Deep definition
Tags are the highest-efficiency laughs in comedy: no new setup cost, pure yield. After the punch lands, you add another angle on the same premise. Great comics get three to five tags off a single setup and double their laughs per minute.
Why humans laugh
The frame is already loaded; each tag exploits the primed context with zero cognitive overhead.
Formula
SETUP → PUNCH → TAG (SAME SETUP, NEW ANGLE) → TAG → TAG
Good examples
- ...and he took the last one. // He didn't even like them. // He asked what they were.
Bad example
Repeating the punchline louder.
Before → After
One punchline, then a new topic.
One punchline, three tags, then a new topic.
When to use
After every punchline that works.
When not to use
When the tags are weaker than the punch — never follow strong with mild.
Common failure modes
- Tag needs its own setup
- Descending strength
- Too many tags
Advanced combinations
- TG + ES = ascending tags
- TG + CB = tag becomes callback
Writing
For every punchline, write 10 tags and keep 3.
Stage
Tags come faster than the original punch, riding the laugh.
Crowd work
Tag the crowd's own answer twice before moving on.
Improv
Tags are the third-beat heightening move.
Business
One idea, three angles — that's a whole ad campaign.
Told to the AI as
Generate multiple tags that reuse the original setup without introducing new context.
Exercises
Beginner
Write 5 tags for one existing joke.
Intermediate
Tag every punchline in a 3-minute set.
Advanced
Build a chunk that is one setup and eleven tags.