Snapchat released official guidance on comedy writing for marketers. Here's what your brand needs to know to actually land jokes with younger audiences instead of cringe.
Snapchat released official guidance on how marketers can connect with younger users through humor, offering tips on effective comedy writing. The move signals that Snapchat sees comedy not as a nice-to-have, but as the core language its audience speaks.
Snapchat's user base grew up on memes, TikTok, and ironic content. A brand post that sounds like a press release gets zero engagement. The platform published this guidance because brands that treat Snapchat like a broadcast channel, posting product photos with corporate captions, get buried or worse, get roasted in comments. Snapchat wants brands to succeed on its platform because successful campaigns keep users coming back.
The audience expects humor as a baseline. Without it, a brand looks out of touch. With it done poorly, a brand looks desperate. That's the gap Snapchat's guidance fills.
If your business targets anyone under 30, your Snapchat presence (or lack of one) tells them who you are. Younger customers view humor as a signal of authenticity. A brand that can laugh at itself, that gets the joke, that doesn't take itself too seriously, that brand feels human and trustworthy. A brand that posts polished product shots with stilted captions? That brand feels like it doesn't understand them.
Snapchat's comedy guidance gives you a roadmap to stop sounding like a corporation and start sounding like someone your customers actually want to follow.
Snapchat's guidance frames comedy as a skill, not luck. That means studying your audience, understanding what makes them laugh, and practicing the timing and tone before you post to thousands. This isn't about forcing jokes; it's about matching the conversational, self-aware style your younger customers already expect.
Start by watching what content your audience actually engages with. Notice the tone, the speed of delivery, the self-deprecation. Then mirror that voice in your own posts. A local contractor posting a Snapchat about a messy job site, with a joke about muddy boots and chaos, will outperform a polished before-and-after photo every time.
The payoff: content that makes people laugh gets shared. Shared content reaches new customers. That's the business math.
Sourced: Marketing Dive, August 6, 2026.
Snapchat's user base is predominantly younger audiences who grew up on memes and ironic content. Brands that sound corporate or overly polished get ignored or mocked. Snapchat released this guidance because unfunny brand content tanks engagement and drives users away from the platform.
A failed joke damages trust more than no joke at all. That's why Snapchat provided specific tips on comedy writing, so brands can study what works before posting. The platform expects you to learn the audience's sense of humor first.
Snapchat's guidance applies to any brand on the platform. Local shops, contractors, and service businesses on Snapchat will see higher engagement if they drop the formal tone and match the conversational, humorous style their younger customers expect.
Humor drives shares, comments, and repeat views, all of which increase your reach without paid boost. On Snapchat, content that makes people laugh creates brand loyalty with younger audiences, which translates to repeat customers and word-of-mouth.