Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Learn more about Alpha School at https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite
Scott Dikkers is the former editor-in-chief of The Onion, the site that brought news satire to the internet.
Before the episode, I went up to Scott and said, “I have one goal for this: I want to start writing funny. You know how to do it. Can you teach me everything you've learned?"
He’s been doing this for decades, so he was able to take me by the hand and show me what he learned, very concretely.
You're obviously not going to framework your way to becoming the next George Carlin, but there are universal principles of comedy that work in any kind of writing, whether it's for a group chat or when you are talking with friends on a Saturday night at the bar. And Scott is about to teach us how to do it.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:45 The secret is POV
00:03:41 Biggest mistakes to avoid
00:09:49 Write down 10 opinions
00:15:33 Prompts to get you started
00:18:48 The Family Guy formula
00:21:18 The 11 funny filters
00:24:49 How to hook your readers
00:29:02 Straight person vs joke person
00:31:54 Character archetypes
00:34:44 How to actually use analogies
00:40:17 The right way to use wordplay
00:46:01 What makes satire flop
00:49:13 Clown brain vs editor brain
00:54:19 Give permission to laugh
00:56:52 Rapid fire takes
01:01:23 What makes a hilarious final joke
*About the host*
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
*Follow me*
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
Learn more about Alpha School at https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite
Scott Dikkers is the former editor-in-chief of The Onion, the site that brought news satire to the internet.
Before the episode, I went up to Scott and said, “I have one goal for this: I want to start writing funny. You know how to do it. Can you teach me everything you've learned?"
He’s been doing this for decades, so he was able to take me by the hand and show me what he learned, very concretely.
You're obviously not going to framework your way to becoming the next George Carlin, but there are universal principles of comedy that work in any kind of writing, whether it's for a group chat or when you are talking with friends on a Saturday night at the bar. And Scott is about to teach us how to do it.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:45 The secret is POV
00:03:41 Biggest mistakes to avoid
00:09:49 Write down 10 opinions
00:15:33 Prompts to get you started
00:18:48 The Family Guy formula
00:21:18 The 11 funny filters
00:24:49 How to hook your readers
00:29:02 Straight person vs joke person
00:31:54 Character archetypes
00:34:44 How to actually use analogies
00:40:17 The right way to use wordplay
00:46:01 What makes satire flop
00:49:13 Clown brain vs editor brain
00:54:19 Give permission to laugh
00:56:52 Rapid fire takes
01:01:23 What makes a hilarious final joke
*About the host*
Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible.
*Follow me*
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470
YouTube: youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv
X: https://x.com/david_perell
