Writing Great Intelligence Projects

If there’s one skill that separates great intelligence analysts from good ones, it’s writing. Not flashy writing, not academic writing — just clear, purposeful, audience-focused writing that gets to the point and helps stakeholders make decisions with confidence.

So here are our top tips for writing great intelligence products.

Embrace the BLUF

A bottom line upfront (BLUF) is a one-line summary of what your report is telling the reader. If the reader has time for nothing else, this will allow them to understand your conclusions and the key takeaways.

Stay Active

Use the active voice when writing intelligence products, ('Gunmen attacked the military base ', rather than 'The military base was attacked by gunmen '). An active voice is clearer, easier to understand, and generally more concise. There is a place for passive voice, but it is less suited to the direct and focused style of intelligence writing.

Keep it Short and Simple

An intel report is not the place to show off everything you know about a subject. Keep them short (ideally no more than 2 pages) and only include the information necessary for the report to be actionable. Write plainly, avoid adjectives and don 't use complicated words when simple ones will do.

Formatting is Your Friend

Use bullet points, headers, bold and italics to make it easy for the reader to navigate your report. Include charts, graphics, and maps to help tell your story.

So What?

When writing, be clear on why your report matters and how it will be used. Spell this out for the reader in your summary and conclusion.

Be Consistent

Across your organisation or within your team, be sure you ' re all using consistent definitions for key phrases. Don 't assume 'high threat' or 'low threat' mean the same to everyone if you haven 't established definitions.

Download our guide here.