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Tagline ideas · D2C

How to write a tagline for a D2C startup

Small batch. Big feelings.
Kindred Co., our sample D2C brand
Find my positioning freeSee the formulas

Three formulas, three lines

Every tagline below was written for Kindred Co., which makes small-batch home fragrance sold online. Try all three formulas for your own startup, then keep the strongest.

Formula 1 · The outcome
Home, smelling like you.

What the customer gets, in a few words.

4 words

Formula 2 · The contrast
Small batch. Big feelings.

What you do that the usual option does not.

4 words

Formula 3 · The promise
Made slowly, sent quickly.

A short commitment you keep every time.

4 words

The competitor swap test

Put a competitor's name in front of your line. If it still makes sense, it is not yours yet.

Fails the test
“Premium quality products”

Any D2C company could say this.

Brand A: Premium quality productsYour rival: Premium quality productsAny startup: Premium quality products

Also weak: “Your one-stop lifestyle brand”

Passes the test
“Small batch. Big feelings.”

Specific to what Kindred Co. does, so a competitor could not borrow it without changing their product.

See it with the logo

A tagline lives under or beside the logo, never inside it. Here is Kindred Co.'s line on light, dark and on the box lid.

Kindred Co.Small batch. Big feelings.
ON THE BOX LIDSmall batch. Big feelings.Kindred Co.
Kindred Co.Small batch. Big feelings.
Kindred Co.Small batch. Big feelings.

Check it before you print it

3 to 7words, short enough for one line under the logo
0buzzwords like innovative, seamless or next-gen
5customers should say back what you do after reading it
1line for years. Do not change it every campaign.
Tip

Half the category uses sage green and beige. On a crowded feed, that blends straight in. Your tagline is where you say the opposite out loud.

Questions

What makes a good tagline for a D2C startup?

It says something only you can say, in three to seven words. For example: "Small batch. Big feelings."

What is the competitor swap test?

Put a competitor's name in front of your tagline. If it still works, your tagline is too generic.

Should a tagline go in my logo?

Keep it as a separate line under or beside the logo, so the logo still works on its own at small sizes.

Can Astitva write my tagline?

Astitva writes your positioning and tone of voice from a short brief, so the tagline, logo and deck all say the same thing. New accounts get 50 free credits.

Start with positioning, the tagline follows

Astitva writes your positioning and tone of voice from a short brief, so your tagline, logo and pitch deck all say the same thing.

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