Capturing the attention of consumers with your content is becoming more and more difficult every day.<\/p>\n
Busy schedules and decreasing attention spans are burying your best messages.<\/p>\n
Since consumers now spend more time scanning, you’ll need to find a way to leap out at them and snag their attention quickly.<\/p>\n
Enter the military writing standard: BLUF.<\/p>\n
When it comes to crafting content, the last thing you may be thinking about is utilizing military order. While the two sound as if they could never go hand in hand, you may find that the BLUF technique can serve you well.<\/p>\n
You don’t have to be a five-star general to make the BLUF technique work.<\/p>\n
Gain control over your\u00a0content marketing<\/a>\u00a0by reading more below about this technique and how it can benefit you and your brand.<\/p>\n Do you need to tag every opening statement with BLUF?<\/p>\n Not really. It depends on the type of content and your overall buyer persona<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you’re simply writing an article for your website, then you could tag the top paragraph with the words bottom line<\/em> or similar.<\/p>\n But if your target customer is someone who might have been in the military in the past, you could go ahead and use BLUF. They’ll likely know what you’re talking about and appreciate the nod.<\/p>\n You can also use a special visual call-out box<\/strong>, which makes it easier for your audience to spot right away.<\/p>\n And it is also important to understand that there are times when you do not want to use BLUF as a writing technique.<\/p>\n Why? It can sometimes come off as cold or impersonal.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you’re trying to create a conversational tone or persuade someone to do something, then it might not be the best option.<\/p>\n However, at times when you’re attempting to report detailed information or create explanations of events and concepts, BLUF is very useful.<\/p>\n When implementing BLUF in your\u00a0content creation<\/a>, formatting is just as important as the text itself. Consider the following best practices for success:<\/p>\n Begin with critical information. To determine the key message or desired action, learn more audience and the topic itself.<\/p>\n Steps to help include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Follow up with necessary details, background, and context. Elaborate on the issue and how you reached your conclusion, without using long-winded or flowery language.<\/p>\n Honestly, maybe the trickiest part is learning to resist the urge to build up to your point. For a lot of us, there\u2019s this ingrained habit from years of schooling\u2014set the stage, explain the context, and then\u2014ta-da!\u2014reveal your takeaway. BLUF asks you to flip that, which feels awkward at first, but it does get easier with practice. In the end, most readers will thank you for not making them wade through too much setup to get the real message.<\/p>\n Some people, especially if they\u2019ve worked in more corporate or government environments, tend to adapt to BLUF surprisingly fast. There’s a comfort to knowing exactly what someone wants from you right out of the gate. On the flip side, if your audience is more creative, or if you\u2019re writing marketing copy that relies on build-up and emotion, BLUF can land like a cold fish. Not bad, just… abrupt, maybe a little brusque. It sort of depends on what your reader\u2019s expecting when they show up.<\/p>\n Avoid wordiness and long explanations. Keep your writing tight and concise. However, keep in mind that you are not writing, in most cases, for a military audience. You may need to soften up the typical BLUF tone or else you may come off as cold.<\/p>\n Improving your writing skills<\/a>\u00a0is essential today, or you can easily hire a\u00a0content writing service<\/a>\u00a0to help. Below are examples of BLUF in different contexts to help you see how the technique works.<\/p>\nFormatting BLUF in Your Content Writing<\/h3>\n
How to Implement BLUF in Writing<\/h2>\n
1. Place the Main Point First.<\/h3>\n
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2. Provide Supporting Details<\/h3>\n
3. Be Concise.<\/h3>\n
Examples of BLUF<\/h2>\n
Emails<\/h3>\n