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We Made a Jingle for a Coffee Shop This Morning. Here's the Whole Process, Audio Included

The Tunely Team · 2026-09-08 · 10 min read
Short answer

Write a six-word tagline, ask for a specific length, and tell the engine to sing the business name at least three times and end on the tagline. That brief took a hundred seconds to become a 25-second jingle for a fictional café called Marigold Coffee, with the name sung four times and the tagline spoken at the end; you can play it below. The most common mistake we see in business briefs is not asking for a length at all, which is why the typical “jingle” made on Tunely comes out at two minutes forty-nine. Length control is a Pro feature; on the free plan you get a full song and trim it.

Business songs are about four per cent of what gets made on Tunely, and they split into a pattern: podcast and channel intros first, then radio-style ads, salons, apps, and cafés. We wanted to write this page from a real session rather than a list of tips, so this morning we made a jingle for a café that doesn't exist, Marigold Coffee, and kept every step: the brief, the lyrics that came back, both cuts, the credits it cost. The audio at the top of the page is exactly what the engine returned, untouched.

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Hear it

Marigold Coffee, 30-second spot

Asked for 30 seconds, came back at 25

Marigold Coffee, 15-second cut

Asked for 15 seconds, came back at 16

The brief, word for word

Typed into Simple mode on a Pro account, length set to 30 seconds, nothing else changed.

A 30-second radio jingle for Marigold Coffee, a neighbourhood coffee shop. Cheerful and bright, female vocal, ukulele, handclaps and a whistle hook. Sing the name Marigold Coffee at least three times and end on the spoken tagline: Marigold Coffee. Your morning, brighter.

Five things are doing the work in those four lines: a length, a business type, a mood and two instruments, an instruction about the name, and a tagline written out in full with the word “spoken” in front of it. Leave any of them out and you'll still get a song; you just won't get a jingle.

What came back, 100 seconds later

Two versions, 25 and 27 seconds, one credit. This is the lyric sheet of the first one, exactly as generated:

[Verse]
Wake up, step out, something good is brewing
Friendly faces, fresh ideas, your day is moving

[Chorus]
Marigold Coffee, start your morning right
Marigold Coffee, make the whole day bright
Marigold Coffee, come on in and smile
A little cup of happy, worth the extra mile

[Outro]
[Spoken] Marigold Coffee. Your morning, brighter.

The name is sung four times, the tagline is spoken at the end as asked, and the structure is what a real jingle writer would do: a two-line set-up, a chorus that is nothing but the name and a benefit, and the tagline as a button. We then asked for a 15-second version with the same brief and “one quick hook” instead of a verse; it came back at 12 and 16 seconds with the name three times. Both are on this page. Neither has been edited.

Why most business songs come out three minutes long

We looked at every business brief from the last four months. Not one stated a length. The typical result was 2:49 long, and only one in ten came in under 33 seconds. People asked for a jingle and got a song, then either gave up or trimmed the chorus out in a video editor.

Two things fix this. On Pro, set the length before you generate: the slider goes from ten seconds up, and as the two cuts above show, the engine lands within a few seconds of what you ask. On the free plan there's no length control, so generate the full song, find the chorus (it usually starts around the 40-second mark), and cut it in any free editor; a 15-second chorus with the name in it is still a jingle.

The other habit worth changing: only one business brief in ten included a tagline, phone number, website or address. The engine can only sing what you give it. If you want “open till nine” or “on Main Street” in the jingle, write it in the brief, as words, not digits.

The recipe

Six rules, in the order they matter.

  • A tagline of six words or fewer, written out in full in the brief, with “spoken” or “sung” in front of it. “Your morning, brighter” is three.
  • The name three times. Say so explicitly. Jingles are remembered because of repetition, and the engine won't repeat a brand name on its own.
  • One benefit, not a list. “Make the whole day bright” beats “fresh pastries, free Wi-Fi, friendly staff, open early”. The list goes on the website.
  • A length, in seconds. 30 for a radio or pre-roll spot, 15 for social, 6 to 10 for a podcast sting. Ask for it on Pro; trim to it on free.
  • Two instruments and a mood, not a genre name alone. “Ukulele and handclaps, cheerful” tells the engine more than “pop”.
  • No real artist, no existing jingle. “Like the McDonald's one” is refused or rewritten. Describe the feel instead: “five-note whistled hook, upbeat, warm”.

Style lines by type of business

From the briefs that worked, one line each you can paste and adjust.

BusinessCafé, bakery, brunch spotStyle linecheerful, ukulele, handclaps, whistle hook, female vocal, brightLength15–30 s
BusinessSalon, spa, beautyStyle linesmooth R&B pop, chic, soft female vocal, finger snaps, warmLength15 s
BusinessGym, fitness studioStyle lineenergetic rock or EDM, driving drums, chanted hook, male or group vocalLength15–30 s
BusinessDental, clinic, wellnessStyle linecalm acoustic, soft piano, reassuring female vocal, slow, no drumsLength30 s
BusinessReal estate, financial adviceStyle linewarm acoustic, trustworthy male vocal, mid-tempo, clean guitarLength30 s
BusinessPodcast or YouTube introStyle linecinematic synth, rising, instrumental, one hit at the endLength6–10 s
BusinessKids' school, tutoring, campStyle lineplayful, glockenspiel and claps, clear diction, sing the name slowlyLength15–20 s
BusinessLocal services (plumber, cleaner, auto)Style lineupbeat country-pop or classic rock, confident male vocal, name plus phone number sungLength15–30 s

Cuts and specs for each channel

Where the jingle ends up decides the file you need.

ChannelInstagram Reels, TikTok, ShortsCut15 s, name in the first 3 secondsWhat to hand overMP3 is fine; vertical video from the music-video option if you want it ready-made
ChannelYouTube pre-roll, Facebook adsCut6 s bumper and 15 s or 30 sWhat to hand overMP3; keep a version with no spoken tagline for the 6-second bumper
ChannelLocal radioCut30 s exactly, ask for 30 and trim silenceWhat to hand overWAV 44.1 kHz 16-bit (WAV download is on Pro); stations often ask for it
ChannelPhone hold music, in-store loopCutInstrumental, 60–90 sWhat to hand overGenerate with the instrumental toggle; loop it in the phone system
ChannelPodcast intro and outroCut8–10 s sting, instrumental or one sung lineWhat to hand overMP3; make the outro the same track faded early so the show sounds consistent

What it costs

The session above used two credits: one generation for the 30-second spot (two versions), one for the 15-second cut (two versions). On Pro that's two of a hundred monthly generations, so a jingle with a few rounds of iteration costs a fraction of the $13.90 month, and the plan's commercial licence covers it. On the free plan you can make the song (four a day), but a jingle for an ad or a shop is commercial use, so it needs Pro before it goes on air. Full prices are on the pricing page; for what commercial use covers, including radio, ads and client work, see can you use AI songs commercially.

Rights, the name, and the one thing a licence doesn't do

Every song in a Pro or Ultra library comes with a commercial licence and a downloadable certificate carrying a unique code: worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, and explicit about ads, broadcast, sync and client work. Hand the certificate to the radio station or the agency with the audio and you've answered the rights question.

What the licence doesn't do is turn the jingle into a trademark. The recording is licensed to you; the melody isn't exclusively yours, and the tagline is only protected if you register it. If the jingle is going to carry the brand for years, register the tagline as a word mark and consider a sound mark for the hook; that's a lawyer's job, not ours. And write the tagline yourself. A tagline the engine wrote is a fine tagline, but a tagline you wrote is yours.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a jingle for my business with AI?

Describe the business, the mood and two instruments, write the tagline out in full, tell the engine to sing the name at least three times, and ask for a length in seconds. In our session that brief returned a 25-second jingle with the name sung four times in about 100 seconds. Start with the jingle generator page, which pre-fills the right settings.

How long should a jingle be?

30 seconds for radio and pre-roll, 15 for social ads, 6 to 10 for a podcast sting or a bumper. Ask for the length explicitly; without it the typical business song comes out at 2:49.

Can I set the exact length?

On Pro, yes: the length control goes from ten seconds up, and the engine lands within a few seconds (we asked for 30 and got 25 and 27; asked for 15 and got 12 and 16). On the free plan there is no length control; generate the song and trim the chorus in a free editor.

Will it sing my business name and tagline?

Yes, if they're in the brief. Say “sing the name at least three times” and write the tagline out with “spoken” or “sung” in front of it. In our example the name was sung four times and the tagline spoken at the end, exactly as asked.

Can I include a phone number or address?

Yes. Write them as words in the brief (“five five five, two one hundred”, “on Main Street”). Only one business brief in ten includes any contact detail, which is why most jingles don't have one.

Can I use the jingle in ads, on the radio and in videos?

On Pro or Ultra, yes. Every song in a paid member's library carries a commercial licence covering ads, broadcast, sync with video and client work, with a downloadable certificate you can hand to the station or agency. Free-plan songs are personal use.

Do I own the jingle? Can I trademark it?

You hold a perpetual, royalty-free commercial licence for the recording. The licence is non-exclusive and doesn't make the melody a trademark. If the tagline matters to the brand, register it as a word mark; a sound mark for the hook is possible but is a lawyer's job.

Can I make an instrumental version for hold music or a podcast?

Yes. Use the instrumental toggle, ask for the length you need, and describe where it sits (“under a voice, calm, no drums at the start”). About a quarter of business briefs are instrumentals.

What file format do radio stations want?

Usually WAV at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, and a spot that is exactly 30 seconds. WAV download is included on Pro; trim any silence at the end before sending.

Can I ask for a jingle like a famous brand's?

Not by name; the engine doesn't reference specific brands' jingles or named artists, and copying an existing jingle's melody isn't covered by any licence. Describe the feel instead: “five-note whistled hook, upbeat, warm”.

How much does a jingle cost?

One credit per generation, which returns two versions. Our session used two credits. On Pro ($13.90 a month or $107 a year) that's two of a hundred monthly generations; the plan includes the commercial licence and WAV downloads.

Can I get the jingle in another language?

Yes. Write the brief and the tagline in that language and the jingle is sung in it. Keep the business name as it's spelled and add a pronunciation in brackets if it's unusual.

Can I change one line without regenerating everything?

Not yet; there's no line-level editing. Switch to Custom mode, paste the lyric sheet you got, edit the line, keep the same style line and length, and generate again. The feel usually stays close.

Sources

  1. Tunely, aggregated business briefs, 11 May to 8 September 2026 (no individual briefs quoted)
  2. Tunely pricing and commercial licence

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