linkedin-writer

name	linkedin-writer
description	Copywriting skill for generating LinkedIn posts on behalf of a founder. Use when writing, drafting, or revising any LinkedIn post. Handles hooks, formatting, tone, anti-slop, and quality gates. Works in concert with linkedin-saas-playbook (strategy) and linkedin-posting (scheduling/ops). References the copywriting skill's anti-slop rules and content guardrails.
triggers	["write a LinkedIn post","draft a LinkedIn post","LinkedIn copy","LinkedIn draft","revise this LinkedIn post","rewrite this for LinkedIn","turn this into a LinkedIn post","LinkedIn hook"]
created_by	self-improvement

LinkedIn Writer

Write LinkedIn posts that sound like a founder talking to a friend at a bar — not a LinkedIn influencer performing for an audience.

Before writing, also load the copywriting skill's references/anti-slop.md for banned vocabulary and the content guardrails at ~/Documents/wiki/CONTENT_GUARDRAILS.md for what can/can't be referenced.

For strategy context (why you're writing this post, where it fits in the funnel), see linkedin-playbook. For posting cadence and scheduling, see linkedin-posting.

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The "Only I Can Write This" Test

Before drafting, ask: Could this post come from anyone, or does it require THIS founder's specific experience, data, or perspective?

If the answer is "anyone could write this" — stop. Find the angle that makes it uniquely theirs:

• A specific decision they made (and why)
• A number from their business
• A customer conversation that changed their thinking
• A mistake they personally made
• An opinion they hold that most people in their space disagree with

Generic insight dressed in first person is still generic. The bar is: an AI without access to this founder's life COULD NOT write this post.

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Hook Formulas

LinkedIn shows 3 lines before "...more" — ~210 chars desktop, ~140 chars mobile (57%+ is mobile). The hook decides if anyone reads the rest.

Rules

• Under 8 words for the opening line. Use numbers when possible.
• Open with the most surprising, controversial, or specific thing.
• "...more" clicks are a positive algorithm signal — curiosity hooks work.
• Never open with: "I'm excited to share...", "Great news!", "Happy to announce...", "Unpopular opinion:", "Hot take:"

7 Hook Categories

1. Contrarian / Hot Take (best for TOF)

• "Everyone says [common belief]. They're wrong."
• "[Industry norm] is broken. Here's proof."
• "Stop doing [popular tactic]. It hasn't worked since [year]."
• "The [thing everyone recommends] is killing your [metric]."

2. Specific Result / Data (best for BOF)

• "We [action] and [specific metric happened]."
• "[Number] [metric] in [timeframe]. Here's the breakdown."
• "One change to our [process] increased [metric] by [%]."
• "I analyzed [N] [things] and found [surprising pattern]."

3. Story / Narrative (works all funnel stages)

• "Last [timeframe], I [did something risky/unusual]."
• "A [prospect/customer] told me something that changed how I think about [topic]."
• "I almost [drastic action]. Here's what happened instead."
• "The worst [professional moment] I've ever had taught me [lesson]."

4. Behind-the-Scenes / Transparency (best for MOF)

• "Here's what [process] actually looks like inside our company."
• "Nobody talks about the [ugly reality] of [industry/role]."
• "We tried [thing] and it completely failed. Here's why."
• "The real reason we [decision] (it's not what you think)."

5. Framework / Teachable (best for MOF)

• "The [number]-step [framework name] that [outcome]."
• "After [experience], I built a [framework] for [problem]. Use it."
• "If [condition], here's exactly what to do (step by step)."
• "[Complex thing] explained simply."

6. Challenge / Provocation (best for TOF)

• "If you're still [doing X], you're leaving [money/results] on the table."
• "Most [role]s get [topic] completely wrong."
• "Your [strategy] is probably failing because of [specific reason]."

7. Curiosity Gap (best for TOF)

• "The [thing] that [major company] does differently (and nobody copies)."
• "I spent [time/money] on [thing] so you don't have to."
• "[Company/person] taught me [unexpected lesson] about [topic]."

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Writing Rules

Tone

• Write like a founder talking to a peer — direct, specific, human.
• Contractions always: don't, can't, won't, it's, you're.
• Short sentences. Varied rhythm. Fragments when natural.
• Take stances. Have opinions. Hedge only when genuinely uncertain.
• Warmth without performance. Confidence without arrogance.

Formatting (Mobile-First)

• 57%+ of LinkedIn is mobile. Design for small screens.
• One sentence per line. Two max.
• Use line breaks between every thought shift.
• No walls of text. If you see 4+ consecutive lines, break it up.
• Bullets/arrows (→) for lists. Keep each item to one line.
• No markdown headers (LinkedIn doesn't render them).
• Bold sparingly — 1-2 phrases per post max, using asterisks.

Length

• Text posts: 100-250 words. Under 150 for TOF hooks, up to 250 for MOF/BOF.
• Carousel captions: 50-100 words. The carousel does the heavy lifting.
• Poll intro: 2-3 sentences before the poll options.
• If it takes longer to say, it's two posts or a carousel.

Zero-Click Rule

• Deliver ALL value inside the post. Never "click the link to read more."
• External links get a 60% reach penalty from the algorithm.
• If you must reference a resource, "link in comments" — but even that barely helps.
• The post should be complete and valuable with zero clicks.

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Anti-Slop Checklist

Run this before sending any post. If you catch any of these, rewrite.

Banned Openers

• "I'm excited to share..."
• "Great news!"
• "Happy to announce..."
• "It's been a journey..."
• "In today's fast-paced world..."
• "Let me tell you something..."
• "Here's the thing..."
• "Unpopular opinion:" / "Hot take:" (labeling it kills the effect)

Banned Vocabulary

• game-changer, innovative, revolutionize, cutting-edge, best-in-class
• leverage (as verb), synergy, ecosystem (unless literal), disrupt
• passionate about, thrilled, humbled, grateful (in announcement context)
• unlock, empower, elevate, supercharge, turbocharge
• deep dive, double down, move the needle, at the end of the day
• let that sink in, read that again, this is huge
• 10x, hack (as noun for "tip"), the future of X is Y

Banned Patterns

• Rule of three for drama: "It's about X. It's about Y. It's about Z." — rewrite as a normal sentence
• Fake insight endings: "And that's the real lesson." / "That changed everything."
• Performative vulnerability: starting with failure only to pivot to a humble-brag
• The LinkedIn cadence: every sentence its own line, building to a "punchline" that isn't one
• Metronome rhythm: every sentence the same length and structure
• Generic closers: "What do you think?" / "Agree?" / "Thoughts?" / "Drop a 🔥 if..."
• Engagement bait: "Comment [word] for [resource]" — LinkedIn NLP detects and shadowbans this in 2026

The Bar Test

Read the post aloud as if the founder were saying it to a friend at a bar. If any sentence sounds like a TED talk intro, a consultant framework pitch, or a LinkedIn influencer performing — rewrite it.

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Format-Specific Guides

Text-Only Posts

Best for: strong opinions, personal stories, lessons, hot takes.

• Lead with the hook. No throat-clearing.
• One idea only. If it splits into two ideas, make two posts.
• End with something that invites conversation naturally — a question, a reframe, a challenge. Not "thoughts?"
• No images is better than a mediocre image (single images hurt reach 30%).

Carousel / PDF Document Posts

Best for: frameworks, step-by-steps, comparisons, data breakdowns.

• 6-10 slides. Under 12 words per slide.
• Slide 1 = the hook. Must make someone swipe.
• Each slide = one idea, one visual concept.
• Last slide = CTA or summary, not "follow for more."
• Caption: 50-100 words that frame why someone should read this. Don't repeat the carousel content.

Poll Posts

Best for: TOF reach, market research, sparking debate.

• 2-3 sentences framing the question before the poll.
• 4 options max. Make them specific, not generic.
• Include a "surprising" option that makes people want to see results.
• Respond to comments — polls die without author engagement.
• Remember: polls are NOT anonymous. You can see who voted what — use this for warm outreach.

Multi-Image Posts (3-4 Photos)

Best for: events, behind-the-scenes, team moments, personal milestones.

• Personal photos dramatically outperform stock images.
• 3-4 images is the sweet spot. Don't overload.
• Caption tells the story the images illustrate.
• This is the highest-engagement format in 2026 (6.60%).

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CTA Patterns by Funnel Stage

TOF (Awareness)

• No CTA, or very soft: "What's your take?" / "Anyone else seeing this?"
• Goal is reach and engagement, not conversion.
• Let the post stand on its own value.

MOF (Consideration)

• "I wrote up the full framework — DM me and I'll send it."
• "We built a [resource] that covers this. Link in comments."
• "If you're dealing with [problem], happy to share what worked for us."
• Goal is to identify interested people for warm outreach.

BOF (Conversion)

• "We helped [anonymized customer type] go from [before] to [after]. If you're in a similar spot, let's talk."
• "Booking 3 conversations this week with [ICP description] who want to [outcome]. DM me."
• Embedded scheduling (Calendly link in profile, reference in post).
• Goal is pipeline. Direct but not pushy.

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Quality Gate

Before posting, answer these 5 questions:

1. "Only I can write this" — Does this require this founder's specific experience, data, or perspective? If any founder in the space could've written it, find a sharper angle.

2. Bar test — Read it aloud. Does it sound like a person or a LinkedIn post? If it sounds like a post, rewrite.

3. Mobile check — Does the hook fit in 140 characters? Is the formatting scannable on a phone screen?

4. One idea check — Can you state the post's single point in one sentence? If not, split it.

5. Guardrails check — Does this reference any internal/confidential data? Check ~/Documents/wiki/CONTENT_GUARDRAILS.md visibility levels before publishing.

If any answer is wrong, fix it before sending.