March came and went and now it’s time to kick April off with a little bit of fun. Pranksters everywhere look forward to April Fool’s Day because it’s the only time of year it’s acceptable to tell an outrageous lie and get away with it. Not only is April Fool’s Day great for shenanigans at home and in the office, but it’s also a perfect opportunity for brands to have some fun on social media.

Despite all the laughs that come with carrying out a prank, an important thing to remember is that not all of your fans see humor the same way. The prank shouldn’t offend people, so be sure to take recent events in the media into consideration. Translation: If a topic is sensitive, stay away!  April Fool’s Day pranks are supposed to be creative, relevant, and, most importantly, harmless. For your pranking pleasure, our social media agency has put together some simple guidelines to follow for executing the perfect brand hoax on social media.

Don’t – make fun of other brands or your customers. Doing so could result in damage to your own brand image.

Do – make fun of yourself in a way that also boosts your brand image.

Don’t – try to sell a real product or service. Pushing too hard for people to buy is a turn-off, just have some fun.

Do – align your prank with a real trend and then take it to extreme heights.

Don’t – bring up sensitive topics. If you have to question whether the prank is appropriate or not, it probably isn’t, so don’t go through with it.

Do – think about legal precautions. Make sure the hoax won’t welcome a lawsuit.

In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, we’ve rounded up some posts from brands who celebrated the right way.