October is a tough month in comedy: comedians are wracking their brains trying to work out how to name and describe a show for next year’s Comedy Festival in order to register it. A show which, thanks to the way stand-up works, is probably no more than a mad glint in their eye.

Sometimes this work in isolation can result in doubling up; this year a trio of subversive political stand-ups led by Courteney Hocking are The First Three Against the Wall, while Karin Muiznieks’ new revolutionary-themed cabaret is First Against the Wall. Two very different shows with almost the same title – and yet it suits them both. In this case no-one’s likely to get confused, but we’re all trying to stand out from the crowd. Here are some of the strategies we commonly employ.

The Jokes Start Here – make the show’s title funny. No mean feat, and the lack of space leads to lots of puns, as explored previously by The Pun. That’s not the only option, though; titles like Please Don’t Use My Flannel For That (Lou Sanz), Advice You Shouldn’t Need (Matt Elsbury) and Ants Don’t Sleep (Laura Davis) all amuse but each promises a different kind of funny.

First In, Best Dressed – location, location, location. Comedy fans flip through all 20 pages of shows, but the average punter gets thumb fatigue after half a dozen, and someone has to be first in the A-Z. (This year it’s me, though honestly +1 Sword belongs in the next category.) This grab for the top can lead to seeming random titles like Aardvarks Anonymous or grammatical oddities like 2010 Vote Barnesy For President.

It’s A Show About X – what are you talking about? Easy for shows about particular subjects, and vital: aficionados of “X” are a niche market you need to reach. This can be a trap, though; if The Bicycle Collector only features five minutes about Uncle Trevor’s “collection” of two old tandems, some punters will be disappointed. This year I think Code Grey: Adventures in Public Health (Adrian Calear) and To Sir With Glove?! (Dean Arcuri’s S&M cabaret scores extra points for including a pun) will stay on-topic. Karin Muiznieks’ above-mentioned cabaret fits in here, since it’s about starting a revolution.

You Know What I’m About – show off your style. A variation on the above, more about theme or tone than subject matter. A Breathtakingly Magical Journey into the Ordinary leaves you in little doubt about the kind of enthusiastic whimsical absurdity you can expect from Bart Freebairn, while Shut Up and Sing sets the tone nicely for Geraldine Quinn (i.e. angry and musical). Likewise, there’s no confusion about the content and tone of Gooks & Wogs 2: The Return of the Choco and the Chink. First Three Against the Wall is one of these, since the title communicates their style: subversive political satire.

It Does What It Says On The Tin – it doesn’t hurt to be literal. The title can also be a description. I’m guilty of this one, with the unimaginative Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour, but it’s not limited to special event type shows; my favourite in this category this year is absolutely Pretending Things Are Cocks. I know, I know; you want to see it now too.

Sequels – if it ain’t broke… If the title worked last year, don’t correct it’s grammar, just stick “Again” or “2” on the end. That’s how we get Six More Impossible Things Before Breakfast (Philip Escoffey) and Fear of a Brown Planet Returns. Variations on a theme are also possible, for example Asher Treleaven’s previous festival shows; Cellar Door, Open Door and now this year’s Secret Door.

Cheeky – get attention however you can. We’d all love to be able to write “Sold Out” or “Award Winner” on our posters…so why not make that the name of the show? Halley Metcalfe’s Five Stars is the cheekiest real world example, but I know a few groups who’ve discussed titling a show “(UK)” in the cynical belief that it would quadruple ticket sales.

WTF? – weird shows should have weird names. Absurdist Sam Simmons (with previous shows Where Can I Win A Bear Around Here?, Tales of the Erotic Cat) and anti-comedian Nick Sun (Blood on the Yolks in the Key of Owls) are masters of this, but the challenger for a brief shining moment was Peter Morley with 2008’s What Up Fags, I Gots No Material, lol and 2009’s frankly confusing Didn’t A Comedy Show (Or That Toilet Thing Either). This year Anyone For Tennis? have shot to the top of the WTF charts with Abacus Birdcage Gramophone Lamp.

Who Cares? – let the name do the talking. Let’s be honest: do you really care what Tim Minchin, Ross Noble or Adam Hills are calling their show this year? That’s why the guide allows you to put your name in front of the show title, so people can look up Arj Barker under “A”. Wil Anderson could give up the puns and it wouldn’t matter – his audience would still show up. Though on reflection, I do wonder if he spells “Wil” with only one L in order appear first in the list of Wills and Williams…

So pay attention to the titles you see as you flick through the comedy guide.  It’s one of the simplest ways to gauge what you’re in for if you buy a ticket to the show, and is often a great indicator of the tone you can expect.  The performers might not have known exactly what their show was going to look like when they selected the name, but they did use their individual style to decide on a title.