![]() “We quickly realized that the quality of our ideas increased with the number of ideas people brought in,” said Dikkers. When The Onion grew to about six or seven staff writers, each one was expected to bring 20 headlines to a weekly brainstorming meeting. ![]() “Basically, 95% of everything we create is garbage.” What pains are they trying to assuage? 2. How do you know what the “right” concept is? Start with your target audience: And if it’s not a good concept or the right concept, then you’re sunk before you’ve even written a word.” “Your concept - and I would equate that with your headline or title - is the flag you’re raising, it's the shingle on your door. “But when the headline really speaks to you - when it addresses a personal problem or promises to answer a burning question - you’re going to click it. “We live in an attention economy where there are billions of online articles to read,” said Dikkers. “I knew we had to put the joke first so that people were laughing before they even picked up the paper.”ĭecades later, the internet has only reinforced this principle. “I knew we had to grab people’s attention with the concept, the headline,” said Dikkers. So, in the early days - before anyone cared enough about the brand to seek it out - the success of every issue hinged on the strength of its headline. “What’s going to make your content stand out?”įor a long time, The Onion was a physical weekly newspaper distributed for free on the street. Ready for a master class? Let’s dive in … 1. And whether you’re selling a product or a service, a belief system or a joke, following these writing principles will help you reliably hook, engage, and compel readers. When you have control, you have leverage to deliver the message in an engaging and compelling way, a way that sells. In other words, the tenants of humor writing are transferable to lead-gen articles and columns, landing pages and emails, web pages, video scripts, and speeches.īecause every writer’s goal is identical: control the reader’s experience. And while some of his techniques are specific to crafting jokes, many are also applicable to any writing discipline.ĭikkers and other talented humorists are playing by the same engagement rules as are copywriters and content marketers. In his book, How to Write Funny, Scott details his process, explaining how to create hilarious writing at an elite level. And like any professional editor, he’s maintained his standards by following a set of guidelines. ![]() Over the years, Dikkers has punched up and published thousands of articles that have made readers laugh - and think. That is, the jokes have something to say about the world, about society, politics, and people with power. This article is about the writing principles that enabled his success. ![]() He grew The Onion from a seed in the dirt to a brand that commands attention around the world. Needless to say, if anybody knows how to write great content - content that readers can’t help but to consume, share, and come back to again and again - it’s Scott Dikkers. “The writer’s job is to manipulate the reader’s emotions, to push their buttons - and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re never going to succeed, whether you’re writing satire or anything else.” “The reader is a puppet and the writer is pulling the strings,” said Dikkers. I was interviewing Scott to better understand his approach to writing, the process he uses to engage and connect with readers. Today, it’s a globally renowned media house with nearly 20 million social followers and over 10 million monthly visitors. He’s also a screenwriter and a #1 New York Times best selling author with more than twenty books to his name.ĭuring his tenure, The Onion evolved from a local print magazine in Madison, Wisconsin, into a satirical juggernaut. “If you want to create a great piece of writing, you have to be in total control of the reader’s experience,” said Scott Dikkers, The Onion’s founding editor and longest-serving editor-in-chief.ĭikkers held the position from 1988 to 1999, then from 2005 to 2008, and again from 2011 to 2013.
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