Taglines can quickly become an important part of a brand’s identity. For many B2B brands, taglines are often the first thing users see when they land on the company’s homepage. So, it’s critical as a content marketer that you understand how to write a tagline that works.
In this article, we’ll explore what makes a tagline catchy, the difference between slogans and taglines (no, they’re not the same thing), and learn how you can write an unforgettable tagline using AI in your marketing.
What is a catchy tagline?
A catchy tagline stays with your audience. The most memorable taglines and slogans are mentally associated with your brand in your audience’s mind. Sometimes, however, being catchy doesn’t equal being memorable.
As the meaning of the word “catchy” itself indicates, a catchy tagline could also grab your audience’s attention whenever they encounter it. Whether or not they remember it for years after is another matter altogether.
But what exactly makes a tagline catchy?
What makes a tagline catchy is its ability to resonate with the audience on a deep level.
A catchy tagline often combines simplicity with creativity, making it easy to remember while also sparking interest. The use of clever wordplay, humor, or a unique perspective can help a tagline stand out and stick in people's minds.
Catchy taglines are typically concise and to the point, conveying the essence of the brand or message in a memorable way. By effectively capturing the brand's personality or values in a few words, a catchy tagline can create a lasting impression and foster brand recognition.
Tagline vs Slogan: what’s the difference?
Many people use the words taglines and slogans interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. A tagline is a quippy 1-sentence version of your mission statement or brand positioning. Taglines tell your target audience what you do for them and why you’re different from the competition. For example, M&M’s “It melts in your mouth, not in your hands” distinguishes the chocolates from competitor brands.
Slogans on the other hand are catchphrases typically associated with specific marketing campaigns, social media posts, or TV advertising purposes. They’re usually vaguely related to the brand’s mission, but not spot-on enough to make a direct link. Think KFC’s “So Good,” for example.
What makes a good tagline?
A great tagline is one with the following three characteristics:
1. Clear
Clarity is often lost when humans try too hard to be clever. In conceptualizing a tagline for your business or product, aim for utmost clarity. Ideally, your target audience should know what you’re offering once they read your tagline. Vague words and phrases can make it difficult for your people to find you.
2. Memorable
It’s a big ask, but your tagline should strike a chord with your audience. Your audience may not need to remember it word for word, but they should remember what your brand does. One way to ensure your brand is not forgotten is by showing in your tagline how your service tackles customers’ pain points.
3. Stand out
The final ingredient of a catchy tagline is including your unique selling point. Why should your audience choose you over the other brands offering the same services? How do you uniquely address their challenges? With a unique selling point and creative copywriting, your tagline is sure to stand out.
Top tip: Your tagline should also complement your company name. One easy way is to use contrasting lengths. So, if you have a shorter business name, go for a longer tagline! Overall, try to create a nice rhythm between the two.
How to write a tagline that draws customers in
If you’re stuck figuring out how to create a tagline, you’re in luck. We’ll walk you through our fool-proof step-by-step guide to creating a tagline.
1. Identify your mission
What is your brand’s mission? What are your goals? How do you plan to serve your audience? If you could only do one thing for your customers, what would it be? In this first step, write a paragraph detailing your brand’s objectives. Here’s an example mission statement for our fictional brand, Tally Cosmetics:
We believe in clean beauty made from natural ingredients that work for most — if not all — skin types. Beauty should also be accessible, that’s why we aim for affordable skincare and beauty products that most people can buy without going past their budgets.
2. Think benefits
You may know all your brand features and what makes it so great for you. But your tagline is often less about you and more about your customers — it’s your brand’s promise to them. So, your tagline should distill the most appealing benefits to your target audience. It should also embody the emotion that your brand or product evokes. Happiness? Excitement? Hunger? Make that feeling come through.
Once you’ve identified your mission, make a list of what your audience will gain from your products. For example, with Tally Cosmetics, we can highlight the following benefits:
- Gentle, naturally-sourced ingredients that work for sensitive skin
- Budget-friendly products — all under $50
- Cruelty-free products, not tested on animals
Benefits and features are two key aspects to consider when communicating the value of a product or service. Features are the characteristics and functionalities of a product, while benefits refer to the advantages or outcomes that these features provide to the customer.
3. Brainstorm
Now that you have the raw materials for your tagline, it’s time to brainstorm a bunch of ideas! We recommend writing down 5-10 potential taglines for your brand, focusing on the benefits and your brand’s overall mission. Your tagline doesn’t have to be super clever, but it won’t hurt if you have the creative chops without losing the meaning of your message.
Regardless of whether you want a catchy or practical tagline, these two tips will help:
1. Use a copywriting assistant
Jasper is an impressive AI copywriting tool with an endless depth of creativity. We can’t think of a better brainstorming partner! Out of over 52 writing templates, the Perfect Headline template (designed for creating show-stopping headlines) is brilliant at generating catchy, encompassing taglines for your business.
Just paste your brand’s mission into the “product description” box on the left, add your target audience, and generate output. Brainstorming automated! See our inputs below:
Our favorites?
- Gentle on skin, tough on budget: Tally Cosmetics
- Affordable clean beauty for sensitive skin
- Finally, natural skincare that won't break the bank
- A match made in heaven: affordable and effective skincare
- Sensitive skin? Meet your new go-to beauty brand
- Clean and affordable beauty for all skin types
You can also mix and match generated headlines and add your ideas to the mix for high-quality tagline generation!
Want more creative choices? Then try Jasper’s Website Sub-headline template (designed for writing catchy subheadings). Here’s what it created for Tally Cosmetics.
2. Sleep on it
Don’t choose your tagline in a hurry. Sleep on it, think about it as you brush your teeth, and go about your daily life. The best content is generated with lots of thought and revision, so take your time. We’re sure that you’ll make the best choice in no time.
When faced with writer's block or creative blocks, taking the time to "sleep on it" can be crucial. Rest allows your mind to relax and process information subconsciously, often leading to fresh perspectives and innovative ideas upon waking.
Stepping away from the task at hand gives your brain a chance to reset during sleep, you can break through mental barriers and approach your work with renewed energy and clarity. So, next time you find yourself stuck creatively, remember that a good night's sleep might be just what you need to overcome the block and generate your best ideas.
20 Best tagline examples you can learn from
Need some more inspiration? Check out 20 of the best tagline examples across a wide range of industries, from B2B companies to food and automobile companies. If you’re in desperate need of a company tagline, this should get your juices flowing.
We’ve grouped these examples into three categories and broken down why each kind works for the brands.
The cleverly encompassing tagline
These companies have taglines that either tell you what’s special about their offering or highlight their brand’s main objective in a recognizable, subtle fashion. This means that when you see their tagline, you can at least place which industry they’re in even if you’d never heard of the brand before.
These kinds of taglines make for a great middle-ground between being clever but impossible to place and just keeping things all the way plain and practical.
1. Meow Mix: So good, cats ask for it by name
This smart and witty tagline drives the point home for the target audience.
It highlights the quality of Meow Mix and also appeals to cat owners who want the best for their feline friends. The use of wordplay makes it catchy and memorable.
2. Baskin Robbins: 31 flavors
Fun fact: Baskin Robbins’s tagline is based on the idea that you could eat a different flavor of the brand’s ice cream every day for a whole month! Any ice-cream fiend would appreciate this.
3. Toyota: Let’s Go Places
Toyota’s tagline is a brand promise to take customers along for the ride. It also stimulates a feeling of optimism — and makes for a great car and driving pun.
4. Disneyworld: The Most Magical Place on Earth
People talk a lot about Disneyland’s slogan, but anyone who’s been to Disneyworld can testify to the magical feeling in this tagline. It perfectly captures the essence of the theme park and creates a sense of wonder and excitement.
5. Spotify: Music for Everyone
Spotify’s intuitive music curation is impeccable and their vast array of choices affirm this tagline — there’s music for everyone here.
6. Pinterest: Find Your Next Great Idea
Has a company’s tagline ever been so accurate? Pinterest is a popular idea hub and that’s what creative director Clare Anderson wanted to capture when she came up with this tagline.
It’s simple and effective, just like the platform itself.
7. Airbnb: Belong Anywhere
Airbnb’s original tagline was Travel Like a Human, but in 2014, the brand switched to Belong Anywhere. The new tagline conveys the idea of finding a home wherever you travel — something Airbnb helps travelers accomplish. A key lesson here is that brands can change their tagline, so don’t feel like you can never change once you choose one.
8. Red Bull: Red Bull gives you wings
On the other end of the spectrum, Red Bull has kept its famous slogan for over 30 years now. While it doesn’t give you literal wings, the energy drink helps athletes — or anyone — push themselves past their limits.
The longevity of this tagline also speaks to its success. While other brands may feel pressure to constantly change their taglines, Red Bull has remained consistent for over 30 years. This shows that sometimes simplicity is key when it comes to branding.
Straightforward company taglines
The taglines in this category do not mince words. These companies call out to their target audience by presenting their benefits in clear terms — you’ll never have to guess what they do.
9. VEED.IO: Video editing made simple
You can easily create, transcribe, and subtitle videos using this software — like their tagline says.
10. ConvertKit: The creator marketing platform
With its tagline, ConvertKit positions itself as the go-to email marketing tool for creative entrepreneurs.
11. Toggl: Time tracking for better work, not overwork
Toggl goes the extra mile to create a catchy tagline that highlights company values and customer benefits in one phrase.
12. Teamwork: The all-in-one project management platform made for client work
This is a longer tagline than most. But it does a wonderful job of sharing the brand’s mission and audience benefits — especially with the emphasis on client work which reaches out to their target audience.
13. Yesware: All-in-one toolkit for sales professionals
Yesware’s tagline excels because it mentions specifically whom the brand is created for. It may be a “plain” tagline, but no one will miss what the software is about.
14. TESCO: Every little helps
According to copywriter Nick Asbury, the popular tagline reiterates TESCO’s values. “It’s about the tiny things that add up to a big difference – the penny cheaper on the baked beans, or the penny off the price you get from a supplier.”
15. Papa John’s Pizza: Better Ingredients. Better Pizza
This simple, but genius tagline emphasizes the brand’s identity and its focus on high-quality ingredients. It also builds customer trust right off the bat.
16. Coldstone Creamery: Because the world deserves a better ice cream
Again, another brand positioning itself as unique and hinting that its product stands head and shoulders above competitors.
17. Lush: Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
Lush is known for its products being fresh and handmade. They harness both those words in their tagline.
Abstract business taglines that inspire
These taglines have nothing to do with the companies associated — at least on the surface. What happens with abstract taglines is that companies pick a catchy slogan and essentially teach their audience to associate their brand name with the tagline, whether or not it’s directly linked to their products.
A company might choose to use an abstract business tagline to inspire consumers because it can create a sense of intrigue and curiosity.
Using a tagline that is not directly linked to their products or services can spark interest and leave room for interpretation, encouraging consumers to think deeper about the brand and its values. Abstract taglines also have the potential to make a brand more memorable and unique in a crowded market by standing out from competitors with a more traditional approach.
18. Apple: Think Different
Apple is an innovative company and its tagline speaks to that. However, it says nothing about the devices they make and someone who’s never heard of the brand in tandem with their tagline would never link them. Interestingly, Apple also has different taglines for each of their products — so there’s no reason why you can’t do that.
19. McDonald’s: I’m Lovin’ It!
Another random slogan gone viral, the McDonald’s tagline could be about anything, new shoes, a new book — anything. But we’ve learned to pair it with the large fast-food corporation.
20. Nike: Just Do It
Nike’s slogan has become more than a slogan, even though it says nothing specifically about athletics. Everyone recognizes it as the brand’s motto and even public figures are inspired by the go-getter attitude these three words inspire.
Learn how to create a memorable tagline with Jasper
It can be an uphill battle to figure out how to come up with an effective tagline for your business. Should you go plain and practical or clever and witty? Whatever you choose, Jasper is there to partner with you.
Start using one of the recommended templates — Perfect Headline or Website Sub-heading — and create a tagline your audience will never forget. If you need help figuring out Jasper templates, check out Jasper Jumpstart, overflowing with helpful resources.
Start brainstorming your brand’s tagline when you sign up with Jasper today.
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