william_torres•3d agoMost Upvoted

My last 2 dad joke submissions got zero votes, so I tried the long setup

Every week I'd fire off a quick pun and watch it sink like a potato in a fryer. Last Thursday I stretched the setup out for 15 seconds, adding a fake story about my neighbor Bill in Cincinnati, and the punchline actually landed. Got 11 upvotes, my best score since I joined back in March. Is the long slow burn the secret, or did I just get lucky with the crowd that night?

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1 Comment

the_anthony1d ago

Ha! Yeah, the slow burn is basically the secret to everything. I've noticed the same thing at work when I ask for help with a problem. If I just blurt out the question, people give me a quick answer and move on. But if I explain why I'm stuck and what I already tried, suddenly everyone's invested and throwing out ideas. It's like people need a little story to care about the punchline, whether it's a joke or just a normal request. Your neighbor Bill probably earned those 11 votes more than the pun itself did.