Cheryl Hayes'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
Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase
6x more signature
Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji
7x more signature
Percentage of emoji that are positive/celebratory
11x more signature
See example from 27 Nov 2025
Balance between positive and negative emoji
11x more distinctive
Number of emoji in the opening hook
6x more Average emoji per line of text
5x more consistent
Proportion of hashtags woven into the text
9x more Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags
rarely consistent
CTAs phrased as questions vs statements
rarely consistent
Usage of 'because' per 1000 words
rarely consistent
Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs
1.7x less Number of narrative/story signals
1.7x less Percentage of words that are pronouns
1.4x less Typical sentence length (median)
1.2x less consistent
Signature = unique to you
| Distinctive = stands out from average
| Consistent = reliable pattern
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn't realize, but you use positive or celebratory emoji in your LinkedIn posts 11 times more than the average author. Not only that, but you pack your opening hooks with 6 times more emoji than most, instantly signaling energy and optimism before anyone even reads your message. It's not just about sprinkling in smiley faces - your posts burst with visible cues of enthusiasm that most people never approach.
Why does this work? Readers feel your tone before they process your words. The sheer volume and positivity of your emoji create a magnetic, welcoming vibe that draws people in. Now imagine trying to brief a ghostwriter: "Give me 11x the positive emoji, 6x in the hook, but don't overthink it." They'd think you're joking - because you couldn't consciously reproduce this, even if you tried. It's not a rulebook, it's muscle memory.
You post less than once a week, but every time you do, your style is unmistakable. 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.
Signature Phrases
Your most frequently used words and phrases
Posting Consistency
04 Oct 2024 - 27 Nov 2025
0.8 posts/week avg
34/61 active weeks
27 inactive weeks
Deep Dive
Explore all 17 categories of writing style
Call-to-Action Patterns 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average position of CTAs in the post | Upper half | HIGH | STEADY |
| CTAs using command verbs (Click, Share, Comment, etc.) | 37% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs include emoji | 16% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| CTAs phrased as questions vs statements | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether CTAs are concentrated at the end of the post | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs include hashtags | 2% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether any call-to-action exists | 74% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Emoji Usage 38
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance between repeated emoji | 12% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average emoji per line of text | 55% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Balance between positive and negative emoji | 48% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of negative/warning emoji | 0.0 - 0.4 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of neutral/functional emoji | 0.0 - 2.0 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of positive/celebratory emoji | 0.0 - 1.6 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji count per 1000 words | 0 - 28 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji count relative to sentence count | 34% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji density in CTA sections | 0 - 80 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji density in the hook section | 9 - 44 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji usage in the middle section of the post | 0 - 57 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji used to replace words entirely | 21% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How consistently emoji pair with specific words | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How often the same emoji repeats across the post | 7% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in call-to-action lines | 0.2 - 1.3 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the opening hook | 0.5 - 2.2 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are negative/warning | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are neutral/functional | 46% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are positive/celebratory | 51% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji | 53% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Total count of repeated emoji across the post | 0.0 - 1.0 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used (unique/total ratio) | 45% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether any emoji are used in the post | 49% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the post starts with an emoji | 24% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average number of emoji appearing together in clusters | 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 emoji clusters (groups of adjacent emoji) | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are 'corpspeak' type | 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 |
| 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 |
| Number of different emoji types used | 0.0 - 1.6 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of emoji in the post | 0.0 - 2.0 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Formality & Tone 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | 59:1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of negative contractions used | 10% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of positive contractions used | 8% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of different contraction types | 18% | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 24% | LOW | VARIES |
| Total number of contractions | 18% | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 9% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 14% | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 15% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'by' per 1000 words | 0 - 25 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 1 - 38 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0 - 33 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'because' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'but' per 1000 words | 0-5 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | 0-3 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0-18 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 0-21 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 0 - 40 | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'which' per 1000 words | 0-3 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'who' per 1000 words | 0-5 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 143 - 220 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 5 - 44 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 18 - 47 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | 0-6 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 2 - 39 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 0 - 24 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of function words used | 38% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Hashtag Usage 12
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average character length of hashtags | 7 - 13 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in ALL CAPS | 9% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags placed at the end | 52% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase | 91% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags woven into the text | 33% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 0 - 350 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0.0 - 4.8 | LOW | VARIES |
| Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in the opening | 15% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of hashtags | 0.0 - 4.4 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 33% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the opening line contains a hashtag | 18% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negation words in the hook | 0.0 - 1.2 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the hook | 0.0 - 1.3 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the hook contains a question | 29% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the hook contains emoji | 37% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether there's a blank line after the hook | 28% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the hook starts with a conjunction | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 18% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Character count of the hook | 171 - 356 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 171 - 356 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook length relative to total post | 74% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 64% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 2% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 74% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio of lines starting with ALL CAPS | 6% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of lines starting with punctuation | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Variation in block sizes | 72% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 1% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with numbers | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with quotes | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average characters per line | 65 - 221 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average lines per text block | 0.8 - 2.2 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average spacing between blank lines | 0.0 - 2.7 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Average words per line | 9 - 36 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 6 - 39 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 45% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of visual text blocks | 1.0 - 4.5 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 10% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Proportion of blank space | 22% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Spacing between content-rich lines | 0.5 - 2.0 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 406 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
List Patterns 15
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average items per dash/bullet list | 45% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of dash/bullet list sections | 0.0 - 0.4 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Use of inline enumeration | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether dash/bullet lists are used | 12% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| 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 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 |
| Variety of emoji used as bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether emoji bullet lists are used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether numbered lists are used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether any list structure is used | 12% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
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 |
| How often three-word phrases repeat | 34% | LOW | VARIES |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 0.0 - 5.8 | LOW | VARIES |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 76% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of words used only once | 27 - 70 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of unique words used | 30 - 84 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 87% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 5% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Unique words divided by total words | 86% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Sentence Openings 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of sentences starting with adverbs | 0.0-0.8 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | 0.0-0.6 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with subordinate clauses | 0.0-0.4 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with Actually, Basically, etc. (%) | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with There is/It is | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-0.9 per post | LOW | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with 'There is/are' or 'It is' (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 7% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with -ing verbs | 0.0-0.4 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with conjunctions | 0.0-0.4 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with time words | 0.0-0.2 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with -ing verbs (%) | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 99% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 93% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the closing | 0.0 - 1.1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 37% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 4% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Character length of the closing | 128 - 446 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing length relative to total post | 76% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 43% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 33% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending is a question | 14% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 82% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 0.3 - 2.4 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Closing paragraph length vs body average | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 24% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How much paragraph length varies | 0.0 - 4.9 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 1% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 0.0 - 3.3 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 0.2 - 3.1 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 1.5 - 3.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 1.5 - 3.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 4 - 97 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 1.9 - 4.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total number of paragraphs | 1.2 - 4.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 1.2 - 3.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Parts of Speech 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs | 3% | LOW | STEADY |
| Balance/distribution of different word types | Moderately varied | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adjectives | 9% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adverbs | 4% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are determiners | 6% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are nouns | 16 - 29 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 9 - 13 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 6% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 7 - 15 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.5 - 1.8 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 5 - 21 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 43 - 71 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 13 - 23 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total sentence count | 2.4 - 9.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total syllables in the post | 49 - 175 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total word count of the post | 32 - 105 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellipsis (...) usage per 1000 words | 0-27 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Em dash (—) usage per 1000 words | 0-12 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| En dash (–) usage per 1000 words | 0-10 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-64 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 3-41 per 1k words | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences ending with exclamation | 6 - 54 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Mixed punctuation clusters 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 | 0-3 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-12 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Colon usage per 1000 words | 4-38 per 1k words | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 5-80 per 1k words | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Multiple exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-9 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 5% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average length of quoted passages | 63% | LOW | VARIES |
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.0 - 1.5 | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.0 - 0.7 | LOW | VARIES |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total characters in quoted content | 63% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 18% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the post tells a story | 18% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Lines using past tense | 30% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of story transitions | 7% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word count of shortest sentence | 1.0 - 7.6 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 1.6 - 2.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average number of words per sentence | 8 - 17 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 8 - 17 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 68% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 35% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 14 - 30 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 1.9 - 9.2 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Overall sentence complexity | 12 - 40 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 16% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 38% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 6 - 15 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 0.3 - 2.2 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 5 - 12 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 15 - 37 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
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