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Write the perfect tagline

Struggling to write a catchy tagline? 83% of buyers say it’s vital that a brand aligns with their values. The best way to let them know you do? With a clear, concise tagline that spells out who you are.

But what’s the trick behind creating an engaging tagline? It all comes down to psychology.

This article will give you a rundown of how to leverage psychological tricks to boost your tagline’s effectiveness. Get inspired with six stellar examples of tagline ideas that work in 2020.

What Makes a Great Tagline?

A successful tagline inspires an emotional connection with your business, boosts brand awareness, and showcases your products.

Your business slogan should be short, easy to remember, and persuasive.

Here are a few of the psychological factors used in marketing taglines:

  • Priming. This tactic introduces one idea to stimulate the thought or desire for a related concept. By doing this, you raise customer expectations.
  • Amplification. By creating certainty around an idea, customers come to believe in it more over time, increasing brand awareness.
  • Scarcity Principle. Giving the idea that products are exclusive or in short supply incites urgent purchasing.
  • Power Words. The right emotional wording drives action. There are three categories of power words to use:
  • God terms carry blessings and ask for obedience. Use these words to guide positive behaviors.
  • Devil terms evoke disgust and encourage avoidance. Use these words to discourage negative behaviors.
  • Charismatic terms promise freedom and invite responsibility. Use these terms to reward useful behaviors.

As Jason Quey from Growth Ramp puts it:

“Your tagline is your chance to grab a customer and suck them in with a handful of words. You need to really sit and think about what you believe in, who you serve, and why you’re better than everyone else. Once you know where you’re at, you have to find a way to blurt that out in one ‘high-five’ sentence.”

How to Write Great Taglines in 2020

Without a catchy tagline, your audience will struggle to connect with your brand.

Follow these six simple psychological tricks to write a memorable slogan.

Step #1: Show them what you’re made of

Power words can increase conversions by 12.7%, so use them to amplify your benefits.

Prime your audience for what you have to offer so they know if your company is the right fit.

Source: Riot Agency

Digital design agency Riot captures varied buyer personas with a simple yet forceful campaign slogan.

Riot uses the power term "special task force" to elicit emotional responses related to military-style efficiency.

Source: Riot Agency


The brand slogan flicks between different project areas to showcase various expertise.

Step #2: Give the customer ownership

"God terms" and "charismatic terms" are the powerful words used to encourage obedience and responsibility.

Amplify your customer’s ownership of their relationship to your brand. This connects their problem with your solution.

"You" is the most powerful persuasive word in tagline marketing, so use the second person in your brand slogan.

Source: SleepJunkie

See how sleep assistance brand SleepJunkie uses "Your Source" to pass ownership to customers.

The word "source" is a strong charismatic term that fosters notions of one centralized fountain of knowledge in this successful tagline.

Step #3: Keep it rich and simple

Keeping your company slogan short can improve clickthrough rates by 8.6%, so choose a punchy, powerful phrase.

A keyword-dense brand slogan can increase CTR by 45%. Try to use power keywords to improve SEO and enhance visibility on search engines.

Source: Elemental Labs

Elemental Labs uses the simple yet effective keywords "electrolyte," "drink," and "tasty" to explain its product, demonstrate its USP, and increase searchability.

Step #4: Create exclusivity

Based on the scarcity principle, FOMO (fear of missing out) creates urgency to buy by pushing consumers to become insiders.

As 36% of millennials are afraid of feeling like an outsider, this is a key tagline tactic.

Source: Future Kind

Notice how vegan vitamin brand Future Kind creates an exclusive customer colony with the phrase "vegankind."

The catchy tagline plays on the word "humankind" and the vegan-friendly nature of the products.

Witty and snappy, the clever tagline creates a tribe and fosters FOMO.

Step #5: Keep it current

Your brand slogan should reflect current market trends to show that your solutions are relevant to today’s customers.

Eliminate outdated jargon and tag key time and location data.

Source: Medical Alert Buyers Guide

Medical Alert Buyers Guide signposts its relevance immediately by putting the year in its informational tagline.

This keeps SEO fresh, bringing the firm high up in search engine rankings.

Other taglines that work in this way sound like this:

  • “This summer’s must-have pocketbook for freelancers”
  • “Cheapest 2020 vacation homes on the East Coast”

Step #6: Demonstrate your values

65% of people feel close to brands that invite an emotional connection, and 71% of customers will buy from companies that align with their values.

Consider your top company values and voice them in your tagline.

Source: Gili Sports

Look how outdoor pursuits brand Gili Sports shows its dedication to saving the planet with its emotive tagline.

Speaking to eco warriors everywhere, Gili Sports invokes FOMO in its target audience, who also want to save the planet.

Inspired to craft the perfect tagline? Use these great slogan tips to increase conversions, awareness, and engagement.

Remember to keep your tagline ideas simple, but kick in a bit of FOMO.


Addison Burke Addison Burke teaches businesses how to grow through better digital marketing, and writes on everything from SEO to WordPress and cybersecurity.