The best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success

Real examples of humorous storytelling for social media success

Let’s start where your audience starts: with real examples they’d actually stop scrolling for. These aren’t theoretical templates; they’re the kind of examples of humorous storytelling for social media success that have already earned likes, saves, and sometimes a mild PR panic (in a good way).

1. Duolingo’s chaotic owl on TikTok

Duolingo on TikTok is a masterclass in unhinged storytelling. The brand’s giant green owl costume shows up in skits about toxic exes, late-night texting, and forgetting your language lessons… again.

The story is always the same at its core: you promised to learn a language, you didn’t, Duo knows, and Duo is mildly unwell about it. But they wrap that story in different humorous scenarios:

• Duo thirsting over celebrities who speak multiple languages
• Duo lurking behind employees in the office when they miss their streak
• Duo reacting to user comments like a chaotic best friend

Each post is a tiny sitcom episode. This is one of the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success because the brand is the punchline and the narrator. The owl doesn’t explain features; it dramatizes the feeling of guilt and procrastination, which is way more shareable.

2. Ryanair’s savage passenger POV videos

Ryanair’s TikTok uses a low-budget but high-attitude format: the camera zooms in on the nose of a plane while a snarky caption tells a story from the airline’s perspective.

Examples include:

• “POV: You complain about legroom on a $10 flight.”
• “POV: You didn’t read the baggage policy and now you’re mad at us.”

Instead of apologizing for being a budget airline, they lean into it with humor. Every video is a mini story about a passenger versus reality. It’s a sharp example of humorous storytelling for social media success because it reframes complaints as jokes, turning potential negativity into engagement.

3. Wendy’s roast days on X (Twitter)

Wendy’s built an entire persona around being the snarky friend who roasts you but still feeds you fries.

On “National Roast Day,” they invite users to ask for a roast. The replies are short stories in one line:

• A user: “Roast my music career.”
  Wendy’s: “We’d say don’t quit your day job, but we’re not sure you have one.”

Each reply implies a bigger narrative about the person, their choices, and Wendy’s personality. It’s a real example of humorous storytelling for social media success because the brand isn’t just posting jokes; it’s co-writing micro-stories with its audience in public.

4. Scrub Daddy’s chaotic product skits

Scrub Daddy (yes, the smiling sponge from Shark Tank) uses TikTok and Instagram Reels to turn a sponge into a sitcom character. They create skits where Scrub Daddy and Scrub Mommy argue about chores, jealousy over other cleaning products, or being left in the sink.

One popular format: Scrub Daddy narrates the “trauma” of cleaning up after a messy roommate or a disastrous cooking experiment. The humor comes from exaggeration and personification. This is one of the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success because it transforms a boring household item into a character you weirdly care about.

5. The Washington Post’s “intern” on TikTok

The Washington Post uses a recurring character: “the intern,” who explains news stories through skits, memes, and over-the-top reactions.

For example, when covering a complex policy issue, they’ll stage a scene where the intern is dramatically trying to explain it to a confused coworker using pop culture references. The news becomes a story about trying (and failing) to be a functioning adult in a complicated world.

This is a strong example of humorous storytelling for social media success because it humanizes a serious brand without trivializing the information. It also aligns with research showing that storytelling improves information recall and engagement in educational contexts (Harvard GSE).

6. Small-business “day-in-the-life” chaos

You don’t need a giant budget to pull this off. Some of the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success come from small businesses posting:

• “POV: You run a bakery and your sourdough starter has a stronger personality than you.”
• “Day in the life of a nail tech whose clients treat the appointment like therapy.”

The story structure is simple: show the behind-the-scenes reality, exaggerate the pain points, and let your personality leak through every frame or caption. Relatable chaos is currency.

How to turn these examples into your own humorous story formats

Now that you’ve seen several examples of humorous storytelling for social media success, the question becomes: how do you build your own version without copying or forcing it?

Think in formats, not one-off posts. Most of the best examples share repeatable patterns:

Character-driven storytelling

Duolingo has Duo. Scrub Daddy has the sponge family. The Washington Post has the intern. You can do the same by choosing a character to carry your stories:

• A mascot (real or illustrated)
• A recurring employee
• A fictional “voice” of your product
• Even “future you” or “past you” as a character

Once you have a character, you can build recurring series:

• “Ask the Overwhelmed Social Media Manager”
• “Conversations with My Coffee Mug Before 9 a.m.”

These recurring bits become your own examples of humorous storytelling for social media success because the audience starts to expect them, quote them, and tag friends who “need to see this.”

Conflict + exaggeration = instant story

Every good story needs a problem. Humor loves problems.

Common conflicts you can exaggerate:

• Customer vs. confusing instructions
• You vs. your to-do list
• Your product vs. the ridiculous workaround people use instead

For instance, a fitness coach might post:

“Me: I’ll just watch one workout video for motivation.
Also me, 2 hours later: Knows 5 new exercises and has done zero of them.”

That’s a simple example of humorous storytelling for social media success: set up a relatable conflict (motivation vs. procrastination), then twist it with honesty and exaggeration.

2024–2025 trends that amplify humorous storytelling

In 2024–2025, a few trends make humor-driven stories especially powerful:

• Short-form video dominance. TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts still rule attention. Fast, story-based humor works incredibly well in this format.
• POV and skit formats. “POV: you’re…” and “When you…” are baked into the culture now, making it easy to plug your brand into existing meme structures.
• Creator-style production. Polished ads feel distant; content that looks like it was filmed on a phone by a slightly sleep-deprived human feels real. That authenticity aligns with research showing that emotional and narrative content is more memorable and persuasive than purely informational content (NIH/PMC).

When you combine these trends with the kind of formats you’ve seen in the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success, you get content that feels native to the feed, not like an interruption.

Building your own best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success

You don’t need to be a comedian. You just need to be observant and a little bit shameless.

Here’s how to create posts that could sit alongside these real examples of humorous storytelling for social media success and hold their own.

Start with a painfully specific truth

Vague “relatable” content is boring. Hyper-specific is funny.

Instead of:
“Working from home is hard.”

Try:
“Working from home is just rotating between three locations: desk, couch, and the kitchen where you pretend to ‘need more water’ but actually want snacks.”

That level of detail is what you see in the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success. It tells the audience, “We live in the same weird reality.”

Use simple story arcs in short posts

You can sneak a full story into a caption, Reel, or tweet using a basic arc:

• Setup – The situation: “I tried to film a serious product demo…”
• Tension – The problem: “…but my cat decided the tripod was a mortal enemy.”
• Punchline – The twist: “So anyway, here’s a demo of my reflexes instead.”

That’s a micro example of humorous storytelling for social media success that could be paired with a chaotic behind-the-scenes video. It shows your product, your personality, and your reality all at once.

Let your audience co-write the jokes

Some of the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success are built in the comments, not the original post.

You can:

• Ask followers to “write the next line” of a story in the comments.
• Post a meme template and say, “Caption this from the perspective of our product.”
• Share a customer story and ask, “Anyone else been here?”

This taps into social proof and shared experience. It also aligns with broader findings that social connection and emotional resonance support better engagement and even well-being online when used intentionally (NIH).

Common mistakes that ruin humorous storytelling

Even the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success can tempt brands into trying too hard. A few traps to avoid:

Punching down

If the joke is at the expense of a vulnerable group, you’ve gone off the rails. Roast your own brand, your fictional characters, or universal experiences. Don’t target specific individuals or marginalized communities.

Forcing trends that don’t fit

Not every sound, meme, or challenge needs your logo slapped on it. Ask:

• Does this trend connect to my audience’s real life?
• Can I tell a story with it, not just copy it?

If not, skip it and build your own format. The best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success often come from original recurring bits, not whatever audio is trending this afternoon.

Forgetting the point: you’re still a brand

You’re not just funny for sport. You’re funny on purpose.

Make sure your stories still:

• Highlight a product benefit (even indirectly)
• Reinforce your brand voice
• Move people toward a next step (follow, click, save, share)

Humor is the vehicle; your message is the passenger.

FAQ: examples of humorous storytelling for social media success

Q: Can you give a simple example of humorous storytelling I can use tomorrow?
Yes. Try a “before and after, but honest” post. For a productivity app:

Before using [App]: 47 tabs open, 3 half-finished to-do lists, and a mysterious reminder that just says “call them.”
After using [App]: Still 20 tabs open, but at least I know who “them” is.

This is an easy example of humorous storytelling for social media success because it’s honest, self-aware, and shows the benefit without pretending your product fixes everything.

Q: Do I have to be a funny person to create good examples of humorous storytelling?
No. Many examples of humorous storytelling for social media success are based on observation, not stand-up comedy. Start by writing down the weird, annoying, or oddly specific things your customers deal with. Then exaggerate them slightly and tell them like you’re texting a friend.

Q: Are there examples of humorous storytelling that work better in certain industries?
Absolutely. For regulated or serious fields (like health, finance, or education), humor needs more care. You can still tell light, human stories about everyday situations—like struggling to understand complex jargon—without making fun of the serious parts. For health-related content, it’s worth checking guidelines and best practices from trusted sources such as Mayo Clinic or NIH to keep things accurate and respectful.

Q: How often should I post humorous storytelling content?
Often enough that it feels like part of your brand, not a random surprise. Many brands whose posts are held up as the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success weave humor into most of their content, then mix in more direct educational or promotional posts. Think of humor as your default tone, not a once-a-month special.

Q: What metrics show that my humorous storytelling is actually working?
Look beyond likes. Saves, shares, comments, and profile visits tell you whether your posts are functioning as real examples of humorous storytelling for social media success. If people are tagging friends, replying with their own stories, or referencing your recurring bits later, you’re on the right track.

Humorous storytelling isn’t about becoming the funniest account on the internet. It’s about sounding less like a press release and more like a person your audience would actually want in their feed. Study the best examples of humorous storytelling for social media success, steal the structure, keep your own voice, and let your posts be a little messy, a little honest, and a lot more human.