What to Look For in Your Recordings

Comedian performs at Helltown

🤔 Have you ever thought about trying stand-up comedy but have no idea where to start? The barrier to entry is not as great as it seems. During our series JustSignUp we give tips and strategies for entry level and first time comedians. Following these tips will help you get on the best comedy shows and at the best comedy clubs near you.

Last time we talked about 📹 recording EVERYTHING. Whether you are at an open mic or a comedy club, it is one of the best things you can do to improve as a comedian. From the worst open mic night to the biggest theaters, getting a chance to review your sets is invaluable. But what do you look for? And what do you do with you’re recordings?

What to Look For 👀

1. Punchlines, specifically does the audience laugh at them? You are trying to make the audience laugh when you want them to. If you try a joke a few times and notice the audience doesn’t laugh at the punchline, it’s time to change or cut the joke. Try writing a new punchline, or a new tag to the joke.

2. Premises, specifically are the too long/confusing? Are they necessary? You want to get from punchline to punchline with as few words as possible. A joke you think is 5 min, may be 4 min of premise and 1 min of joke. Try and find a way to just tell that 1 min of joke. Too much set up can kill the funniest of punchlines.

3. Unscripted moments, specifically did you come up with a new tag or punchline on the spot? You don’t have to remember it on stage, you have a recording of it. These can often become the funniest parts of jokes.

As you grow, these unscripted moments become great pieces of content for social media and YouTube. As a new comedian do not focus on this, but save the best clips and share them as often as you can.

What to do with the recordings?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Delete most of them. You don’t need them after you watch them.

• Always keep a clip of your best 5 min set to send to comedy shows and comedy clubs to get booked.

That’s it for this week, keep checking back and share this with people who tell you they’ve always wanted to try comedy.