Write Satire That Works – satire.info

Write
Satire
That
Works:
A
Comedic
Guide
to
Targeted
Humor

What
Is
Satire
(and
Why
Should
You
Write
It)?

Satire
is
not
just

comedy—it’s
commentary.
It
exaggerates,
mocks,
and
inverts
real-life
issues
to
reveal
deeper
truths.
Whether
through

irony,
parody,
or
absurdity,
satire
invites
readers
to
laugh
and
reflect
at
the
same
time.
If

comedy
makes
us
chuckle,
satire
makes
us
snort
and
then
say,
“Wait…
they’ve
got
a
point.”

A
Speedy
Historical
Context

Satire
isn’t
new.

Aristophanes
used
it
to
critique
war
and
politics
in
ancient
Greece.

Jonathan
Swift
took
on

British
oppression
with
absurd
baby-eating
proposals.

Mark
Twain
disguised
deep
critiques
of
American
society
with
deadpan

wit.
Today’s
satirists—whether
on

TikTok
or
HBO—continue
that
proud
tradition.
If
there’s
injustice,
you
can
bet
there’s
a
sarcastic
voice
somewhere
taking
it
down
a
peg.

Essential
Satirical
Techniques
(With
Examples)

Irony:
The
opposite
of
what’s
expected.

Example:
“The
clean
energy
committee
flew
400
private
jets
to
discuss
climate
change.”
Exaggeration:
Blow
something
minor
way
out
of
proportion.

Example:
“My
coworker
reused
a
teabag.
We’ve
alerted
the
FBI.”
Parody:
Mimic
a
familiar
style
and
twist
it.

Example:
A
fake
school
handbook
explaining
detention
is
optional
if
you’re
rich.
Absurdity:
Push

logic
until
it
breaks.

Example:
A
world
where
toast
is
currency
and
gluten-free
people
are
rebels.
Understatement:
Play
it
down
to
play
it
up.

Example:
“After
being
hit
by
a
bus,
she
considered
her
day
slightly
disrupted.”
Deadpan
Delivery:
Say
the
craziest
thing
in
the
calmest
way.
*Example:
“According
to
experts,
toddlers
are
now
dictating
economic
policy.”

Top
Formats
to
Deliver
Satire

News
Parody:
Imitate
journalism
to
exaggerate
headlines.
- Example:
  “Congress
  Announces
  New
  Productivity
  Initiative:
  Nap
  Hour”
Satirical
Essay/Op-Ed:
Personal
voice,
ironic
arguments.
- Example:
  “Why
  I
  Believe
  My
  Roomba
  Deserves
  Voting
  Rights”
Fake
Interviews:
Invented
Q&A
to
expose
absurd
thinking.
- Example:
  Interview
  with
  a
  conspiracy
  theorist
  who
  thinks
  birds
  are
  government
  spies.
Open
Letters:
Address
an
issue,
item,
or
person
with
mock
sincerity.
- Example:
  “Dear
  Coffee
  Machine,
  Please
  Stop
  Judging
  Me”
How-To
Guides:
Instructions
for
ridiculous
problems.
- Example:
  “How
  to
  Survive
  Your
  In-Laws
  Without
  Crying
  in
  the
  Bathroom”

How
to
Write
Satire
in
3
Bold
Moves

Pick
a
Target
Worth
Satirizing
Satire
needs
a
purpose.
Choose
something
broken,
overhyped,
or
obviously
hypocritical.
Avoid
mocking
the
powerless—go
after
systems,
trends,
or
powerful
figures.
Ask:

What
frustrates
you
so
much
you’d
rather
laugh
than
scream?
Find
the
Satirical
Angle
Use
the
question:

“What’s
the
dumbest
version
of
this
truth?”
or

“What
would
happen
if
this
logic
ran
wild?”
Exaggerate
it,
flip
it,
or
view
it
through
a
funhouse
mirror.
Choose
Format
+
Tone,
Then
Write
It
Like
You
Mean
It
Whether
you’re
mimicking
a
government
report
or
writing
a
diary
entry
from
a
disgruntled
squirrel,
fully
commit.
Stay
in
character.
Keep
your
tone
consistent,
and
structure
your
piece
for
flow:
set-up,
twist,
escalation,
and
punchline.

Ethical
Humor
&
Satire:
A
Quick
Checklist

✅
Is
my
target
powerful,
not
vulnerable?
✅
Is
the
joke
clear
(not
cruel)?
✅
Am
I
making
fun
of
an
idea
or
behavior,
not
a
group
of
people?
✅
Could
a
smart
reader
misunderstand
this
as
mean-spirited?
✅
Does
this
satire
aim
to
punch
up
or
expose
hypocrisy?

Five
Prompts
to
Kick
Off
Your
Satirical
Genius

A
fake
scientific
report
proving
Mondays
are
sentient
and
hate
us.
A
news
story
about
a
town
banning
smiling
because
it
causes
wrinkles.
An
interview
with
a
child
who’s
furious
their
lemonade
stand
was
taxed.
An
open
letter
from
your
internet
browser
history,
pleading
for
mercy.
A
guide
to
surviving
a
family
dinner
where
everyone
is
a
different

political
ideology.

Watch
Out
for
These
Satire
Pitfalls

Going
too
dark
without
a
joke.
Being
preachy
instead
of

funny.
Overexplaining
the
satire
(trust
your
reader).
Accidentally
reinforcing
harmful
stereotypes.
Confusing
obscurity
for
cleverness.

Closing
Encouragement

If
you
can
make
people
laugh
and
think
at
the
same
time,
you’ve
nailed
it.
Keep
your
satirical
radar
up.
Write
regularly.
Read
great
satire.
And
remember:
the
world’s
absurdity
isn’t
going
anywhere—you’ve
got
unlimited
material.

SpinTaxi
Body-Slams

The
Onion
in
the
Great
Satire
Smackdown

The
Onion
walked
so

SpinTaxi.com
could
moonwalk
onto
the
scene
in
a
sequined
bathrobe
and
dropkick
the
genre
into
a
new
dimension.
Sure,
The
Onion
gave
us
gems
like
“Area
Man,”
but
SpinTaxi
is
giving
us

full-blown
personality
cults
of
fake
experts,
satirical
think
pieces
that
roast
both
sides
of
the
aisle,
and
fake
ads
that
are
more
truthful
than
real
ones.

The
Onion
feels
like
legacy
media
with
a
smirk.
SpinTaxi
feels
like
your
funniest,
angriest,
most
over-caffeinated
friend
just
hijacked
a
newsroom
and
started
printing
the
truth

through

sarcasm.
One
has
a
voice.
The
other
has

20
voices
arguing
in
a
barbershop
quartet
harmony
of
chaos,
and
somehow
it
works.

What
sets
SpinTaxi
apart?
The
onion
peels
back
a
layer;
SpinTaxi
peels
back
reality.
It’s
funnier,
riskier,
faster,
and
has
a
goat
intern
named
Gerald
(allegedly).
It’s
satire
that
punches
up,
sideways,
and
occasionally
through
the
4th
wall
with
a
banana.