BOW 099: Adam Hunt: Comedic Conversion Writing

The Business of Writing Podcast

In This Episode:

Adam Hunt is a TV Producer turned Copywriter who specializes in comedic copywriting. He says there’s an art to writing jokes that work for brands – and a science that makes sure the end result is on-brand, on-message and won’t get you cancelled.

Adam brought together TV’s best comedy writers to form his White Label Comedy Hive-Mind.

They, to help brands of all shapes and sizes entertain, engage and sell. Which, he says, was not as hard as it sounds, since they were all in the same branch of Starbucks complaining about the WiFi. He now keeps them in a small bucket on his coffee table, occasionally feeding them episodes of Cheers.

Episode Highlights

• How Adam convinced a bunch of TV writers to give up their fat paychecks and jump ship and start a copy agency
• Why joke formulas don’t always work in persuasive copy (and the counterintuitive reason Adam still uses them)
• How to find the perfect balance of comedy, psychology, and marketing to write a winning piece every time
• Why you should always start with conversion copy before thinking about the joke
• How to use comedy to get your audience to lower their resistance and be more open to hearing your message.
• The secret to avoiding cringe worthy jokes when injecting humor into your brand
• How to avoid the biggest mistakes newbie writers make when trying their hand at humor
• Adam’s advice for managing (and corralling) a team of writers and comedians

And plenty more along the way. Get the resources mentioned in this episode below.