How to Write Brilliant Taglines

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Your tagline is the most important advertisement that you will ever write. Your business’s tagline expresses personality and attitude and connects to people on an emotional level.

What is now referred to as a tagline used to be called a slogan. In essence, a tagline is a clear and concise phrase that lets your audience know exactly what your company is offering. There is a true art to writing taglines. The perfect tagline will make a huge difference in how and whether people pay attention to what you are selling.

It is important that your tagline makes a big impact. You need it to be remembered by everyone who reads it. It needs to be catchy. If you are having difficulty choosing between cute and direct, direct is probably a better choice. Once you have gotten your audience to pay attention to and remember your tagline, the next thing that you want them to do is become interested in buying what you are selling.

Humorous taglines can be very effective sometimes (done tastefully, of course). People love to be entertained. There are too many issues in life that are not funny. If you can use a tagline that makes your audience forget their issues for a little while, you have a shot at their becoming your customers.

It is all about “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM). Your customers and potential customers are not interested in how wonderful your product is and how great your services are. The only thing that concerns them is what you are going to do to solve their problems. Your campaign of taking care of your customers’ needs should start with your tagline. When they read your tagline and it makes them feel good and satisfied, that puts them one step closer to becoming your customer.

If a tagline is doing its job correctly, it is inspirational and thought provoking. Some examples of effective taglines are “Do it your way,” “When you care enough to send the very best” and “Are you in good hands?” Taglines make people feel good about the product and/or service and if they decide to buy, they will feel even better.

There are many ways to approach tagline writing.

  • Connect the product/service logo to the tagline
  • Use short phrases that have a rhythm to them
  • Promise something to the customer if they buy
  • Connect the product/service with a customer’s need that may not be tangible

When you are building your brand (and even later on when you are strengthening your brand), your business’s tagline is an extremely important part of your business. You should have the tagline written and in place from the beginning of your branding campaign.

Your tagline will help people to identify with your brand consistently and over a long span of time. In addition to your tagline being an essential part of the branding of your business, it will also cost you very little money, if any at all.

Your business’s tagline will create a first impression and your audience will remember that tagline for a very long time, even if they don’t always remember the name of your business. Your tagline has the potential to work indefinitely for your business. If, however, you ever get to the point where you feel that your tagline is old-fashioned and outdated, you can always write a new and more appropriate one for modern times.

We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. Please contact us at CompuKol Communications for further discussion on how we might be able to assist you and your team.

Author

  • Carolyn Cohn

    Carolyn Cohn is the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Services of CompuKol Communications. Carolyn manages CompuKol’s creative and editorial department, which consists of writers and editors. Her weekly blogs are syndicated globally. She has decades of editorial experience in online editing, and editing books, journal articles, abstracts, and promotional and educational materials. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

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3 Responses

  1. There's one trick to writing strap lines that you seem to have missed out. It's this.
    Eliminate superfluous words.
    Took me years of professional copywriting to nail that one!

  2. Liz Craig says:

    Good article. One thing I would add is to remember that no brand is an island. When developing your tagline, try also to position your product or service versus competition. It's the old USP formula:
    • Unique – Something no one else can or does currently say.
    • Selling – Compelling enough to make the prospect want to buy.
    • Proposition – Make a promise to the prospect. If you buy this ___, you will get ____ (WIIFM).

    Thanks for your good posts.
    Liz Craig

  3. central air or window unit says:

    Great post. I worked on my tagline for probably too long because I know how important it is. Good advice here and I can always change it. Thanks.