bluf-rewriter

name	bluf-rewriter
description	Reorganizes a memo, email, status update, or report so the bottom line is up front. Implements Kramon's BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) rule. Use when a draft buries the lede, opens with context instead of conclusion, or builds up to the point with "organ music." Triggers on "BLUF," "lede," "buried," "memo," "status update," "exec summary," "TL;DR."

BLUF rewriter

Source: points/frameworks.md (BLUF section), points/core-rules.md (rule 3).

The rule

Bottom line up front. The conclusion goes in the first sentence. Context, evidence, and qualification come after.

This is a military principle. It applies to every form of business writing: emails, memos, status updates, board reports, performance reviews, investor updates, even op-ed openings.

What "organ music" looks like

"Over the past quarter, we evaluated several scenarios with input from sales, finance, and ops, and after extensive analysis with the team, we have come to believe that…"

40 words of throat-clearing before the actual point. The reader has already started skimming.

What BLUF looks like

"We need to lower Q3 sales forecast by 50%. Three reasons:"

1. Enterprise pipeline collapsed in August (down 60% MoM) 2. Top customer renewed for 1 year instead of 3 3. Competitor launched at 40% lower price point

The conclusion is the first sentence. Evidence follows. Reader knows in 5 seconds whether to keep reading.

How to do it

Step 1: find the actual bottom line

Read the draft. What is the one sentence the reader needs to walk away with? Often it's buried in paragraph 3 or in the conclusion.

Step 2: move it to sentence 1

Cut, paste, done. If it doesn't work as the first sentence, the sentence isn't sharp enough — rewrite it until it does.

Step 3: structure what follows

Choose one of three structures:

A. The "three reasons" memo

• Sentence 1: bottom line
• Sentence 2: "X reasons:" or "Here's why:"
• Bullets

B. The exec update

• Paragraph 1: bottom line + the one number that matters
• Paragraph 2: what's working
• Paragraph 3: what's not
• Paragraph 4: the ask or next step

C. The decision memo

• Sentence 1: the recommendation
• Section: context (1 paragraph max)
• Section: options considered
• Section: why this option
• Section: risks and mitigations
• Section: next steps

Step 4: cut the throat-clearing

Delete every sentence that:

• Summarizes what you're about to say ("In this memo I'll argue…")
• Recaps what the reader already knows
• Builds up to the point ("organ music")
• Hedges the conclusion ("we tentatively believe that perhaps…")

Step 5: white space and bold

The bottom line should be bold. Bullets should be bullets. White space between sections.

Output format

Hand back:

1. The original opening (1–3 sentences) marked as ❌
2. The BLUF rewrite marked as ✅
3. The full reorganized draft
4. A one-line summary of what moved where

Special case: emails to executives

Subject line should also be the BLUF. Not "Q3 update" — "Q3 forecast: cutting by 50%, recommend you call the board."

The first line of the email body repeats the conclusion in case the subject got truncated.

Special case: bad news

BLUF still applies. Bury bad news under "context" and you make it worse — readers feel manipulated when they realize the lede was buried.

❌ "As you know, the macro environment has been challenging this quarter, and we've seen some headwinds in our enterprise segment, leading us to reassess…"

✅ "We're cutting Q3 forecast by 50%. Here's what happened and what I'm doing about it."

The second version takes ownership. The first one feels like spin.

When the user resists

Common: "but I need to give context first."

Response: "Context goes in sentence 2. Sentence 1 is the conclusion. If the reader stops after sentence 1, they should still know what you want them to do."