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Tagline ideas · SaaS

How to write a tagline for a SaaS startup

Close the books in a day.
Northbeam, our sample SaaS brand
Find my positioning freeSee the formulas

Three formulas, three lines

Every tagline below was written for Northbeam, which makes workflow software for finance teams. Try all three formulas for your own startup, then keep the strongest.

Formula 1 · The outcome
Close the books in a day.

What the customer gets, in a few words.

6 words

Formula 2 · The contrast
Finance work without the spreadsheets.

What you do that the usual option does not.

5 words

Formula 3 · The promise
Every number, ready for review.

A short commitment you keep every time.

5 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
“Seamless workflow automation”

Any SaaS company could say this.

Brand A: Seamless workflow automationYour rival: Seamless workflow automationAny startup: Seamless workflow automation

Also weak: “Empowering teams to do more”

Passes the test
“Close the books in a day.”

Specific to what Northbeam 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 Northbeam's line on light, dark and on the login page.

NorthbeamClose the books in a day.
ON THE LOGIN PAGEClose the books in a day.Northbeam
NorthbeamClose the books in a day.
NorthbeamClose the books in a day.

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

Most B2B tools use the same blue. Buyers comparing six tabs cannot tell you apart. Your tagline is where you say the opposite out loud.

Questions

What makes a good tagline for a SaaS startup?

It says something only you can say, in three to seven words. For example: "Close the books in a day."

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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