Writing a Strapline? Here are 5 easy Steps to Create yours Today!
Read Time: 10 Minutes
Introduction
This blog will help you create YOUR BUsineses straplinE
Create a memorable promise of service for your business with a catchy strapline! This short and sweet phrase tells potential customers what to expect when partnering with you.
What distinguishes a Strapline from a Slogan and a Unique Selling Point (USP)?
I’ve noticed that we, as marketers, often interchange the terms strapline, slogan, and USP, but the truth is they’re not the same thing. Before we dive into creating a strapline, I want to give you some insight into why it’s important to understand the differences between a slogan, USP, and a strapline.
A strapline is a short, memorable catchphrase that sums up what your brand is all about. And it’s not limited to just products – it applies to services too! Think of it as your brand’s elevator pitch. The goal of a strapline is to show potential customers what you can offer them. Take Mcdonalds, for example. Their iconic strapline, “I’m Lovin’ It,” perfectly captures the feeling of enjoyment that comes with every tasty bite of their food. Yum!
Conversely, slogans are short, quickly remembered catchphrases that are associated with marketing campaigns executed on digital and traditional platforms. Some excellent examples: Meow Mix: “Tastes so good, cats ask for it by name.” KFC: “Finger lickin’ good.” Lay’s: “Betcha can’t eat just one. (K,AMARNAN 2022)
A Unique Selling Point (USP) is what makes your business stand out among the competitors. Think of it as your brand’s elevator pitch. It should give potential customers a good reason to choose your brand over the competition by highlighting your unique offering. Whether you offer the most affordable price, top-notch quality, or prompt delivery, all of these can make a huge difference to your target market.
The Difference Between The Three:
- Strapline – It’s brands promise of service or goods to its customers
- Slogan – It’s a compelling campaign catchphrase.
- Unique Selling Point – It’s your brand’s elevator pitch about what sets your business apart from others in the market.
What is a Strapline?
So, you’ve probably noticed a little sentence underneath some company’s logo – that’s the strapline! It’s like a summary of what the company is all about and how they’re dedicated to catering to its customers. The strapline lets people know exactly what the brand stands for, whether providing exceptional service or creating a certain vibe when using its products. It’s there to communicate the company’s commitment to its customers, and it’s always paired with the logo or brand name to ensure the brand is held accountable for its promise.
Below are some examples of famous company straplines:
Why is a Strapline so Important to your Business?
Having a strapline to show off your brand is a great way to make it stand out amongst your competition. Your strapline showcases it’s commitment to the customers and ensures it is held accountable for its services or goods.
Don’t see the value in having a strapline? Let me give you four reasons why it’s worth considering:
- A strapline can define what your business is all about in just one line.
- It has the potential to inspire catchy and unforgettable marketing campaigns.
- A good strapline can reinforce your audience’s expectations of your brand.
- Your business name may tell people who you are, but your strapline communicates what you do and why you’re the top dog in your industry.
For example, if you were looking for a painter and decorator, which one would you choose:
- Arvy’s
- Arvy’s – Painting & Decorating Services
- Arvy’s – Your local Painting and Decorating Experts
What makes a good Strapline?
A great strapline contains the following three characteristics:
- It Has To Be Clear
Keep it clear and straightforward. It doesn’t have to be fancy or clever; you can change over time. So, for now, tell your consumers precisely what you can do for them. - To Has To Be Memorable
Even though you want it clear and simple, you can still make it memorable. Strike a chord with your audience. You want your consumer to see your business name and strapline and easily - To MUST Focus on the Customers Needs
Now that we’ve established the importance of clarity, it’s time to focus on understanding your customers’ pain points. Tap into their emotions, really get a sense of their frustrations, and show them that you have the solution they’ve been looking for.
Top Tip: An effective approach to crafting compelling straplines is to inject a touch of quirkiness and creativity to convey a significant message. Utilizing a third-person format can establish a friendly and thoughtful tone, which can be the deciding factor for a consumer in making a purchasing decision. The language used should be straightforward and conversational to cater to the brand’s target audience, mirroring their thought processes when engaging with the brand.
How do you Create a Strapline for your Business?
In essence, your strapline should succinctly communicate the benefits of your product or service to the consumer. As your business name represents your identity, your strapline articulates the value proposition to potential clients.

Create your Business Strapline with these Five Steps
Remember that your strapline is super important for your business to build customer trust. The short statement tells people you always follow through on your promises. That’s why it’s always associated with your logo – everyone should be able to see and trust it! So, make sure you choose a strapline to live up to. Only make promises you can keep, as it will destroy all trust associated with your brand if you make promises you can’t keep.
Step One: Collate your Mission, Core Values, and USP.
- Write all of these down on a piece of paper.
- For the Core Values include the two definitions (Yours and the dictionaries).
- Don’t have them created yet? Then click on the buttons below to create them today.
- For the Core Values include the two definitions (Yours and the dictionaries).


Step Two: Explore
Write the answer to these questions on another piece of paper.
- What are some words that describe what your business does?
- Who is buying your products or services?
- Make a list of your business traits.
- What can your business promise?
- Is there any Industry lingo that you can use?
Step Three: Discovery
Let’s take a look at Steps 1 & 2 and brainstorm as many straplines as we can! Keep them to one sentence and try to focus on a common promise theme. Let’s get creative!
-
- SET A TIMER FOR 30 MINS
- Use Nouns, adjectives, and verbs!
- Make it a call to action.
- Sum up the essence of your brand.
- Try and encapsulate what the company stands for, its values, and its personality, and its promise.
- SET A TIMER FOR 30 MINS


Step FOUR: refine
- Review Steps 1 & 2
- What’s the common thing that your brand can promise?
- Using your industry Lingo and reviewing your brand’s vision for itself, what statement can you make?
- Remember, your USP makes you unique; the strapline enforces this by promising the offering.
Good straplines rarely exceed more than five or six words. Why? Because brevity makes them catchy.
Step Five: Review
- Write your brand name out
- Then beneath it, write down the strapline you like the most under your brand name.
- If you have multiple ideas, write one out on a sheet of paper.
Place these around the house. Which one sticks out, and which one can your brand uphold?
Remember, don’t make promises that your brand can’t keep.
Here are Some Famous Strapline Examples
- L’Oréal – “Because You’re Worth It”
- Rimmel – “Get the London look”
- Maxfactor – “the makeup of makeup artists”
- Maybelline – “Maybe its Maybelline”
- HSBC – “The World’s Local Bank”
- Daewoo – “That’ll be the Daewoo”
- EDF – “Save today, save tomorrow”
- APPLE – “Think Different”
- KITKAT – “Have a break, have a KitKat “
- HMRC – “Tax doesn’t have to be taxing “
Key Takeaways
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The Difference Between A Strapline, Slogan, and Unique Selling Point:
- Strapline – It’s brands promise of service or goods to its customers
- Slogan – It’s a compelling campaign catchphrase.
- Unique Selling Point – It’s your brand’s elevator pitch about what sets your business apart from others in the market.
- Strapline – It’s brands promise of service or goods to its customers
- Your Strapline is more than just words – it’s a promise to your customers that they’ll be satisfied. It’s what sets your brand apart and makes it memorable. When paired with your brand name, it creates trust and sets the tone for your relationship with your customers.
- Don’t make promises your brand can’t keep!
Summary
Works Cited/ Resources
- Austin Distel (2022). How to Write a Tagline for Your Business in 3 Easy Steps. .jasper.ai/
- BL Admin (2019). Top 10 Tips to Creating your Business Strapline. buildinglegacies.co.u
- Caroline Gibson (/). So, What’s The Difference Between A Headline, Strapline, Tagline And Slogan? www.carolinegibson.co.uk
- Clare Cole (2020). Writing a strapline? Here are 5 things you need to know. theyardstickagency.co.uk/
- Concept Store (/). What makes a good strapline and how you can create one? conceptstore.co.uk
- Editorial Team (2021). Tagline vs. Slogan: What’s the Difference and Why Are They Important?. .indeed.com
- Kristina (2021). 20 Best Slogan Examples + Create Your Own. sixads.net
- James Spillane (2012). Write a Great Strapline for Your Business. business2community.com
- Steve Harvy (/). Fabrik, “probably the best design agency in London” – The enduring power of company straplines. fabrikbrands.com