I hate writing Tag Lines for my plays. I’m really bad at it. So i put together a little cheat for myself.
With it, I came up with a new tag line for a poster for my one-woman show “Dog Gone” specifically for my small town. It is

Dog Gone – The dog finds her way home. Alice takes the scenic route.

According to the guidelines below it seems to me to be the:

• Appropriate length: Short enough to read at a glance, which aligns with standard theatrical poster practice.
• Clear thematic signals: Communicates the central idea of home and journey without summarizing the plot.
• Reassures the audience about the dog: Addresses the primary concern directly, which is important for this community and audience.
• Light humor: Conveys warmth and wit without being jokey or flippant.
• Leaves room for curiosity: Invites the audience in without over-explaining or judging the character.

Maybe the guidelines I put together will help others.

1. PURPOSE

Of course, remember that a theatrical poster has a single job:

Make someone want to attend.

2. ATTENTION WINDOW

Average viewing time:

• Street poster: 3–5 seconds
• Lobby poster: 5–8 seconds
• Online scroll: 1–2 seconds

3. INFORMATION HIERARCHY (Industry Standard)

Successful posters follow this hierarchy, whether consciously or not:

1. Title
2. Tone / Genre
3. Emotional promise
4. Practical permission (time, safety, accessibility)
5. Details elsewhere

4. TAGLINE LENGTH

Best practice

• 4–10 words
• One sentence fragment or simple contrast
• Often metaphorical

Upper limit

• 12 words max (rare, and only if very clean)

Implication:
Anything that can’t be understood instantly will not be read.

5. WHAT TAGLINES DO (AND DON’T DO)

A tagline SHOULD:

• Signal tone
• Suggest theme
• Create curiosity
• Build trust

A tagline should NOT:

• Summarize plot
• Introduce character statistics
• Explain motivation
• Resolve questions

If the audience can answer “what happens” from the poster, it’s doing too much.

6. PLOT VS. THEME (Critical Distinction)

Posters communicate THEME, not PLOT.

• Plot = what happens
• Theme = why it matters

Industry norm:

Plot belongs in synopses.
Theme belongs on posters.

7. METAPHOR > INFORMATION

Across theatre and film marketing:

• Metaphor outperforms explanation
• Implication outperforms clarity
• Tone outperforms accuracy

Why?
Because posters are emotional objects, not informational ones.

8. AUDIENCE PSYCHOLOGY (Especially for Seniors)

For senior / community audiences:

Best practice is to:

• Reduce cognitive load
• Reassure emotional safety
• Avoid moral judgment
• Avoid suspense framed as threat

That means:

• Fewer facts
• Softer humor
• Clear humane values
• No “will she survive?” framing

9. COMEDY POSTERS

When “comedy” is already stated elsewhere (title, billing, credits):

The tagline does NOT need to say “comedy” again.

Instead, it should:

• demonstrate humor through tone
• use contrast or understatement
• avoid punchlines (those age poorly)

Wry > jokey
Warm > clever

10. CHARACTER BACKSTORY (Where It Belongs)

Best practice placement:

• Program notes
• Website
• Press release
• Talkbacks
• Pre-show emails

Not:

• Poster
• Postcard
• Window signage

This is a widely accepted norm, not a personal choice.

11. TRUST SIGNALS

Posters that succeed often include:

• Humane cues
• Value alignment
• Emotional safety markers
  

In your case:

• Animal safety
• Community benefit
• Short runtime

These are permission signals, not selling points.

12. DESIGN COROLLARY (Quiet but Real)

Even the best line fails if:

• It’s too long
• Too dense
• Too visually loud
• Competing with too much text
  Best practice:

Fewer words + more confidence = professionalism.

13. LANGUAGE

Process language (inviting)

• starting
• wandering
• finding your way
• taking a route
• learning
• returning

Outcome language (judgmental)

• confronting
• resolving
• overcoming
• healing
• finding oneself
• redemption
  

Posters should almost always use process language.

Outcome language belongs to:

• reviews
• essays
• talkbacks
• grant applications

14. APPEAL TO SENIORS (WHEN RELEVANT)

Senior audiences especially dislike:

• being told what growth “should” look like
• narratives that imply they’re unfinished or behind
• stories framed as correction rather than companionship

“A woman confronts her past” feels:

• disciplinary
• exhausting
• familiar in a bad way

“Some journeys don’t go straight home” feels:

• permissive
• respectful
• emotionally accurate

Same topic. Very different tone of authority.

SOLO SHOW POSTER TAGLINE SAMPLES

Solo Shows – Famous

FLEABAG – Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Tagline: This is a love story.

Tone + intrigue only.

PRIMA FACIE – Suzie Miller

Tagline: A woman. A system. A reckoning.

Three nouns. No plot. Massive emotional clarity.

SEA WALL / A LIFE – Jake Gyllenhaal

Tagline: Love. Loss. Family.

That’s it.
No explanation of circumstances.

Contemporary / Regional Solo Shows

EVERY BRILLIANT THING – Duncan Macmillan

Tagline: A story about depression… that’s actually very funny.

Notice:

• Reassures tone
• Does not explain story mechanics
• Addresses audience fear directly.

JUST FOR US – Alex Edelman

Tagline: A comedy special.

Nothing else.

HOW TO SAVE A DEMOCRACY

Tagline: One person. One voice.

Abstract, not explanatory.

Solo Shows About Identity / Journey / Place

I AM MY OWN WIFE – Doug Wright

Tagline: A story of survival.

THE WAVERLY GALLERY (solo-adjacent revival marketing)

Tagline: Memory is a fragile thing.

(theme, not plot.)

A ONE-WOMAN SHOW ABOUT LOSING EVERYTHING

(Representative of dozens of fringe/solo posters)

Taglines commonly look like:

• A story about starting over.
• Some journeys don’t go straight home.
• Finding your way back.

None explain logistics.

Animal / Care / Tenderness

WAR HORSE

Tagline: A story of extraordinary friendship.

They did not say:

• The horse survives the war
• How the horse is treated
• Who owns the horse

Tone signaled safety.

LIFE OF PI (stage adaptation)

Tagline: An unforgettable journey.

EXAMPLES OF LESS EFFECTIVE THEATRE TAG LINES

❌ “A powerful exploration of love, loss, identity, and resilience.”

(Countless regional productions)

Why it’s quietly hated

• Means nothing
• Signals insecurity
• Reads like a grant application

Rule violated:
If it tries to say everything, it says nothing.

❌ “A woman confronts her past and finds herself.”

(Extremely common solo-show tagline)

Why it turns people off

• Cliché
• Judgmental
• Implies a pass/fail ending

Rule violated:
Audiences don’t want homework or self-help.

❌ “A raw, unflinching look at…”

Why it’s dreaded

• Signals emotional danger
• Suggests endurance, not enjoyment

Rule violated:
People avoid “unflinching” unless they already trust the brand.

THE META-FAIL (This Is the Big One)

❌ Over-explaining the protagonist

Examples like:

• Age
• Financial status
• Divorce
• Living situation
• Trauma history

Why it fails

• Reduces the character to problems
• Removes mystery
• Feels heavy before the audience has opted in

Rule violated:
Backstory belongs after attendance is secured.

GOOD TAG-LINE GUIDELINES SUMMARY

Across solo shows:

• Taglines are 3–9 words
• They focus on:
  • theme
  • metaphor
  • emotional promise
• They avoid:
  • biography
  • logistics
  • character resumes
• When audiences might be anxious:
  • reassurance is simple and humane
  • not explanatory

TAG LINE POSTER CHECKLIST

• If it sounds like a synopsis, it doesn’t belong on a poster.
• Posters sell tone, not information.
• Most successful taglines are under ten words.“Posters invite; programs explain.”
• Tone and trust, 
• If it takes more than one breath to read, it’s too much for a poster.