How to write a tagline · Hivly Brand

A tagline is a short promise. In a few words it tells people what they get or how they will feel. The good ones look effortless, which hides the fact that they are usually the survivor of many rough attempts.

Here is how to get to one.

Know what a tagline is for

A tagline sits next to your name and does one of a few jobs: it explains what you do, states the benefit, or sets a tone. It is not a description of every feature. If you try to say everything, you say nothing memorable.

Decide which job yours needs to do before you write. A new brand often needs the explaining kind; an established one can afford the pure-tone kind.

The shapes that tend to work

Most strong taglines fit a small number of patterns. Use them as scaffolding:

Benefit, plainly stated: “Work, made simple.”
Verb plus outcome: “Ship faster.”
The [adjective] way to [verb]: “The honest way to invoice.”
Name plus promise: “Northpeak. Coffee done right.”

You are not being unoriginal by starting from a pattern. You are giving yourself a frame to react against, which is far easier than a blank line.

Use a generator as a starting point

A template generator fills your brand name and a keyword into shapes like the ones above. It is instant and free, and it is honest about what it gives you: starting points, not finished copy. Some lines will be usable, many will be filler, and that is fine. The job is to spot a direction you like.

The slogan generator on this site produces a batch of tagline shapes from your name and an optional keyword. Skim them, find one that points the right way, and then do the real work: rewrite it in your own voice.

Edit it down

Once you have a candidate, cut. Remove any word that is not pulling weight. Read it out loud. Put it next to your logo in your head. A tagline you can say in one breath, that still sounds like you, is the one to keep.

Test before you commit

Show your shortlist to a few people who match your audience and ask what they think you do. If the tagline makes them guess wrong, it is not working yet, however clever it sounds to you.

A quick routine

Decide the job: explain, promise a benefit, or set a tone.
Generate a batch for raw shapes.
Pick the one that points the right way.
Rewrite it in your voice and cut every spare word.
Test it on a few real people.

The generator gets you past the blank page. The good line comes from the editing you do next.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a tagline and a slogan?

They overlap. A tagline is a short line that sits with your brand name and sums up what you stand for, used over the long term. A slogan is often tied to a specific campaign and changes more often. In day-to-day use people treat the words as the same thing.

Are generated taglines good enough to use as is?

Treat them as starting points. A template generator fills your words into proven shapes, so some lines will land and many will be filler. The value is breaking the blank page and spotting a direction. The final line should come from you editing a rough one into your own voice.

How long should a tagline be?

Short. Aim for a handful of words, rarely more than seven or eight. A tagline has to be easy to remember and to fit next to your name, so every extra word makes it weaker. If you cannot say it in one breath, cut it down.