A Fun Trick For Creating A Tagline With Impact:

Picture it:

William Wallace, face smeared with blue warrior paint, restlessly riding his horse back and forth in front of his fellow Scots as they gear up for battle.

The tension and excitement is building: the Scots’ impatience with their English oppressors has hit a boiling point. Enough is enough.

The background music surges.

William Wallace raises his sword, tilts his head back, and yells:

“We’re going to employ evidence-based practices to address multiple challenges with comprehensive solutions for fostering broader autonomyyyyyyyyy!!!”

[crickets chirping…]

Nope?

Okay, fine. “Freeeeeeeeeedommm!!!”

I love this exercise from writer and branding expert Donald Miller: Think of your tagline— that phrase or sentence that sums up the Purpose or Theme of what you do— and picture William Wallace yelling it.

For my coaching business, I think: “You can have your Dream Business!!” or “Business can be fuuuuuun!” (Or as I’ve put on my business cards: “Love your Business (and your life).”

Some themes my clients have come up with: “You can live a Brave Life!”, “All Children deserve to thrive!” “Couples can feel confident in their relationships!” and “Beautiful spaces soothe the soul!”

How about your business? Pull out a notebook and do a 10-minute “brain dump” of thoughts and ideas about the purpose and impact of your work (and your particular approach).

If you had to boil those ideas down to ONE phrase that would quickly sum up what you want them to know, and William Wallace was going to scream it to rally the troops, what would that theme be?

Now practice it with friends or colleagues (you don’t have to yell, but feel free to play the Braveheart soundtrack in the background).

Now you have a phrase/tagline you can put on your website, or start your signature speech with, or use in your elevator speech.

Most of all, you have a way to quickly invite potential clients into a better story for themselves.

(Kilt and warrior paint are optional).