Back in November, I interviewed Matt Fickel, a Risk Management Lead for the U.S. Navy.
During the interview, after sharing his story of going from community college to McIntire to the Navy, he told me about an email strategy the military uses, called BLUF.
I’ve been using a version of it ever since.
THEORY
BLUF
BLUF stands for Bottom Line Up Front. In lay terms, “Get to the point.”
The idea was formalized in the 1998 Army Regulation 25–50: Information Management guide, stating one requirement for military communication “[includes] putting the main point at the beginning of the correspondence.”
It’s intended to get the most important piece of information to the reader in the shortest amount of time.
Yet, this isn’t to be taken completely literally. I still open my cold emails with who I am and a cordial “Hope you’re doing well,” but as I edit and revise my first pass, I think about and apply BLUF.
APPLICATION
How To Use BLUF
An easy way to think about it, is to break up your email into units of information. Rather than paragraphs or sentences, which can be used as visual breaks, units of information are individual facts or ideas.
Your name is a unit of information. Your degree. The school you went to. What you’re asking them for. A time and place.
Once you’ve identified them in your email, consider how essential they are. Be strict about what’s necessary, depending on what your goal is for the email.
Take this opener as an example:
"I'm Ryan Levy, a 4th year at UVA studying Statistics and French, and founder of Hoo You Know, a newsletter connecting students with alumni career paths and advice."
That's four units of information. My name. My year. My major. My venture.
Do I need all four? It depends.
To a professor about researching in their lab, what I’m studying is important. That I’m a founder, maybe not. Whereas if I’m pitching a potential sponsor for Hoo You Know, the reverse may be true.
When deciding what stays and what goes, ask yourself, “To what extent does the reader knowing this get me closer to my goal?”
If the answer is “not much,” remove it. Follow that for each of the email’s units of information.
Lastly, remember that BLUF is a tool, not the standard. The military uses it because it saves lives. Our stakes are usually not that deep.
Don't take the personality out of your emails. Keep it light, and be strategic. Some things are for now, others are left for another time.
CLOSING TIME
What To Do Next
Reading is great — but putting yourself out there, meeting new people, and finding opportunities is what this is all about.
4 things to do right now:
Find a UVA alum and send them a cold message.
Follow up in a week if they don’t respond.
Prepare for the meeting, and talk to them
Explore a new industry:
Want us to cover a new industry? Reply to this email and let us know which one.
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