Chapter 2 | On Pitching
Taglines might appear to be a simple marketing tool but a good one, even a great one, has enormous power to become more iconic than the title of a book,film or brand. In many instances, the tagline becomes the mantra of fandoms and consumers.
Nothing proved this more than the 2023 live-action Barbie movie. The tagline?
She’s everything. He’s just Ken.
It captured the ethos of the film so completely that it took on a life of its own. People were promoting the movie of their own accord because it resonated with them. It is a brilliant example of the power of word-of-mouth!
(The memes alone have been brilliant!)
Taglines are designed to promote the thing we’re selling, and they move product!
There are so many industries all working within the same algorithms; we’re all thinking about stories in the same way. Publishing has seen the power of taglines across other media and pop culture and have joined the party.
There are some slogans that we know, even when we’re not reading it. Simply seeing the logo or item will have the tagline flash through our minds.
As consumers, we are trained to be impacted by the simple and provocative that encapsulates a brand/ story in a beautiful one liner. We know what they are – a taster of what can be expected within the story.
Taglines set the tone, and doesn’t tell you about the characters, plot or premise. They’re simple, provocative and hopefully, original!
Taglines can be punny, silly, humorous or serious and have become an important component of crafting our book pitches. It will generally lead with the hook of your story, and in some instances, it could even be a quote from your book if it sums it up perfectly.
A tagline must be:
Simple - keep it to a few words
Provocative – a tagline aims to evoke emotion so make it memorable and intriguing. Play around with different words, their rhythm, connotation and tone.
Original – don’t try and imitate other taglines – stay true to your story. Once you’ve crafted your tagline, type it into an internet search to determine if it is already in use.
Here are some great examples of brilliant taglines (and Ted Lasso’s single word - genius!
