How To Write a Tagline They’ll Quote in the Elevator

We're all guilty of the weak tagline:

“Innovating the future.”

“Solutions. Delivered.”

“Empowering success.”

They sound confident. They look good. However, they don’t really show who you are.

Taglines are supposed grab attention, anchor your brand, and spark recognition. They should be memorable and say exactly what you do. Here’s how to write a tagline that actually speaks to who you are:

What makes a tagline work?

The best taglines do three things:

1. Clarify what you do

2. Hint at how you do it

3. Spark interest or emotion without trying too hard

You don’t need all three in every tagline, but if yours hits none of them? It’s not doing its job.

Why most B2B taglines fall flat

Mainly because they try to sound polished before they’re specific. Generic taglines happen when a company:

• Doesn’t have a clear value prop

• Tries to please too many audiences

• Starts with tone instead of message

• Tries to force cleverness without context

If your tagline could work for a logistics company or a life coach or a cloud platform? That’s a red flag. Here are some examples of generic taglines and how to improve them:

• Weak: “Driving Innovation Together”

Sounds collaborative. Says nothing. Who’s innovating what? For whom?

• Better: “Faster site development for busy engineering teams.”

It’s not poetic, but it’s clear. You know who it’s for and what it delivers.

• Weak: “Beyond Expectations”

Beyond what expectations? Beyond unclear.

• Better: “Secure, scalable tax tech for the firms who can’t afford surprises.”

Now that gets attention.

How To Find Your Hook

A great tagline often starts with something raw and specific. We ask:

• What’s the pain point you solve fast?

• What do your clients say about you when they refer you?

• What’s the benefit they feel once you’re working together?

Then we write dozens of variations from bold to direct to a little weird and filter them through three questions:

• Is it yours? Could a competitor say this?

• Does it spark curiosity or recognition?

• Is it a conversation starter or a conversation killer?

We’re not looking for clever. We’re looking for clarity with edge.

How We Help

At Borrowed Pen, we’ve written taglines for manufacturers, medtech companies, SaaS platforms, law firms, and niche service providers. Sometimes we find it in a client’s offhand comment. Sometimes we find it in their competitor’s positioning (and then write the opposite).

We always find it in the strategy because great taglines don’t come from brainstorming alone. They come from knowing what makes your brand make sense. If your tagline could work for five other companies, it’s time for a better one.

Need help finding your hook? We’ll craft the messaging and the language that makes your brand stick. Let’s write something that’s actually yours.