{"id":2643,"date":"2020-05-22T16:25:58","date_gmt":"2020-05-22T16:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-208265-2589390.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=2643"},"modified":"2020-05-22T16:58:06","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T16:58:06","slug":"names-and-taglines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/angiecolee.com\/names-and-taglines\/","title":{"rendered":"what’s in a name?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m here to talk about names and taglines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Short writing is probably THE hardest, most time consuming writing there is. How are you gonna compress a complex idea into just three words? By writing a LOT of other words and doing a LOT of cutting until you arrive at the right ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So today I\u2019m going to share a few of my go-to strategies for coming up with names and taglines, and what to do once you find the perfect one..\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elements of a good tagline:<\/b><\/h2>\n

Brevity<\/span><\/h3>\n

Short and sweet is what makes it stick. Three to five words is the sweet spot for a name or tagline, with a max of 10 (think: \u201c15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance\u201d).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some good examples:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA diamond is forever\u201d – DeBeers (1948)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBetcha can\u2019t eat just one\u201d – Lays (1981)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not TV, it\u2019s HBO\u201d – HBO (1997)<\/span><\/p>\n

Clarity<\/span><\/h3>\n

Breaking down the examples above –\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A diamond is forever – draws parallels between a beautiful diamond and the depth of your love, paving the way for the popularity of diamond engagement rings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Betcha can\u2019t eat just one – from the way it\u2019s phrased, we know it\u2019s about food and snacks. And once you\u2019ve tried the salty, crunchy goodness of a Lays potato chip, you understand this sentiment exactly. Plus, it\u2019s a nice bit of sneaky subliminal messaging. The moment someone tells you that you can\u2019t do something, what do you try to do?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not TV, it\u2019s HBO – in just five words, a clear juxtaposition between ordinary cable TV and the (obviously) premium programming provided by HBO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Specificity<\/span><\/h3>\n

Generic is the death of your tagline. Don\u2019t forget to talk about what business you\u2019re in and what makes you special.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saddleback Leather boldly claims about its leather bags: \u201cThey\u2019ll fight over it when you\u2019re dead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Talk about quality\u2026 instead of fighting over the bank accounts, they\u2019ll fight over this kickass leather bag!<\/span><\/p>\n

Whereas \u201cMaking technology work for you\u201d could be ANY company. Did you know off the top of your head that it was Best Buy? Neither did most folks, hence why it didn\u2019t stick.<\/span><\/p>\n

Memorability<\/span><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a reason why we learn a lot of our early childhood lessons via song. For my American readers – I bet if you think back, you can remember Schoolhouse Rock. A little Conjunction Junction, anyone?<\/span><\/p>\n

To make it memorable, increase the musicality\/lyricism. And there are a number of ways you can do that:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n