The Art of The Killer Tagline

There’s an art to a killer tagline.

But before we get to art, let’s get down to basics. If you want a killer tagline, it’s got to be clear. It’s got to be less than a mouthful {a cheekful might even be pushing it}. It can’t be silly {unless you want it to be}. It’s got to make your right person say, “Ohhhhh!” or “Sweeeeeet!” or “Coooool!” or “Yes!!!” {My college fiction professors told me every writer gets to use one exclamation point per lifetime. If I’m a cat, I guess that means I get four more after this post.}

tag line

– noun

an often repeated phrase associated with an individual, organization, or commercial product; a slogan.

courtesy of Dictionary.com

That none too inspiring definition falls so pitifully short of what wonders the right tagline can work for your niche-y enterprise. The right tagline can volley your business firmly over the net of success or it can flub and foul and land your enterprise in the bushes. {Imagine your competitor standing there all tan and cocky in his tennis whites saying, “Your ball’s over there, killer.”}

A tagline is one of my favorite things to write for a client. It’s kind of like the all-important middle name to the first name that is the business name. A boy named Garth John is a different sort of boy in our imagination than one named Garth Prince, Garth Cameron, or Garth Aloysius. The combo of the first and middle names alone conjure up entirely different characteristics, family histories, and guesses as to what “sort” of kid young Garth will become. Fair? Not really. But this is the topography of the human mind.

Let’s take for example my old business name, THE BLISSFUL. THE BLISSFUL is a name that begged for a tagline. Without one, you couldn’t have told if we were a French-y boutique, a transcendental meditation center, or a health food store. Think about it.

Our tagline was French-Inspired Finds & Furnishings. Though it worked for us, if I were starting up now, I would not choose this tagline. For three reasons: 1} I wouldn’t commit to just French — or just any one style — were I reopening a retail store, because though I love French style, it doesn’t resonate deeply enough for me on a personal level to build a whole business around it {again}, 2} Though I love the word and the meanings behind “Inspired,” it’s become sorely overused in the boutique industry over the last few years, and 3} Ditto for the word “Finds.” I have a few good taglines up my sleeve that I would pick were I ever to reopen {I won’t}. I won’t share them here, though, because I bet, in time, they’ll fit someone else’s retail concept perfectly and I’ll end up selling them to a client!

The cool thing about a tagline is that you can switch it up every several years without wreaking too much havoc on your business concept. A gentle but firm tagline tweak might be just what your niche-y enterprise needs to get your right people to wake up and say, “Whoo-hoo!” {Oops, now I’ve got three cat life exclamation marks left.}

And you can relaunch an existing biz through introducing a fresh new tagline.

So let’s get you a little closer to a killer tagline for your niche-y enterprise. We’ll break this down journalist-style.

What is a tagline?

We covered this already. See the indented quote above from Dictionary.com. Or here’s a really great little article about taglines to further clarify it for you.

Where do you use a tagline?

Anywhere you can. A strong tagline is the ultimate in brand identity copy. I think of it as a glow-y little word blip. It’s like a calling card you hand out with your mouth. {I’m laughing at this visual, too.} Most times, you’ll always want to present it along with your business name in any thing you have designed for you — logo, business card, ads, etc. {There are times you can break with this principle, but if you’re getting so much bang for your characters-on-the-page buck, why wouldn’t you use it wherever you could?}

When does a business need a tagline?

When the business name is bland; when the business concept isn’t immediately understood from the name alone; when the business relaunches or changes direction; when you’ve outgrown your old one; when the entrepreneur wants one.

Why do you need a tagline?

You don’t. But they’re a pretty powerful little bit of copy that can earn you a lot of mileage.

How do you come up with a tagline?

If you’re someone who likes to write and doesn’t mind investing some time into this, check out this lengthy, 19-step method for generating a great tagline for your business {I actually think this process is pretty cool}.

And if you just need a little inspiration for coming up with a great tagline for your business, check out this round-up of the 360 Most Famous Business Taglines.