Everyone loves a good funny video. But since there are so many funny videos on YouTube, standing out as a popular YouTube comedian is no joke. Gaining popularity and success in YouTube comedy is very possible though, and here are five steps to make it happen.
1. Find your comedic style and stick to it.
First, figure out what your comedic style is. There are so many forms of humor on YouTube, including parody, satire, deadpan, relatable, and more. What type of humor makes you laugh? What type of humor do you use with your friends? Once you pin it down, make sure that you stick with it. Don’t try to force another comedic style in your videos, because quality humor comes naturally.
Check out this video featuring clips of several different styles of humor!
2. Learn from YouTube comedians in your humor genre.
Once you’ve pinned down your comedic genre, watch videos from YouTube comedians and personalities with a similar sense of humor. You can learn a great deal about how to structure and style your videos from watching professionals, and you can even pick up tips that help the comedy flow! For example, Shane Dawson uses cutaway scenes, Jenna Marbles uses different voices, and almost all YouTube comedians have catchphrases!
Here’s a short video showcasing 25 YouTubers’ catchphrases.
3. Practice talking on camera and make a “test” video.
Comedy on YouTube is entirely different from comedy in real life or in other platforms. Simply talking on camera can be a challenge, not to mention also trying to be funny and concise. First, simply practice talking on camera about anything, and try to weave in some humor (in the form of funny side thoughts, ironic observations, etc.). The more you do this, the more comfortable on camera you’ll become.
If you’re feeling brave, you can even post these free-form videos on YouTube and gauge the viewers’ response in the form of their likes and comments! (And don’t be discouraged if the response is initially negative…try to learn from it!)
Here’s a helpful video with some tips on how to talk on camera.
4. Keep your bloopers.
Bloopers are great for so many reasons, the first being that they’re funny lines that you don’t have to write! Viewers like to see that YouTube comedians are down-to-Earth, authentic, and not afraid of looking ridiculous! Featuring your bloopers will definitely make new viewers warm up to you quickly. Also, you may even find hidden comedic gems in your bloopers (because so many jokes and funny moments happen on accident), and you can incorporate them into the main part of your video!
Check out this hilarious bloopers reel from the YouTuber Miranda Sings!
Lastly, remember that there are certain guidelines for boosting the popularity of nearly any YouTube channel, and comedic channels are certainly no exception. Don’t forget to post videos regularly, keep your videos relatively short (10 minutes max, and preferably much shorter), ask viewers to like/comment/subscribe, and engage with your audience and other YouTubers!
So have no fear, aspiring YouTube comedians! If you find your comedic style, learn from YouTube comedians, practice talking on camera, keep your bloopers, and remember the basics, you’ll become a YouTube comedian in no time!
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David Yaghutiel is a Bay Area native who enjoys traveling, theatre, playing the ukulele, and learning as much about the world as he possibly can. He also occasionally daylights as a senior at UCLA.
