Bucket brigades

You're probably wondering: what on earth are bucket brigades? Fair enough. I thought the phrase never made it out of the 1950s, but turns out it very much has.

Originally meaning “a line of people who pass items along to another” (for example a human chain of firefighters passing buckets of water to each other, hence the term) the phrase has
been reappropriated into the writing world.

Now it refers to words or phrases that attract more readers by making your content more conversational and engaging.

Think of the firefighters passing water down the line, these words aim to create a smooth transition between sentences and paragraphs. They stick words together in a way that improves the overall user experience of your content and encourages users to read on.

Here are some examples:

• Here's the deal:
• It gets better:
• But, here's the catch:
• You might be wondering
• Yes, it's true
• Ok, I know what you're thinking
• Let's dig a little deeper
• In a nutshell:
• Put simply:
• In short:
• To recap:

Rhetorical questions are also important bucket brigades:

• Ready? Let's dive in.
• Want to know the best part?
• What's the bottom line?
• Unconvinced?
• Do you want to learn how to…?

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Examples from dslx

Depending on the client, at dslx we also enjoy using conversational brackets, puns, and small jokes in our content to keep the reader engaged.

TravelPerk is one client who does enjoy the occasional play on words and informal style. Here's an extract from The 5 best online travel agencies in Belgium:

Top tips when using bucket brigades:

1. It's just a tactic: strong writing is still important. Other priorities come first, such as ensuring your article is relevant, interesting and well-researched.
2. They’re not the only tactic: remember to pay attention to your article structure, keywords, headings, images and all those elements that can improve your content.
3. Keep it consistent: bucket brigades bring a conversational tone to your writing. If you start with an informal tone, keep it easy and free throughout.
4. Experiment with them! Like any tactic, this one can take a while to perfect, especially when you're still getting to know the brand voice. So go for it!

Well done! That's it on bucket brigades. Let's move on to a cornerstone of copywriting: persuasive writing.

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