Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Create Funny Answering Machine Greetings

Nobody likes reaching an answering machine instead of a human, but it happens to everybody. Make the task more enjoyable for callers with a funny answering machine greeting. Anyone can have a run-of-the-mill message, but it only takes a little creativity to make a funny and memorable one.


Instructions


1. Decide on what type of greeting would be best, whether it be a song, a rhyme or a celebrity impersonation. Remember, if Grandma calls frequently, off-color humor may not be the best choice.








2. Pick a recent top-40 song or a favorite classic. Write lyrics that fit with the meter of the song. Record the song on the answering machine and play a karaoke song in the background so the lyrics have background music.


3. Use a classic nursery rhyme meter for a funny poem. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is short and works well. The words "phone" and "tone" rhyme and can easily be put into a poem about an answering machine greeting.








4. Ask a friend who does imitations to do a reading for the answering machine greeting. Having "Clint Eastwood" ask the caller to make their day by leaving a message is just one funny option.


5. Search the Internet for ideas. There are websites that have lots of free .wav files (See Resources). Just follow their directions and record them on the answering machine.

Tags: answering machine, answering machine greeting, machine greeting