the dog pictures he posted. The mock seriousness of the text made it all the funnier, especially once you see the look on the dog’s face in the second picture.

In general, pictures of pets are received positively on the Internet, which is probably why there are loads of memes with pets on them.

Frank Furter

Frank Furter really built up the anticipation with this tweet. It seems simple, but maybe you didn’t notice that the second was tweeted exactly 5 years later. His sense of humor and persistence gained him tens of thousands of Retweets and Likes. If you don’t get it, call up some friends and watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show tonight. Please.

What’s Funny and What’s Not

There’s a thin line between funny and offensive and if you don’t know how to tread it, it’s best to let people who know how handle the comedy. Humor is an art and if you have to ask if something is funny or not, then you’re probably better off hiring someone else to do the tweeting for you.

Humor is instinctual and so are our reactions to it. It’s either funny or it’s not. Overall, making regular people the butt of a joke is not funny. This is called punching-down, and it’s usually not received very well.

https://twitter.com/chiqulto/status/1015245800417447937

If you want to keep your reputation intact, you should never aim your joke at a specific group of people, whether you’re classifying them by age, gender, race, religion, income, education level, or other demographics. Singling one group out and making disrespectful statements about them is not seen as funny and will get you more hate than love.

Stay clear of controversial topics, too, especially if they hurt and make people feel bad.

How to Write Funny Tweets

Funny posts not only invite people to Follow you, whether on Twitter or other social media channels. Comedy also ups the virality factor of a post.

Having many Followers does not guarantee that your posts will go viral but it sure is a good start. So if buying Followers is not a part of your Followers campaign, then you should seriously consider including it in your marketing plans.

Read our reviews of companies that offer high-quality Twitter Followers and kickstart your growth now. When you have attracted many Followers, here’s how you can develop your humor muscle so you can put out funny tweets that will keep them coming back.

Follow funny accounts

You’ll get a feel of what the Twitter audience finds funny and you’ll learn a few things too. Browse websites for funny stuff and then share it as a tweet, giving credit to the author of course.

Read humorous material

Nobody can teach humor, but if you consume humor-filled books then you’ll learn what tone of writing and language can make people laugh effortlessly.

Have good timing

Ride on the popularity of current events and use them to your advantage. Remember when Oreo tweeted during the Super Bowl blackout? The tweet in itself wasn’t all that funny, it’s only the timing that made it so.

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC

— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

Make fun of yourself

Self-deprecating jokes make us more accessible but if you’re a brand, be careful in appearing less than confident. Do remember also that self-deprecating humor from people in authority is disarming, but it is damaging to lower-status people.

Humor is Boss

Social media interaction has replaced real socialization in many ways, and the majority of people are on social media to be entertained. Capitalize on this fact by injecting more humor in your tweets. User accounts and brands are more likable when they share happy and funny tweets – some people will only follow you for a laugh, but others will become interested in your company and investigate you further.

Avoid offending anyone with insensitive tweets or you could lose followers. Follow our tips outlined here and work on making your audience bend double in laughter, and not straighten in indignation.

Above of all, just have fun. Because when you’re having fun, being funny becomes second nature.