Francesca Brand's AuthorDNA
The writing patterns that make your content uniquely yours
What is AuthorDNA?
AuthorDNA is a hidden linguistic profile - the subconscious patterns and habits unique to how someone writes. We analyze posts across 243 style metrics specific to B2B social content and compare them to thousands of other authors.
These are the markers most people don't even notice - but they're what makes writing sound authentic.
Does More Of...
Patterns you use more often than typical LinkedIn authors
Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji
8x more signature ↑ increasing
Average emoji per line of text
6x more signature ↑ increasing
Percentage of emoji that are neutral/functional
5x more signature ↑ increasing
See example from 20 Nov 2024
Number of emoji in the opening hook
7x more ↑ increasing
Emoji count relative to sentence count
5x more consistent ↑ increasing
Proportion of hashtags in the opening
4x more Whether the opening line contains a hashtag
4x more Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Whether there's a blank line after the hook
rarely consistent
Negation words in the hook
rarely consistent
Consecutive long paragraphs
rarely consistent
Usage of 'but' per 1000 words
rarely consistent
Whether any list structure is used
rarely consistent
Total syllables in the post
3x less Number of visual text blocks
3x less Signature = unique to you
| Distinctive = stands out from average
| Consistent = reliable pattern
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn't realize, but you use emojis in your LinkedIn posts at staggering rates: 8 times more lines with emojis than average, and 6 times as many emojis per line. Even your opening hooks pack in 7 times the emoji count of a typical post. It's not just more - it's a complete rewrite of the playbook, where visual cues and digital tone set the stage before a reader even processes your words.
Why does this work? It signals energy, immediacy, and approachability, making even functional updates feel charged and unmistakably yours. Now try briefing this to a ghostwriter: "Hey, open with 7x the emoji, make 8x as many lines pop visually, but keep it functional, not ornamental." They'd think you were joking. You couldn't reverse-engineer this if you tried - it's built into how you think, not how you write.
And considering you post less than once a week, every drop counts. This is exactly what Drumbeat captures - the patterns you can't articulate but your audience feels. Your company's message, in each team member's authentic voice, at scale.
Style Evolution
How your writing has changed (Jun 2015 - Feb 2025)
Recent 3 posts since Dec 2023
vs
Earlier 29 posts before Dec 2023
Opening hashtags Stopped (was 28%, now rarely)
Stopped
Emoji usage Increasing (7% → 33%)
More
Style patterns based on 32 posts. Recent trends may differ from overall averages shown above.
Signature Phrases
Your most frequently used words and phrases
Posting Consistency
09 Jun 2015 - 20 Feb 2025
0.1 posts/week avg
30/507 active weeks
477 inactive weeks
Deep Dive
Explore all 17 categories of writing style
Call-to-Action Patterns 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether CTAs include emoji | 14% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs include hashtags | 24% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average position of CTAs in the post | Near top | LOW | VARIES |
| CTAs phrased as questions vs statements | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs are concentrated at the end of the post | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| CTAs using command verbs (Click, Share, Comment, etc.) | 9% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any call-to-action exists | 52% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Emoji Usage 38
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance between repeated emoji | 33% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average emoji per line of text | 70% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Balance between positive and negative emoji | 22% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of neutral/functional emoji | ~1.0 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Count of positive/celebratory emoji | 0.0 - 1.8 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji count relative to sentence count | 44% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji density in CTA sections | 2 - 53 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji density in the hook section | 34 - 64 | HIGH | STEADY |
| How often the same emoji repeats across the post | 11% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in call-to-action lines | 0.1 - 1.2 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the opening hook | 0.5 - 2.8 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are neutral/functional | 78% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are positive/celebratory | 22% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji | 63% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Total count of repeated emoji across the post | 0.0 - 0.9 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the post starts with an emoji | 33% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average number of emoji appearing together in clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of negative/warning emoji | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Emoji usage in the middle section of the post | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Emoji used to replace words entirely | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| How consistently emoji pair with specific words | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| How consistently the same emoji is used for bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Largest group of adjacent emoji | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of bullet point lines using emoji as markers | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of different emoji types used | 0.0 - 0.7 | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of emoji clusters (groups of adjacent emoji) | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are 'corpspeak' type | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are negative/warning | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of lines that contain only emoji | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Proportion of emoji appearing in clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Proportion of emoji that appear multiple times | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of emoji in the post | 0.0 - 0.9 | LOW | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used as bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether emoji are used as bullet point markers | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Consistency of emoji bullet indentation | 0% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Emoji count per 1000 words | 6% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used (unique/total ratio) | 13% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any emoji are used in the post | 14% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Formality & Tone 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of negative contractions used | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of different contraction types | 33% | LOW | VARIES |
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | balanced | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of contractions | 38% | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of positive contractions used | 38% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 26% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 0 - 88 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0-28 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'by' per 1000 words | 0-26 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 0 - 60 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | 0 - 30 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | 0-18 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | 0-5 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'because' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'but' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0-6 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'which' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 0-16 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Variety of function words used | 24% | LOW | STEADY |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 108 - 308 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 0 - 50 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0-29 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 0 - 45 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 0 - 67 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 0 - 57 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'who' per 1000 words | 0-12 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Hashtag Usage 12
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average character length of hashtags | 6 - 13 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags | 41% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags in ALL CAPS | 18% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags in the opening | 73% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase | 41% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags woven into the text | 11% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 0 - 266 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the opening line contains a hashtag | 73% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0 - 12 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags placed at the end | 16% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of hashtags | 0.0 - 2.6 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 52% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character count of the hook | 60 - 229 | LOW | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 60 - 229 | LOW | STEADY |
| Negation words in the hook | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the hook contains a question | 5% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the hook starts with a conjunction | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether there's a blank line after the hook | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 5% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Hook length relative to total post | 95% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 93% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the hook | 0.0 - 0.9 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 95% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the hook contains emoji | 14% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spacing between blank lines | 19% | LOW | VARIES |
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 0 - 22 | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of visual text blocks | 0.4 - 2.4 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 4% | LOW | VARIES |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | LOW | VARIES |
| Proportion of blank space | 7% | LOW | VARIES |
| Ratio of lines starting with ALL CAPS | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with numbers | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with punctuation | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with quotes | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Spacing between content-rich lines | 45% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in block sizes | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 126 | LOW | VARIES |
| Average characters per line | 47 - 170 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average lines per text block | 0.7 - 1.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per line | 9 - 27 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 47% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
List Patterns 15
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average items per dash/bullet list | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average items per emoji list | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Consistency of emoji bullet indentation | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Consistency of numbered list formatting | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Nesting depth of numbered lists | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of dash/bullet list sections | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of emoji bullet list sections | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of numbered list sections | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Use of fraction-style numbering (1/, 2/) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Use of inline enumeration | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Variety of emoji used as bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether any list structure is used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether dash/bullet lists are used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether emoji bullet lists are used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether numbered lists are used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
Vocabulary & Phrases 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common idioms and expressions per 1000 words | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of idiomatic expressions | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of words used only once | 8 - 36 | LOW | STEADY |
| How often three-word phrases repeat | 18% | LOW | VARIES |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 56% | LOW | VARIES |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 24% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of unique words used | 8 - 41 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 93% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 4% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Unique words divided by total words | 93% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Sentence Openings 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of sentences starting with subordinate clauses | 0.0-0.5 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 6% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with -ing verbs | 0.0-0.3 per post | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with There is/It is | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with adverbs | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with conjunctions | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with time words | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with 'There is/are' or 'It is' (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | ~0.0 per post | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-0.9 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with -ing verbs (%) | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with Actually, Basically, etc. (%) | 0% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 0 - 44 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character length of the closing | 47 - 273 | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the closing | 0.0 - 0.4 | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 10% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 10% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the ending is a question | 5% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 43% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Closing length relative to total post | 98% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 38% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 52% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closing paragraph length vs body average | 1% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 0.5 - 2.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| How much paragraph length varies | 39% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of paragraphs | 0.6 - 2.3 | LOW | STEADY |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 33% | LOW | VARIES |
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 67% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 0.9 - 2.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 0.9 - 2.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 21 - 126 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 1.0 - 2.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 1% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 0.9 - 2.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Parts of Speech 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of words that are adverbs | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 5% | LOW | STEADY |
| Balance/distribution of different word types | Fairly consistent | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs | 4% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adjectives | 6% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are determiners | 8% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are nouns | 3 - 45 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 6 - 19 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 10% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 0 - 10 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total sentence count | 1.0 - 3.9 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total syllables in the post | 9 - 83 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total word count of the post | 6 - 48 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.3 - 1.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 33 - 87 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 6 - 26 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-66 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with exclamation | 0 - 60 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 0-52 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Ellipsis (...) usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Em dash (—) usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| En dash (–) usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Mixed punctuation clusters per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Multiple exclamation marks per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Multiple question marks per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Parentheses usage per 1000 words | 0-5 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | 0-6 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Colon usage per 1000 words | 0-70 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 0-29 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average length of quoted passages | 0 - 53 | LOW | VARIES |
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Lines using past tense | 27% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.1 - 1.5 | LOW | STEADY |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total characters in quoted content | 0 - 53 | LOW | VARIES |
| Use of story transitions | 5% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the post tells a story | 14% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.0 - 1.0 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 38% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall sentence complexity | 10 - 33 | LOW | STEADY |
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | 0-5 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 10% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 74% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 0 - 11 | LOW | VARIES |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 8 - 24 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 1.3 - 2.5 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average number of words per sentence | 7 - 14 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 7 - 14 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 45% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 43% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 8 - 24 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 2 - 11 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 28% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 7 - 15 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of shortest sentence | 2 - 11 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Let's turn your leadership into lead magnets
Create, personalise and orchestrate professional social content across your whole team - in THEIR voice, on YOUR message, at ANY scale.
Book a Demo