Why You Need a Tagline to Improve Your Author Platform

Twitterific Writing Links The Importance of Keeping a Book Inve...

Why You Need a Tagline to Improve Your Author Platform

by Colleen M. Story, @colleen_m_story ‏

When your readers come to your website, how long does it take them to figure out what kind of writing you do?

If it takes more than a few seconds, you may be losing readers, subscribers, and others who could be interested in your work.

According to research and consulting firm Nielsen Norman Group, users often leave web pages in 10-20 seconds. To gain user attention, you have to clearly communicate your value within 10 seconds.

That may seem a bit drastic, but if you think about it, you’ll find it rings true. Just take a few minutes to browse the Internet and discover how patient you are. You may be surprised at how quickly you move on if a site doesn’t hold your interest.

Fortunately, you can take full advantage of those 10 precious seconds with your potential readers by including one important thing on your website: a tagline.

Here’s why this can be so helpful to you and your readers.

Author Websites Without a Tagline Say Nothing to the Reader

To help you see just how much an author tagline can help, I tried an experiment. I encourage you to try it too the next time you’re online.

I took about 10 minutes to look up some random author sites, simply by choosing “author website” in a Google search. Then I spent no more than 10 seconds looking at each of them, and see if I could tell in that time what the writers wrote and what kind of reader they were targeting.

The first one I clicked on had the author name, and then the words, “Author, Blogger, Traveler.” That didn’t tell me much, and certainly didn’t help me to decide if I’d like this writer’s work or not.

The second one just had the author’s name and nothing else. The third had the author’s name, then the name of her book series, but since I hadn’t read the series, I still didn’t know what kind of writing she did.

The next one had the author’s name and then “the writer next door,” which again, didn’t give me any clues as to what kind of writing I could expect from this author. Several others had the writer’s name and “bestselling author” underneath—great, but again, giving me no clue if the author’s writing was something I might like. (By the way, this one is used a lot, so it doesn’t really set an author apart.) Several more simply said “official author website” under the name—again, not giving me any useful information.

After a bit of searching, however, I found some author websites that were much more helpful.

Author Websites with Effective Taglines

On my second search, I discovered four author websites that made it clear to me within that first 10 seconds what kind of writing they did.

On Jean C. Joachim’s site, I see “Stories from the Heart by Jean C. Joachim.” Already that’s more information than I was finding on many other sites. Underneath her name I find “USA Bestselling Author,” and then a graphic of hearts. So I’m guessing romance author, which is a start.

Danielle M. Haas has her name at the top of her site, then, “Love that Captures You, Danger that Lures You.” I love this tagline—it’s not only clear, it’s intriguing. It suggests romance with a bit of a mystery or criminal twist. With only that information, gleaned in two seconds, you can tell whether you might be interested in this writer’s work.

The graphic behind her name also looks like a lipstick smear, so I’m guessing the romance is primary. That’s great information all in 10 seconds or less.

Rene Regent also has a heart graphic under her name, and the tagline, “Love Grows in Unexpected Places,” giving me the idea she writes romance in exotic settings. I scroll down and see three of her book covers, which support that idea, and then the words, “Strong, protective heroes, feisty independent heroines.” Within 10 seconds, I’ve got a good idea what this author writes about—at least enough to decide if I want to read more.

Dani Pettrey has “up all night suspense” under her name, along with a rather spooky picture of a remote beach—letting me know right away the tone and genre of her books. I’m drawn in.

If you go look at these sites and compare them to others that don’t have taglines, you can see how quickly and effectively a tagline can convey information to the reader. Now the kicker—it took me quite a bit longer to find the second group of authors than the first. Most of the author websites I pulled up did not have a tagline, which seems a shame, when it’s such a simple thing that can add so much to your platforms and marketing efforts.

Make it Easy for Readers to Choose You

If you’re a celebrity author who’s already well known, you may not need a tagline, but as an indie author, freelance writer, or any other sort of writer trying to make at least some money from your work, it’s important to keep your customer—your reader—prominently in mind.

She’s a busy person, just like you. She doesn’t have much time to read, or to discover new authors, but she likes it when she finds one whose work speaks to her. You need to do everything you can to make it easy for her to choose you.

A tagline is a simple thing to add to your website, social media platforms, book swag, and business cards, yet it can add a lot of clarity to your marketing efforts.

As to how to create an author tagline, that’s another post, but meanwhile if you want to give it a try, focus first on your genre, then what’s unique about your writing. Try to make the tone reflective of your stories, but don’t get so clever you lose understanding.

Ten seconds. That’s all you’ve got to win a reader over. An author tagline can help you do that. It’s simple, and it works. Give it a try—you may find that it not only helps give your readers some clarity about what you do, but it can help you as the author get clear about it, too.

For more information on how to create not only an author tagline, but a mission statement, author business blueprint, and more, check out Colleen’s new book, Writer Get Noticed! Get your free chapter here.

Colleen M. Story inspires writers to overcome modern-day challenges and find creative fulfillment in their work. Her latest release, Writer Get Noticed!, is a strengths-based guide to help writers break the spell of invisibility and discover unique author platforms that will draw readers their way. With over 20 years in the creative industry, Colleen is the founder of Writing and Wellness (writingandwellness.com) and Writer CEO (writerceo.com). Please see her author website (colleenmstory.com) or follow her on Twitter (@colleen_m_story).