A tagline isn’t a slogan, a strapline, or a mission statement. It’s the one sentence a reader can repeat after seeing your homepage once. Here’s what makes that possible.
Most “how to write a tagline” advice is wrong. It tells you to be clever, emotional, or short. Cleverness fades. Emotion bounces off. Short is a side-effect, not a goal. Here’s what actually matters.
The real test: would someone repeat it?
A tagline’s job is to be remembered and repeated. If a friend asked your customer what your company does, would they say your tagline? Or would they say something better? If the answer is “something better”, then their version is the real tagline and yours is decoration.
Myth 1: A tagline needs to be witty
It doesn’t. “Just do it” isn’t witty. “Think different” isn’t witty. Wit gets in the way of memorability for everything except the cleverest examples (Innocent’s “little tasty drinks”). Be specific instead. Specificity is more memorable than cleverness.
Myth 2: Three words is the magic number
“To create the future of work” is six words and worse than zero. “Books for every reader” is four words and excellent. Length is a side-effect. Worry about what gets remembered, not character counts.
Myth 3: Emotion sells better than reason
Sometimes. But “emotional” taglines are often vague taglines wearing a feelings costume. “Empowering humanity” is emotional and means nothing. “Pension software for hairdressers” has zero emotion and converts. Know which of those your category needs.
A 3-test checklist
- Specificity test: Could a competitor use this exact line? If yes, it’s not yours.
- Repeat test: Read it aloud once. Can you say it back ten seconds later? If not, simplify.
- Stranger test: Show it to someone unfamiliar with your business. Can they guess what you do? If not, you’re writing for yourself, not them.
The shortcut: specific, repeatable, decipherable. Most great taglines hit all three. None of them hit “clever” first.