When it’s done right, a tagline can be a powerful way of making your brand memorable in the minds of your ideal clients.

Getting it right though, is a tricky, tricky thing.

What is it exactly that makes a tagline good?

Good in that way that brings brand awareness and clearly communicates our point of difference and the change we want to make in the world?

As good as all the taglines we remember, and know and love?

Whether you’re trying to create a tagline for your service-based brand, or for a product or course offering, in this article I’ll share my top 10 tips for making it memorable.

But first…

Do I NEED a tagline for my brand or product?

Great question.

And the answer is no. You don’t have to have a tagline.

There are 100% other ways to build brand story in the minds of your customer. A tagline is simply a great way of communicating your point of difference, or unique selling proposition in a clear and concise way.

It’s definitely a handy thing to have.

You can pop it on your business card – Yes! Some people still use those!! – and on your LinkedIn Profile and on the home page of your website, and on that conference banner or on any other brand or marketing communication*.

*Any brand or marketing communication that makes sense. It doesn’t make sense to use your tagline literally everywhere. Sometimes other words will be more powerful. And a tagline alone won’t spur your tribe into action. The more you use your tagline, the more you’ll discover why this is the case.

If you decide a tagline is for you, let’s look at what makes a good one.

10 Tips for Creating a Memorable Tagline for Your Brand or Product

Tip #1

Taglines should be 6 words or less

Taglines just don’t work if they’re too long.

My ideal is 3 – 4 carefully chosen words.

The length of those words matters too – you can’t have six 10 letter words in your tagline. It simply ain’t going to fit in all the places you’ll want to use it.

And that brings me to tip number two.

Tip #2

Think about where it’s going to appear

Before you write your tagline, think about all the places you might want it to appear.

I’ve already made the suggestions of your website, conference banner, and LinkedIn Profile.

But the most likely place you’ll actually put it, is next to your logo.

So, you need to consider how it fits there:

Is your logo big or small? How long should your tagline be so that it makes sense in its positioning and font size?

Tip #3

Taglines are not pitch statements

You’re not writing a novel.

Your tagline should be short, sharp and succinct.

It’s not a pitch statement and it can’t possibly capture the whole of your brand story.

It’s a catchphrase for your brand or product that allows you to communicate the one, most important thing you want people to remember in the moment.

Tip #4

Your tagline should be based on your core value or point of difference

Brand values and brand differentiators are inherently linked.

So sometimes, the value or difference you’re trying to communicate will be connected to the same thought or feeling,

Using your core value or point of difference to influence your tagline will help you move away from the pitch statement dilemma I mention at tip three, and keep it emotionally connected for your customer (just like a good brand name).

Tip #5

Know your brand values

If your tagline is a great place to communicate your core value, then it makes sense that you need to know what your brand values are.

Draw on these when you’re workshopping taglines.

And if you don’t know what yours are yet, you’ll want to check out this article, and this one too.

Tip #6

Know your Unique Selling Proposition

Taglines are MOST often used to communicate your key point of difference, which is known as a Unique Selling Proposition (or USP).

Just like brand values, if you’re going to use your tagline to highlight your USP, then you need to know what that actually is.

And if you don’t know what yours is yet, you might find this article helpful.

Tip #7

Start by writing a paragraph. Refine your paragraph. Then refine it again.

Unless you’re a professional wordsmith (and even if you aren’t) you start by writing a paragraph.

This might be a version of your pitch statement.

Then you refine that paragraph down by picking out the key messages that will resonate with your ideal customer. Then you refine it again, and again, and again until you get something short, sharp, catchy and memorable.

You probably won’t get there in your first go, and that’s okay. I don’t either and I’ve been writing taglines for a very long time.

Workshopping is part of the process. Don’t skip it if you want to create a memorable tagline.

Tip #8

Make sure it’s in line with your brand personality

Taglines might be short, but you should still be making room for your brand personality.

What words could you use that show your tone of voice? How does changing the order of the words, or tweaking the sentiment make it feel more or less in alignment with your brand personality.

Think about what you want your tagline to say, beyond the actual words. What’s the feeling you want it to create?

Tip #9

Get feedback

Getting feedback is a really important step in the tagline creation process.

And what I mean, is getting relevant, constructive feedback from the right people.

For you, this might mean giving your tagline a soft launch, test run and seeing how it feels. Or it might be about getting some feedback from your favourite clients or customers to get their reaction to it.

When you’re getting feedback, remember to be clear about what it is you want to know (e.g. the feeling your tagline creates for your customer and whether or not they understand what you’re trying to say).

And don’t get feedback from someone who isn’t in your target market. It’s great to share your tagline with you partner, or your kids, or your bestie – but don’t weight their feedback in the same way you weight the feedback of people directly connected to your brand story.

Tip #10

It doesn’t have to be for life

Brands change. People change. Products change.

Things change.

It happens. And if you’re in a position where you already have a tagline and you’re wondering whether you should change it because it doesn’t resonate any more, then the answer is probably yes.

The great thing is that you’re able to pivot and adapt as you go. And the point of a tagline is to create a moment of clear connection.

If it’s not doing that for your brand any more, then it’s okay to go down the path of making a change to something that’s more powerful in communicating your USP, core value or the change you’re looking to make in the world.

Your turn. Use these tips to workshop your brand tagline.

Now you’ve got a checklist of what to do (and not do) to create a memorable tagline, it’s your turn.

Think about where you’re going to use it. Write something, then refine it, then refine it again. Keep it short, catchy and in alignment with your brand personality. Get feedback – test it out.

And don’t be afraid to change it if it’s no longer in alignment with your brand story.