You Had Me at Hello: 5 Essentials for TV Show Taglines

The tagline is your 'hello' when marketing TV shows or films, so with just seconds to grab people's attention, how can you make this all-important first impression count?

Renée Zellweger’s 'You had me at hello' may not have been on the posters for 90s romcom Jerry Maguire, but it is what you want people to think when they read your tagline.

Whether you’re a B2C marketer enticing viewers to watch your film/TV show or a B2B marketer enticing international broadcasters/platforms to acquire rights to it, the tagline – in tandem with the artwork and trailer – is your title's all-important first impression. And in our age of information overload, when we have just a few seconds to grab people’s attention, this first impression counts more now than ever before.

The ultimate aim of any film/TV show tagline is to leave the reader intrigued and keen to know more. Because if they’re not intrigued, they might take their attention, their popcorn or their chequebook elsewhere. And no one wants that.

What is a tagline?

Just a few words or a short statement, a tagline is one of a number of copy assets produced for a TV show or movie and can be used across all sorts of marketing collateral. A tagline should encapsulate the idea, story or tone of the show and make it clear what the reader's experience is going to be when they watch it. It should hook in the reader, spark their imagination and stop them wandering off to look at the hundreds of other titles competing for their attention.

In the B2B TV world – which is where you’ll usually find me – where shows are marketed to international buyers looking to buy rights for local channels and platforms, a tagline could be used on a poster on a trade stand, on a show page in a catalogue, on a social media post, etc. It's not the same as (or an edited version of) the logline, which, in B2B TV marketing, is usually a slightly longer description used for listings or wherever more detail is needed.

5 essentials for TV show taglines

Creating a tagline is rarely a simple task. I’ve been writing copy for TV shows for 20+ years, and I don’t mind admitting that writing taglines still provokes a little wave of imposter syndrome. Will I be able to find that perfect line? Will everyone else love my ideas? What about being a florist instead? But then the ideas start arriving or a line leaps out from the script/treatment, and the flowers are saved from my ham-fisted butchery.

If taglines are lurking on your to-do list, here are the five essentials I like to keep in mind when looking for that perfect line, with some TV/film examples (not written by me!) for inspiration.

1. Does it reflect the show?

The tagline should capture the tone of the show. That could be by leaning into irony or puns for a comedy (‘Same shift. Different day.’ – Brooklyn Nine-Nine), pulling out memorable lines in the script that set the scene (‘Aw jeez, here we go again.’ – Fargo) or teasing the overall idea (‘Hollywood. Where dreams go to die.’ – The Studio).

For current affairs or natural history docs, a tagline could reflect the timely subject matter or new angle ('Prepare to see it as never before.' – Planet Earth). For thrillers, it could ramp up the tension (‘Lies cost lives.’ – Line of Duty S6) or focus on the experience or central conflict of the main character (‘Just because you’re invited, doesn’t mean you’re welcome.’ – Get Out).

2. Does it match the viewing experience?

The tagline should match the experience viewers will have when watching the show or evoke the emotions they’ll feel. It’s clear you’re in for some scares with Alien's ‘In space no one can hear you scream’, a bit of emotional angst with Lost in Translation's 'Everyone wants to be found’, and an epic story in Jurassic Park's 'An adventure 65 million years in the making'.

3. Does it suit the visuals?

The tagline should work with the visuals, whether that's complementing them to reinforce the tone or focus of the show or contrasting them to highlight any surprising or unexpected elements – for example, showing that a thriller also has a comedic angle. Also make sure it doesn't create confusion. For example, if the tagline references the story of a specific character, but the visuals show three characters, how will readers know who it's talking about?

4. Is it memorable?

Pretty much everyone – of a certain age 😬 – will know what movies ‘Who ya gonna call?’ or ‘You'll never go in the water again’ are from (Ghostbusters and Jaws for those whose knees don't creak yet). Clearly it’s not practical to strive for 40+ year legacies with every tagline, but it’s good to avoid the sort of word fluff readers will instantly forget. Sure, it might be a ‘gripping thriller’ or ‘thought-provoking documentary’, but is that going to leave a lasting impression? Making a tagline memorable can be as straightforward as putting an unexpected twist on a familiar phrase (‘They’re young... they’re in love... and they kill people.’ – Bonnie and Clyde).

5. Will it be understood?

Puns, alliteration, rhymes or plays on common phrases often work well in taglines. But it’s easy to get carried away by an idea. Keep in mind that the reader is not as familiar with the show as you are, so anything too clever or subtle might just go straight over their heads. No one likes to think there’s an inside joke they’re not in on, so be prepared to ditch an idea if it might be too obscure. Similarly, if you’re writing for an international audience, any colloquialisms or complex word plays might create more confusion than interest.

If you’d like my help with generating tagline ideas that deliver all these essentials, drop me a line and I’ll set about searching for your show's perfect 'hello'.