Craft a Memorable Brand Tagline + Free Workbook

When you’re building a brand, there are a lot of moving parts.

There are a few big pieces most people focus on first: the business name, logo design, & website. But one of the most overlooked (and underestimated) pieces is the tagline— a small line with a big job.

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck on what your tagline should say— or wondering if you even need one, you’re not alone. It’s easy to overlook the tagline. After all, it’s just a few words. But the right few words can do a lot of work. A strong tagline supports your brand over time. A well-crafted tagline isn’t filler. It’s a strategic tool that captures your brand’s essence, helps attract the right audience, reinforces your message, and helps your business stand out in a lasting way.

At its best, a tagline makes your brand clear in seconds.

Design for businesses that dare to stand out

Design for businesses that dare to stand out

Why is a tagline so important?

• Instant Recognition: An effective tagline achieves instant recognition. It becomes a mental shortcut—helping your audience to identify and remember your brand among competitors.
  

• Expresses purpose clearly: Within a few words, a tagline can state what you do and what your business is about. It summarizes your mission and values into a phrase that holds true from within to your team and from the outside to your target audience.
  

• Creates Emotional Connection: The correct words draw people in. Emotional taglines conjure an emotional reaction, so customers come up with a personal association to your firm, and thus trust and remain loyal to you. Effective taglines make individuals feel an emotion. As your customer connects on an emotive level to your firm's message, you build trust, loyalty, and long-term brand favorability.
  

• Make Meaningful Difference: An innovative tagline makes you distinct from competitors, highlighting why your brand makes a difference and will appeal to your perfect customer. A good tagline defines your value proposition. If it's about your offer, your voice, or your values— it sets you apart from your category.
  

• Boosts Brand Awareness: Your tagline holds your brand first & foremost in the minds of customers— enhancing the likelihood that they will choose to purchase from you and not from someone else.

“Just Do It” — proof a tagline can define a brand. Nike’s tagline shows what bold, clear messaging can do.

What Makes a Great Tagline?

The perfect slogan won’t simply sound good— it works. It gives your customers a sense of who you are, what you offer, and why you’re important, all in a few words. While there's no one-size-fits-all formula, most good taglines have a few things in common:

1. It’s Clear

Clarity beats cleverness. Always.

If your customer has to read your tagline again or think to decipher its meaning, then it's not doing its job. A strong tagline quickly communicates something important— what you do, what you stand for, or what your customer can expect.

Even the most creative brands benefit from clarity. There’s room for personality, but people should get the point quickly.

Ask yourself: Would someone who’s never heard of my business instantly understand this?

Even the most innovative or abstract brands need to make sense. There's leeway for distinctiveness, but individuals need to understand the message promptly.

Get to the point— Don't use complex industry terms that might stump your readers. Be concise and to the point using everyday language that anyone can identify with. Your tagline should feel second nature to anyone who knows nothing about your industry. Using everyday language that everyone can identify with, your tagline becomes universally appealing and inclusive, so that your message comes through and resonates with a larger audience.

2. Keep it Simple

That's why short taglines stick.

They’re easier to remember, easier to repeat, and easier to fit into the way that people talk about your brand. Brief and to the point taglines aren’t just memorable, they’re effortless to share, too. Aim for concise, boiling your message down to 3-8 words. A good, concise phrase is more memorable than a brilliant sentence— a whole lot easier to repeat, recall, and identify with your brand, too. Brief taglines are easier to remember, so your brand stays center-stage to your audience.

Against an information-overloaded world, simplicity cuts to the chase, and your tagline emerges and becomes unforgettable. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” The same principle applies. An effective tagline won’t try to say it all — it says just the right thing, simply.

If someone can remember it after hearing it once, you’re on the right track.

3. Purpose & Longevity

People remember how things make them feel— a captivating tagline captures emotion. The greatest taglines are rooted in intention— they capture how your brand makes people feel, not just what it does. That emotional specificity takes a common phrase and makes it unforgettable.

Once your tagline connects on a deeper level and resonates within your business's values and identity, it's no longer just a line below your logo— it's a connection. Individuals may not always remember your exact words, but they'll remember how your message made them feel. And that will withstand time and platforms. On your site, on your packaging, on your signature line, on your social bio— it should ring true, feel right, and instantly familiar. The best taglines won’t need to be recreated on a seasonal basis; they scale alongside your company.

And it should last. A well-crafted tagline holds up over time and across platforms. Whether it’s on your website, your packaging, your email signature, or your social bio— it should feel consistent, true, and instantly recognizable. The strongest taglines don’t need to be rewritten every season; they grow with your business.

“That first sip feeling.” — Starbucks proves a great tagline isn’t about what you sell— it’s about how you make people feel.

Narrow down your brand's core values. What do you believe in? What sets you apart from competitors? These values should be the foundation of your tagline. Your tagline isn’t meant to be perfect— it’s meant to feel like you. The most effective ones are clear, thoughtful, and help your business become easier to remember and recommend. Start with what you know to be true about your brand, and go from there.

Need help crafting the perfect tagline? Get the free Brand Tagline Workbook

Download Bellberry Lane’s free Brand Tagline Workbook— a simple, strategic guide to help you write a tagline that feels aligned, clear, and true to your business. Enter your email below to get instant access, plus occasional brand tips and studio updates.