Why are Good Taglines so Hard to Write?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that a good tagline is just about the most powerful element of your marketing strategy.  A good tagline is better than a logo because it can be searched and found.  A good tagline can permanantly position your organization in your buyers mind so that you are the first person they think of when the want or need for your offering arises.  A good tagline is priceless.

And like all things priceless, a good tagline can be downright elusive.  At this writing there are 1.5 million search results on Google for the phrase "how to write a good tagline" and almost 20,000 search results on Google blog search.  Not all are applicable, but here are some:

Shira Linden has some practical suggestions.  I like anything that literally tells me what to do.  The brainstorming section in here I think is very good.

Liz Strauss – Liz has compiled a wonderful list that you can explore and perhaps some element will resonate with you in your journey to the perfect tag.

Mike Blaney – Here are a few other interesting ideas from Mike who is interviewing an expert on taglines and writing.

One thing that you will notice is you’ve clicked around is that everyone has the same recommendations as to what makes a good tagline and how to get one for yourself. Yet, we still see way too many esoteric, general taglines that make us wrinkle our nose and thing "What?"

What makes some taglines stick and others fall flat?  I’ve been reading the book "Made to Stick" and this is what’s stuck with me.

Surprising and Unexpected.  If you want people to really remember and pass something on, it needs to have an element of surpise.  Back when FedEx got started, getting something there overnight was unexpected.

Concrete, Visual and Easy Enough for a Kid to Understand.  Test your tagline on a 6-year old.  If they understand what you do, chances are other people will too.  The more concrete and detailed the description, the more legs it will have.

Have a story around your tag.  This is a wonderful idea.  If you can incorporate the elements above into a story, all the more powerful and easy it is to pass your name on to others.  The book uses the example of Frank Sinatra’s song "New York, New York" with the lyrics "If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere"  your story has to have that same halo effect.

My How-to Process for a Great Tag

1. Get some index cards.  Buy a whole pack or two, trust me, you’ll use them all. You can also use sticky notes.
2. Write a category on each card.  For example: My Ideal Customer, My promise to the customer, Benefits to the customer, Features, How I (or we) do what we do, Why we do what we do, What sets us apart or  makes me (or us) different from any other alternative?, Why customers choose us, What do our ideal customers really want,How we give customers what they want …any of the categories discussed in the links above.
3. Write 1 (one) item per card under each category.  You can start this yourself, or do it with a group. Write out as many of these under each category as you can.
4. Simplify, Concretize, Visualize.  Now go through each of the individual cards you wrote and start editing what you wrote for simplicity.  If there is a word on there that a 6-year old wouldn’t understand, pick a simpler word.  In what ways can you make this statement more visual?  Can you make a comparison against something that your audience already knows, understands and feels emotional about?
5. Write out some tags.
6. Test for simplicity again.
7. Write out some more tags
8. Test with some kids.  Write each tag on a separate index card and ask a kid what he or she thinks this person does.  What would they call this person for?  When would they call this person?
9. Once you’ve got something that works, think of some good stories you can use that illustrate your benefits.
10. Test and tweak.
11. Launch.

I’m dying to know what you think about this.