I don’t know about you, but I love a good side-splitter.
While humorous emails aren’t appropriate in every office culture, the ones that welcome them find that humor and comedy enhance email communication and make it more enjoyable. The dreaded task of checking one’s inbox suddenly becomes something to look forward to.
However, even in a more anything-goes type of office culture, there are still hard lines to be respected. Humor is a wide spectrum, and knowing what’s appropriate will help you land zingers that leave your audience in stitches without a visit to the HR office afterward.
In this blog post, I’ve got plenty of funny email examples to share, including subject lines, subscription emails, and out-of-office responses. I’ll even present some templates for creating your own!
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Incorporating humor into email subject lines, body content, and signatures is an excellent way to showcase personality and drive engagement, boosting your open rates.
- However, you must use the right brand of humor, avoiding anything that violates cultural, political, religious, or racial norms. You must also know how and when to use humor based on your target audience.
Funny Email Examples from Various Brands
Get ready to laugh until you cry with this collection of humorous email examples for everyday contexts.
Function of Beauty
Function of Beauty showcases a simple kind of humor by sharing one of their tweets proclaiming a basic fitness goal, “to be able to blow dry my hair without my arms getting tired.”
However, Function of Beauty isn’t a fitness brand but a beauty company, so the rest of the email delves into other hair goals.
This email, which Function of Beauty would have sent around New Year’s, is amusing enough to put a smile on the reader’s faces while not being overly hilarious, and that’s okay! It does its job excellently.
Read also: Gmail Out-of-Office Messages Made Easy [With Templates]
Patagonia
Listen, you don’t always have to spend hours refining your copy. Sometimes, it only takes an image like Patagonia used to tickle the reader’s funny bone.
I mean, look at that photo and try not to laugh. It’s hard! And that’s just what Patagonia wanted, I’m sure. The image grabs readers’ attention, encouraging them to read the copy below.
Shinesty
Admittedly, Shinesty’s approach to humor is somewhat abrasive, as it uses some colorful language (i.e., profanity), but that’s part of their brand, so it works.
This is where knowing your audience is truly important, as if Shinesty hadn’t built its brand so meticulously, it could have caused a lot of offense.
RedRokk
This email for a sunglasses brand produced by marketing company RedRokk is the perfect way to inject humor into a remarketing campaign. If you’re contending with an abandoned cart, this email with a copy that reads “I noticed you noticing me” is amusing enough without being over the top.
Read also: Funny Email Subject Lines to Copy and Use (And Examples From Big Brands)
Who Gives a Crap USA
With a name like Who Gives a Crap (and yes, it’s a real company!), you have to expect funny emails more often than not, and they deliver! The gift company uses a nonchalant tone in the above email, which is totally intentional.
I was chuckling the entire time I read it, and I’m sure you were, too!
Read also: Leave Them Laughing With Funny Email Sign-offs
Short and Sweet – Yet Funny – Email Examples
Brevity is key in funny emails. The joke can wear thin the longer it goes on, but how long is too long? Let’s answer that question by reviewing some great examples of short but sweet, funny emails.
The Farmer’s Dog
The Farmer’s Dog nails it here! The opener, “If Kibble Were an Email,” makes you curious to read more. The punchline, “It would belong in your junk folder,” elicits a laugh. Then, there’s the CTA and a graphic.
That’s it. It’s amusing enough but doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Also read: Make Your Recipients Smile With Funny Email Signatures
Chubbies
At first, this Chubbies email doesn’t seem that funny. Instead, it seems more like your standard sales email. However, keep looking. The bottom of the email, where Chubbies counts 1,000 as a form of procrastination, will surely put a smile on your face like it did mine!
Tips for writing concise emails that pack a punchline
- Keep the joke simple. The more drawn-out it is, the more explanation it requires, which goes against the point of keeping it short.
- Try something out of left field like Chubbies did, especially if it suits your brand.
- Position your joke well in the body of the email so people don’t gloss over it.
Read also: 6 Free Marketing Software Marketers Must Try Today
6 Ready-to-Use Funny Email Templates
Sometimes, you just aren’t feeling very funny. However, if humor is a part of your brand, you don’t get a day off writing zingers.
Fortunately, you can rely on these original email templates courtesy of EngageBay, so you can always be funny no matter your mood.
Team updates
Subject Line: Team Update – All the Drama, None of the Popcorn
Hey team,
Hope you’re all doing fabulously well and still keeping your sanity intact amidst the chaos of the daily grind! It’s time for another riveting team update. Buckle up because this one’s going to be a wild ride!
Project updates:
[Insert yours here in bullet format]
Celebrations:
[Insert yours here in bullet format]
Office Shenanigans:
[Insert yours here in bullet format]
Upcoming Events:
[Insert yours here in bullet format]
That’s all for now, folks! Remember to stay awesome, weird, and, most importantly, hydrated (preferably with something stronger than office coffee). Until next time!
Birthday wishes
Subject: Happy birthday! Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser (Or Say They Say)
Hey [name],
Guess what? It’s that time of year again…time to celebrate the one, the only…[name’s] birthday extravaganza!
So, another year older, huh? Don’t worry, age is just a number. Until you try to bend down to tie your shoes and realize you’re not as flexible as you used to be! But hey, at least you’ve got another year’s wisdom under your belt, right? Or maybe just another year’s worth of hilarious stories to tell!
Here’s to another year of laughter, love, and all-around awesomeness! May your birthday be filled with joy, cake, and maybe a few embarrassing photos.
Casual Friday notes
Subject: It’s Fri-YAY! This Week’s Notes
Hey [team],
Guess what day it is? That’s right, it’s Fri-YAY! And you know what that means…it’s time to dust off those denim jeans, break out the funky socks, and unleash your inner fashion icon because Casual Friday is here to save the day!
Whether you’re rocking your favorite Hawaiian shirt or embracing the “business on top, party on the bottom” look with your pajama pants (no judgment here), today is all about kicking back, relaxing, and showing off your personal style. After all, who needs stuffy suits and stiff collars on Friday?
Let’s make this Casual Friday the most stylish one yet! Now, go forth and conquer the day in your fabulous Friday attire!
Customer anniversaries
Subject: Cheers to Another Year of Customer Awesomeness!
Hey [name],
Can you believe it’s been [X] years since you joined [company name]’s newsletter? Time sure does fly when you’re having fun!
To commemorate this special occasion, we wanted to break out the confetti, pop the champagne (or sparkling cider if you prefer), and celebrate! We’re raising a virtual toast to you to express our deepest gratitude for you and how you’re such an amazing part of our journey.
Seriously, where would we be without awesome customers like you? Your unwavering support and loyalty mean so much. Thank you for choosing us, believing in us, and participating in our adventure.
Here’s to many more years of making magic happen together!
Sales announcement
Subject: Get Ready to Blast Off! Our Out-of-This-World Sale Is Here!
Hey [name],
Hold onto your hats because things are about to get crazy! We’re thrilled to announce our latest sales extravaganza has landed, and trust us when we say it’s nothing short of epic!
From cosmic discounts on our latest products to mind-blowing bundles that will leave you starry-eyed, we’ve pulled out all the stops to make this sale one for the history books.
But wait, there’s more! As if the deals weren’t thrilling enough, we’ve also thrown in some exclusive surprises and stellar giveaways to keep the excitement soaring.
Happy shopping, space cadet!
Remarketing
Subject: Did You Forget Something? Let’s Talk About That
Hey [name],
We couldn’t help but notice that you recently paid us a visit, then disappeared faster than a ninja at night. Don’t worry; we’re not here to play detective or anything. We just wanted to check in and ensure everything’s okay on your end.
Did our products dazzle you into a state of speechlessness? Or maybe you got distracted by a sudden craving for tacos (hey, it happens to the best of us!).
Whatever the reason for your disappearing act, we want you to know that we’re here with open arms and virtual high-fives, ready to welcome you back with the warmest of welcomes. Because let’s face it, life’s too short to miss out on fantastic deals and fabulous finds!
Read also: 17 Powerful Techniques to Generate B2B Sales Leads
18 Witty Subject Lines That Get Clicks
Do you struggle to get good engagement with your subject lines? It sometimes only requires a good laugh!
While you can’t overuse humor as a subject line element, making your emails funny can help your open rates, as people will be eager to see more content from you.
Here are some examples to get those gears turning so you can target the funny bone!
- Knock, knock – Who’s there?
- Alert: Funny business ahead!
- Psst…Want to hear our best joke?
- What do you call an email that’s also a stand-up comic?
- A funny thing happened on the way to your inbox…
- Oops! Did I accidentally schedule another meeting?
- Emergency: Out of coffee beans!
- Free cookies in the break room (Just kidding!)
- Emails: The never-ending story
- Did someone say ‘Cake Day’?
- S.O.S. (Send over snacks)
- Quick question – Is it Friday yet?
- This email contains 100% organic humor
- Is it too early for an afternoon nap?
- Emergency alert: Critical shortage of office snacks
- Inbox full: Please send help (or cookies)
- Emergency meeting – Who ate my leftover lunch?
- Attention: Urgent request for more office puppies
The Art of Copy and Paste: Repurposing Funny Content
Have you ever found a joke and are mad you didn’t develop it first? I think most of us have felt that way a time or two.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t ever share a joke in that same vein. Borrowing humor from others for your email is acceptable if you provide attribution for someone else’s content.
You might consider asking the original source if you can borrow their joke. You know how detrimental it is when comedians are accused of stealing jokes, right? You don’t want your business in hot water for the same reason.
Creating your own jokes is always better.
How to Craft Subscription Emails with a Twist of Humor
You’re lucky to have a series of subscribers who regularly contribute to your bottom line.
However, you’ve found that writing subscription emails gets tiresome after a while. You feel like you send the same email every month and that it must get as boring to read as it does to write.
So, why keep doing the same ol’ thing when you don’t have to? Incorporating humor into your subscription content, such as newsletters, will make the reading experience more engaging and memorable.
The key is balancing entertainment with information.
Here are some sample subject lines that can get you started:
- Stop, drop, and roll…Into our latest newsletter!
- Don’t open this email…Just kidding! Open it, please
- Newsletter alert: Free cookies inside (Just kidding, it’s just content)
- Extra! Extra! Read all about…Um, well, whatever we wrote this week
- Shh…Our newsletter has secret tips (Just don’t tell anyone!)
- Caution: Reading this newsletter may cause uncontrollable laughter
- Inbox intruder: Your weekly dose of awesomeness
Read also: 15 Email Marketing Growth Hacks to Boost Your Business
How to Add Jokes to Your Emails
As you dive into the new frontier of incorporating funny content into your email, remember these pointers for prioritizing humor without causing offense.
Know your audience
This should be your biggest takeaway. Laughter is truly the best medicine, and a lot of people love it, but believe it or not, some people might prefer you take a more straightforward tone in your emails than a funny one.
You can’t please everyone, of course, but having your finger on the pulse of your audience will tell you everything you need to know regarding whether it’s a smart course to implement humor into your promotional emails.
You can also do a trial run, sending one email with a funny tone to determine how your audience reacts. If you get a mostly positive reaction, you can try it again, and if the reception is still positive, you know your audience likes a funny email.
If your audience isn’t so into the jokes? That’s okay! At least you tried.
Be aware that the audience needs change, so just because they didn’t love humor once doesn’t mean that will always be the case. Likewise, your audience might enjoy your jokes at first, then gradually change their mind about them.
It happens! What matters most is that you’re meeting your audience’s needs.
No off-color humor
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but off-color, tasteless, insensitive humor has no place in your professional emails. Don’t make religion, politics, gender, physical abilities, and race into a joke. These topics simply aren’t humorous.
You will cause offense if you joke about them, resulting in lost subscribers and degraded audience trust.
Avoid head-scratching punchlines
One of my favorite ways to use subtle humor in emails is by setting up a joke in the subject line and then revealing it in the email.
However, you have to know which punchlines lend themselves well to email versus which won’t. Don’t pull out your best, most mystifying riddle. If you confuse or confound your readers, they will feel disinclined to keep opening your emails.
No one wants to be made to feel stupid, so keep your punchlines exceedingly simple without being predictable.
Gauge how often to use humor
The thing about humor is that it’s good in small doses. If you’re always funny, your emails become gradually less so.
People aren’t always in the mood to laugh. Sometimes, they want informational, non-humorous communication from your brand. Remember that this isn’t comedy hour. You’re a business, first and foremost, trying to connect with your audience and drive engagement through email.
Know what translates well
There’s a difference between the written and spoken word. Sometimes, a joke is hilarious when you say it aloud, but when you try to convert it to an email, it just doesn’t work. And that’s fine! There are many fish…err, jokes in the sea.
Test your emails
Funny or not, you still have to test your emails just like any other message in your marketing campaign. That will make it easier for you to determine if adding humor has affected your email performance positively or negatively.
Sign-Offs with a Chuckle: Final Email Closings
You’ve put care into making a funny subject line and body content. Now, you have to nail the end of your message, continuing to elicit laughs until the very last word.
You have plenty of amusing and innovative ways to end an email that is still business-appropriate.
Here’s how to be more humorous with your email sign-offs using these ideas as inspiration:
- Respectfully hilarious
- Stay cool, like Fonzie on a glacier
- With all due respect and a bit of jest
- Catch you on the flip side
- Yours in humor and professionalism
- May your inbox be as empty as a Monday morning meeting room
- Warmest regards and a gentle chuckle
- Keep it real, but not too real, we still need to pay the bills
- In high spirits and higher professionalism
- Until next time, stay weird (but in a good way)
- Warmest regards and a gentle chuckle
- Cheers to avoiding the dreaded reply-all button!
- Graciously giggling
- Signing off like a fax machine in the ‘90s – beep, boop, beep
- Sincerely amused
- Keep smiling, unless you have a Zoom call…then you can wear your poker face
- With a smile and a handshake
- Off to chase the elusive inbox-zero unicorn!
- With earnest smiles
- Wishing your email threads are as entertaining as a sitcom bloopers reel
- Cordially and with a wink
- Keep calm and carry on typing…or just hit reply all and call it a day
- In formal jest and sincerity
How to Create Memorable Out-of-Office Replies
Continue your dedication to putting smiles on your colleagues’ faces by writing an out-of-office for the ages. Whether taking time off for a vacation or traveling, you can share a funny out-of-office message that reflects your personality with these examples.
Vacation out-of-office
- Gone fishing! If you need me, I’ll be untangling my inbox and relaxing. Back on [return date].
- I’m on a break that’s sunnier than my inbox. If you’re waiting for a response, hold tight – I’ll get back to you when I’ve caught enough rays to recharge my typing fingers.
- Aloha! I’m sipping on a coconut and enjoying some much-deserved R&R. If you need assistance, please consult the nearest palm tree until I return on [return date].
- I’m currently away from my desk, soaking up Vitamin Sea. Your email is important to me, but so is building sandcastles and sampling exotic cocktails. I’ll be back in the office on [return date].
- I’m out of the office on a top-secret mission to find the world’s best taco. If you need immediate assistance, you may have to join the quest. Otherwise, I’ll taco ‘bout it when I return on [return date].
- Greetings from [destination]! I’m busy exploring new horizons and dodging seagulls. I’ve trained a flock of carrier pigeons to deliver messages if you require urgent assistance. Otherwise, I’ll reply when I return to the coop on [return date].
- Thanks for your email! I’m currently out of the office, living my best beach life. If your message is urgent, please send a bottle with a note – I’ll check messages between sunscreen applications.
- I’m currently out of the office and wandering aimlessly through the wilderness. If you need me, send a smoke signal – or better yet, wait patiently until I return on [return date].
Conference out-of-office
- Currently out of the office and diving headfirst into the conference scene. If you need me, look for the person with the nametag covered in coffee stains and a lanyard tangled in their hair. Back in action on [return date]!
- I’m off on a wild adventure at a conference, where I’ll be mingling with fellow industry enthusiasts and collecting more free pens than I know what to do with. I’ll be back at my desk, pen in hand, on [return date].
- Greetings from the conference floor! I’m lost in a sea of name tags and questionable coffee, but fear not – I’ll navigate back to the office on [return date]. In the meantime, wish me luck avoiding the dreaded ‘networking small talk.’
- I’m out of the office at a conference, where I’ll be doing my best impression of a sponge – soaking up knowledge and caffeinated beverages in equal measure. Hopefully, I’ll resurface on [return date] with a brain full of new ideas and a tote bag full of freebies.
- I’m away from my desk, geeking out at a conference with my fellow industry nerds. If you need me, I’ll be the one in the back row, furiously scribbling notes and occasionally nodding like I understand what’s going on. Back to reality on [return date]!
- I’m out of the office attending a conference, hoping to uncover the secrets of success or at least find the buffet table. If you need me, I’ll return on [return date].
Personal day out-of-office
- I’m currently out of the office, embarking on a personal day to pursue my lifelong passion for pancakes. If you have an urgent matter, I suggest consulting a stack of pancakes – they may have better answers than I do today!
- Today, I’m taking a personal day to chase daydreams and ice cream cones. If you need assistance, I’ll be fully immersed in the pursuit of sweet satisfaction until [return date].
- I’m out of the office, diving into a sea of self-care and relaxation. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow if you have an urgent matter.
- I’m taking a personal day today to embrace my inner couch potato and indulge in well-deserved laziness. If you need assistance, I recommend sending a smoke signal – it might get my attention between episodes.
Conclusion
Using humor in emails makes them more enjoyable to read and can increase open and click-through rates.
Injecting personality into your email communications with colleagues and customers will make it more fun to write emails, but don’t forget that you can’t leave professionalism by the wayside, either.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How do I know if humor is appropriate for my professional email?
You have to read the room, in a way. Review interpersonal emails to see if anyone else has tried humor and succeeded, then follow suit.
2. Can funny emails be seen as unprofessional?
Yes, they can be, which is why knowing when to use humor and what kind is critical, as you can maintain your professional reputation while still being amusing.
3. How can I tailor funny emails to different cultural contexts?
Know the culture you’re writing to, including what topics are off-limits and which they find funny. Then, adjust the jokes accordingly, tailoring them to the culture’s tastes.
4. What are some tips for writing funny emails without offending anyone?
Staying away from hot-button topics like religion, sexuality, race, gender, physical or mental disabilities or disorders, and politics is a safe way to prevent any unintended offense when being funny in your emails. Don’t use crass, profane language, either.
5. How often can I send funny emails without them losing their charm?
It’s going to depend on your audience, but certainly not daily. A few ha-has and hee-hees might be best used weekly, monthly, or even more seldom.
6. What should I do if my attempt at humor falls flat?
Determine why the joke didn’t land, but don’t give up. However, if subsequent attempts at a sense of humor fail just as badly, you might want to rethink using jokes.
