BLUF and the Five Message Shapes
Bottom line up front
BLUF is a military writing rule: the most important sentence goes first, context after. Your client reads your message on a phone, between meetings, with nine other fires burning. If your point is in sentence four, it may as well not exist. And nearly every message you'll ever send a client is one of five shapes — status update, question, flag, recommendation, delivery. Learn the five and you'll never stare at a blinking cursor wondering how to start; if a message fits none of them, ask whether it needs sending at all.
Do
- First line = the answer, the status, or the ask
- One topic per message; details below the fold
- Bold the deadline or the decision needed
Don't
- Open with "Sorry to bother you…" — you're doing your job
- Tell the story chronologically and land the point last
- Bury a question inside a paragraph where it dies
Shape 1 — the status update
Sent on a rhythm (end of shift, end of task), not only when asked. If a client has to ask, the update is already late.
"Status on [task]: [done / on track / behind]. Done: [what, with link]. Next: [what, by when — their timezone]. Blockers: [none / what you need]."
Example: "Status on the listing kit: on track. Done: MLS copy + 4 social graphics (folder linked). Next: email blast draft by 4pm ET today. Blockers: none." Notice what's absent — no apology, no filler, no "just checking in." Three lines, and the client knows everything she would have asked.
Shape 2 — the question
Never send a naked question — it hands the client homework. Bring options and a recommendation, so a one-word reply from them unblocks you.
"Quick decision needed on [thing]: Option A — [tradeoff]. Option B — [tradeoff]. I'd go with A because [reason]. OK to proceed?"
This shape is quietly a status report, a proof of judgment, and a question in one. Clients start trusting your recommendations — which is the road to being given whole systems instead of tasks.
Shape 3 — the flag
Something's off but not on fire yet: a deadline at risk, a number that looks wrong, a vendor going slow. The flag's whole job is to kill surprises early, while options still exist.
"Flagging early: [thing] may affect [deadline/outcome]. Not urgent yet — I'm [what you're doing]. If it's not resolved by [time], I'll [plan B]. Wanted this on your radar now, not Friday."
Shapes 4 and 5 — the recommendation and the delivery
"Noticed [observation, with a number if possible]. Suggestion: [change]. Cost: [time/money]. Expected gain: [benefit]. Want me to set it up?"
"Done: [deliverable] — [link]. Notes: [1–2 things worth knowing]. Needs your eye: [anything requiring their call]. Next up: [what you're moving to]."
The delivery shape matters more than it looks: "here's the file" wastes the moment. A delivery with notes and a flagged decision shows a brain behind the upload.
The shapes in the wild
Do this now
Twenty minutes. Take these three weak messages and rewrite each using the right shape: (1) "Hi sir, sorry to disturb. I have some problem with the task, it's a bit complicated to explain but I'm trying my best." (2) "Do you want the report in Excel or Google Sheets?" (3) "Here's the video." Label which shape you used and why.
Save the rewrites in a doc called Message Shapes — worked examples. This goes straight into your portfolio: a client who sees these three rewrites knows more about your value than any adjective on your profile.
Tip: use your ← → arrow keys.