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Copywriting: How to Write a Tagline for Your Company

by Dina Giolitto

Every brain works in its own, unique way - so there is no reason to assume that my method for writing taglines will be the one that gets your wheels turning and your creative juices flowing.

However, for those who appreciate a little creative direction, I'm going to give you a play-by-play of how I, a seasoned copywriter with a background in creating corporate advertising materials, go about dreaming up brand images for my clients.

Step 1: Do your research homework. If you're writing a tagline for someone else's company, then go visit their website if they have one. Check out the company brochure, and really get to know what they're about. If this is a rebranding assignment (they want a NEW tagline to match their NEW brand image), you'll want to find out what they didn't care for about their old marketing, what goals they fell short of and why, and what ideal they're moving toward.

Step 2: Look at the big picture. If this tagline is being developed as part of a larger branding campaign, then you may want to first write the company philosophy, values, mission statement and USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Sometimes it helps to think in broad terms before narrowing it down to fine details.

Step 3: Wordstorm. Once you feel you've got a good handle on what the company is about, have yourself a wordstorm. Just clear your mind, open up a blank document or get yourself a fresh sheet of white paper, and do a brain dump. Write down any and all words that relate to whatever it is this company provides to their customers. Don't hold back; even if you think an idea sounds corny, stupid, or even if someone else has already used it - jot it down anyway. You never know what thoughts might springboard other thoughts, and lead you to the one line that sums it all up in seconds.

Step 4: Get lyrical. Remember that a tagline is a sentiment, not a description. Yours should convey an idea, or ideal - so start forming one-liners that sound catchy, yet also reflect the company values and mission. Often, it helps to say the company name aloud, followed by the tag, to see how it flows together. Craft your list, writing down even the not-so-good ones. You can weed these out later.

Step 5: Start the process of elimination. Run down your list, crossing off all the repeat offenders, the "lame ideas," and the taglines that actually belong to other companies. (You should do a Google search on your lines in quotes, to be sure.)

Step 6: Proofread your final list, and submit for review.

Congratulations! You've just created your first copywriter's brainstorm of taglines.

Wordfeeder.com is the home of Dina Giolitto's Copywriting, Copy Editing, Web and Print Marketing Services. Interesting in learning how to market your business successfully using the latest online and offline methods? Eager to master the art of writing copy that gets you more clients and sales? Then keep following along! We publish articles regularly and post them on our home page. Write to dina@wordfeeder.com with comments or for a project quote today.

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