Satire pokes fun at the truth. Think SNL or The Onion. In this post I’ll talk about the purpose, style and some techniques to use to create believability in your satire.
Satire Purpose
Generally speaking, satire is a vehicle for humorous ridicule. It highlights the absurdity of an action or government policy. SNL’s opening regularly skewers the news of the day while driving home the outlandish claims and actions of those in power. The Onion’s article Everything You Need to Know About President Trump’s Board of Peace included this line regarding membership requirements: Pay the $1 billion fee for permanent membership and submit letters of recommendation from three different war criminals. Read the whole article here The believable headline suggests you are about to read a well-researched article. The line about membership should clue the reader in to the tongue-in-cheek content. Satire can also prompt the reader to think deeply on the absurdity of a current event. Today’s political climate is ripe for satire.
Style
Often written in a newsy style, citing alternative facts*, and outlining the 
who, what, when, and where satire fools a lot of people. So much so, it is often mistaken for authentic reporting. Let’s look at persuasive writing elements that make satire work. Start with an alternative fact or emotional plea to hook your reader. Follow this up with not-necessarily-true supporting statements. Conclude by telling your reader what you want them to do or think. Voila! Satire.
Satire Techniques
As with any good humor, exaggeration plays a role. Satire makes an argument for a position against accepted norms but is presented as a valid argument. The hook is the key to believability. Informed readers will recognize satire at the outset. Uninformed readers or those who consume information 
in a right or left leaning bubble are likely to be fooled. They already believe absurd positions, so accept skewed perspectives of absurd positions. Some people take supporting statements and alternative facts at face value which confirms their bias: a perfect set-up for a conclusion that defies reason.
Satirists throw themselves into their work. Each alternative fact is carefully crafted and supported with equally questionable facts in a way that makes the unbelievable believable. The reader comes away with either a profound sense of the absurdity in a situation, or the certainty in the satirist’s flawed argument.
*term coined in 2017 meaning facts are what I say they are (making them completely unreliable).
