Taglines and headlines: What are they and what’s the difference?
All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.
If you’re anything like me, learning this factoid in high school geometry absolutely blew my mind. The reason I bring it up in a totally non-math-related article is that the same sort of principle applies to headlines and taglines.
All taglines can be headlines, but not all headlines are taglines.
If this is confusing, that is totally fair. There are plenty of professional copywriters and marketers who don’t fully understand taglines vs. headlines. I used to be one of them! Taglines and headlines are both essential to strong copywriting and messaging, so understanding the difference between the two—and when they might overlap—is super important.
Let’s talk it out.
What are taglines and what are headlines?
Taglines are very short phrases that capture the brand’s mission, vision, and value. They’re memorable and are repeated again and again in advertisements, emails, website copy, and more. They don’t change very often, if ever. You can sort of think of them like a “jingle”—minus the singing.
Here are some examples:
Nike’s tagline: “Just do it”
Target’s tagline: “Expect more. Pay less.”
Allstate Insurance’s tagline: “You’re in good hands.”
Notice: short, sweet, emotional, memorable, and captures the brand’s core essence and message.
Headlines, on the other hand, are slightly longer ( but still relatively short) phrases or sentences. They’re found at the top of magazine or newspaper articles, on website pages, in advertisements, and more.
For the sake of copywriting, we’re going to focus on their role in web copy, email copy, and advertisements.
For these purposes, headlines usually convey the benefits and value of a brand, product, or launch. They’re used for more specific purposes than a tagline, which is featured across all channels most, if not all, of the time. They’re less memorable than a tagline, but should still effectively convey, persuade, and inform in an impressionable way. Headlines change with new products, launches, email campaigns, etc.
Where do taglines and headlines intersect?
All taglines can be headlines, but not all headlines are taglines.
Taglines—the short, memorable phrase capturing a brand’s essence—can sometimes be headlines, particularly if they’re remarkable. For example, Nike will sometimes use their “Just do it” tagline in lieu of another powerful headline. As another example, if a brand is newly established, they might use their tagline as the headline on their landing page.
But headlines, which are ever-changing and geared toward specific uses, cannot be taglines.
That’s part one of this question.
Part two is that taglines and the message within them should always underlie our headlines and other messaging in order to have brand consistency. Let me give you an example from my own work here:
I recently developed the brand messaging and website copy for Protean Headwear, which is a new B2C brand. Our tagline is: “Go Anywhere, Be Anything”. The headline on the landing page is: “SMART SUN PROTECTION FOR THOSE ENJOYING LIFE OUTDOORS”.
Notice how the spirit and message behind our tagline—the idea of conquering life wherever you go—underlies the headline, which is all about being able to live life outside without worrying about health risks.
So, to recap: taglines can occassionally be headlines, and the spirit and message behind the tagline should set the foundation for our headlines.
TL;DR
Taglines are essentially short, memorable, catchy phrases that capture the essence of the brand and never really change. They’re seen across all channels. They’re recognizable.
Headlines (for the sake of website, email, or ad copy) are also short-ish, but are for more specific uses. They pull in audiences, convey value, and encourage action for specific web pages, email campaigns, product launches, etc.
Taglines can sometimes be used for headlines, but the messaging behind a brand’s tagline should always underlie headlines and other messaging in order to have brand consistency.
Drop me a line if you’re looking to develop or revamp your brand’s tagline, headline, or messaging, or keep learning about messaging with this piece on relatability.
Thanks for the read!
Megan
