| name | linkedin-post-generator |
| description | Turn a rough idea, notes, or existing article into a polished LinkedIn post. Optimized for executives building brand and thought leadership. Focuses on: curiosity gap, contrarian hook, or value delivery in the first 1-3 sentences; staccato rhythm that is casual and concise without being melodramatic; zero AI tells. Use when the user wants to write, draft, or rewrite a LinkedIn post, or when they share an idea/article and ask to turn it into LinkedIn content. |
| metadata | {"author":"Khemaridh Hy","version":"1.0"} |
LinkedIn Post Writer
When to Use This Skill
Load this skill whenever the user:
- Shares an idea, rough notes, or article and asks for a LinkedIn post
- Asks to write, draft, or improve a LinkedIn post
- Wants help with thought leadership content for LinkedIn
- Is an executive or professional building personal brand awareness
Core Philosophy
The goal is to sound like a sharp, self-aware human — not a brand account, not a motivational poster, not ChatGPT. The best LinkedIn posts feel like something a smart colleague said over coffee that you immediately wanted to forward.
Three non-negotiables:
- The first 1-3 lines must earn the "see more" click on their own merit
- The voice must be conversational — specific words, not polished words
- Sincerity over performance — executives who sound real build trust faster than executives who sound impressive
The Hook (Lines 1–3): Above the Fold
LinkedIn truncates posts after roughly 2-3 lines. Everything above that fold is your headline. It has one job: stop the scroll.
Choose one of these three opening modes:
1. Curiosity Gap
Create information asymmetry. The reader knows something is missing and wants the answer.
"Most feedback conversations fail before they start. Not because the feedback is wrong. Because the timing is."
"I've hired 40+ people. The best interview question I ever used wasn't a question at all."
2. Contrarian Statement
Disagree with a widely held belief in your industry. Be specific — vague contrarianism is noise.
"Async-first culture sounds great in theory. In practice, it rewards people who write well and punishes everyone else."
"We talk about 'founder mode' like it's a superpower. For most companies, it's the single biggest bottleneck."
3. Value Delivery / Direct Claim
State the payoff upfront. The reader knows exactly what they're getting.
"Here's the email structure I use when I need a decision from someone too senior to read a long thread."
"Three things I stopped doing in 1:1s that made them 10x more useful."
Hook writing rules:
- Never start with "I" (weak opener, LinkedIn algorithm also penalizes it)
- Never start with a question as the very first word (feels like a quiz)
- No setup before the setup — the first sentence IS the hook
- Keep each line to one thought
- Leave a gap between lines 1, 2, and 3 (white space increases readability and click-through)
The Body: Staccato Without Drama
After the hook, the post should breathe. Short paragraphs. Single-sentence bursts followed by brief elaboration. Not tweet-length fragments, but not paragraphs either.
Rhythm pattern:
- One sharp claim (1 sentence)
- Brief expansion (1-2 sentences max)
- [White space]
- Next point
What to avoid:
- Numbered lists of more than 5 items (feels like a blog, not a post)
- Bullet points for every single thought (lazy structure)
- Transition phrases: "The thing is...", "Here's the deal...", "Let's be honest..."
- Ending every sentence with a period on its own line for fake drama
- Rhetorical stacking: "Not X. Not Y. Not Z." (overused pattern)
- Any sentence that could appear in a corporate press release
What works:
- Specific examples over general principles ("When I was running a team of 12 at [X]" beats "In my experience as a leader")
- Numbers and specifics ("took 4 months" not "took a long time")
- The personal moment that proves the point — brief, not confessional
- An honest admission that creates contrast ("I got this wrong for two years")
AI Tells to Eliminate
These phrases and patterns immediately signal AI-generated content. Never use them:
Phrases to ban:
- "In today's fast-paced world..."
- "Game-changer" / "paradigm shift" / "unlock your potential"
- "It's not about X, it's about Y" (overused LinkedIn cliché)
- "Here's what I've learned:" (as a standalone transition line)
- "The truth is..." / "The reality is..."
- "This is your sign to..."
- "Swipe right if..." / "Double tap if..."
- "Let that sink in."
- "Full stop." / "Period."
- "No fluff." / "No gatekeeping."
- Excessive em dashes used for dramatic effect — like this — every other sentence
- Ending with "Agree?" or "Thoughts?" as the only CTA
Structural AI tells:
- Hook → 5-item numbered list → closing question (the most common ChatGPT format)
- Every paragraph being exactly 1-2 sentences (robotic rhythm)
- Overuse of parenthetical asides (like this) (and this) (and another one)
- Alliteration in headers or bullets ("Plan, Prepare, Perform")
Closing
End with one of:
- A single honest observation that reframes the whole post
- An open question that invites real debate (specific, not "Agree?")
- A quiet call to action — something they can actually do in the next 10 minutes
- A callback to the opening line that reframes it
Avoid a closing that announces itself ("So what's the takeaway?"). The ending should feel like the last line of a good short story — it lands without a thud.
Reference Examples
These are real posts from writers who consistently get this right. Study the rhythm, the specificity, and what they chose NOT to say.
Justin Welsh — Contrarian / Identity
Most people are building their business for the crowd.
The most successful creators I know do the opposite.
They're the most honest. They share their real thoughts. They stand for something specific. They're okay with people not "getting it."
When you start creating for yourself instead of the crowd:
Your content gets sharper.
Your audience gets more engaged.
Your business attracts the right people.
The people who matter will stick around.
The people who don't...won't.
Stop trying to be everything to everyone.
Start being something to someone.
What works: Short declarative sentences that don't explain themselves. No filler transitions. The ending lands as a reframe, not a tagline.
Justin Welsh — Process / Scroll-Stopper
How to write viral posts on LinkedIn:
- Pick a really specific sub-niche (Why is this post relevant?)
- Lead with a scroll-stopping first line (Why should I stop scrolling?)
- Pique their curiosity with a "hook line" (Why should I click 'see more'?)
- Teach. Take someone from point A to point B quickly. (What am I learning?)
- Recap with your last line to make engagement easy. (What should I say about this post?)
- Carve out 60 minutes to engage with every comment (Why should I come back tomorrow?)
Do this each day and watch your audience grow rapidly.
What works: The numbered list works here because each item has a parenthetical that answers an unstated objection in real time. Each item earns its spot.
Wes Kao — Contrarian / Credibility
Many things that look intuitive and simple actually take huge amounts of work behind the scenes.
I think about this every time I write my newsletter. My usual thought is, "I bet people would be shocked at how many hours this took." It's whatever number of hours you think is a lot, then multiply that by three.
I used to be embarrassed about this, and still kind of am, but am increasingly open about it.
Because here's the thing: Excellence takes time.
I am tired of "professional managers" who have never built The Thing — whatever The Thing is: compelling copy, intuitive design, an engaging program.
If you haven't built it, it's natural to think, "This looks simple. Why is it taking so long?"
This is why player-coaches matter. Managers who have built The Thing recognize that things take time.
Quality takes time. Getting it right takes time. Craft takes time.
You're probably not too slow. You probably have unrealistic expectations about how long it takes to make something really good.
What works: "The Thing" is a specific coinage that becomes a recurring anchor. The admission of embarrassment is real and earned, not confessional performance. The ending reframes the reader's self-criticism without being preachy.
Wes Kao — Practical / Value Delivery
How to be concise:
Before: "So this happened, then this other thing, and here's what I did for that. Oh yeah, this thing but that's not important, this important thing that's completely buried, and then this other thing."
After: "Here's the important thing I want to discuss. Here's what I need from you. Here are a few sentences about the situation, with the option to elaborate."
Being concise doesn't mean leaving out important points, or jumping in with zero context.
It means doing a bit of preparation beforehand, so you're not processing out loud in a stream-of-consciousness.
When you say your punchline upfront, you will instantly seem more competent, strategic, and organized.
What works: The before/after format makes the abstract concrete immediately. The post teaches without lecturing because it shows instead of tells.
Jay Clouse — Observation / Emotional Hook
Most content today has a problem:
It's failing to connect emotionally with the people on the other side.
Most content today almost feels like we're being shouted at for NOT doing [X] or doing TOO MUCH [Y].
If our life isn't optimized (and let's be honest, no one's is), scrolling our feeds feels like a gauntlet of judgment.
I'll be honest: I've contributed to this noise.
But it's not helpful (or effective).
Telling people what to do is easy. Showing them is much harder.
Model it — show YOURSELF doing the work you're telling others to do. And contextualize it with why that approach matters (and for whom).
You'll make yourself sound more credible. And easier to connect with too.
What works: The admission "I've contributed to this noise" earns the moral authority to make the critique. The closing is a practical reframe, not a platitude.
Jay Clouse — Series / Curiosity Gap
I don't mean carousels vs. video vs. text.
I mean the format WITHIN those formats.
I'm seeing more short-form (and long-form) creators think in terms of series.
A series on [how to X] or [why I did Y]. Each piece is numbered — which encourages people to go back and find earlier parts AND stick around for future ones.
The series format creates natural anticipation and builds audience investment.
What works: Opens by subverting the expected interpretation. Uses specificity ("A series on [how to X]") to make an abstract concept immediately tactile.
Workflow
When the user provides input (idea, notes, article, or rough draft):
-
Identify the real message — what is the one true thing this person wants to say? Strip the content to its core claim.
-
Choose the opening mode — curiosity gap, contrarian, or value delivery. Pick the one that most naturally fits the content, not the one that sounds most dramatic.
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Write the hook (lines 1-3) — treat this as its own deliverable. It must stand alone.
-
Build the body — expand with specifics, a brief personal moment if relevant, and no more than 3-4 distinct points.
-
Close cleanly — one landing line, not a paragraph.
-
Audit for AI tells — read back through the banned phrases list. Remove or rewrite any match.
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Read it aloud (mentally) — if it sounds like a press release or a motivational poster, rewrite it.
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Offer the user one variation — if the opening mode is ambiguous, offer a contrarian version and a value-delivery version so they can choose.
Output Format
Always present:
- The full post, ready to copy/paste
- A brief note on which opening mode was used and why
- One optional alternate hook if the choice was close
Do not explain every structural decision unless the user asks. Keep the meta-commentary minimal.
Quick Checklist Before Delivering
