Paul Thompson'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 emoji that are neutral/functional
5x more ↓ declining
See example from 12 May 2025
Proportion of hashtags woven into the text
8x more Emoji count relative to sentence count
6x more ↓ declining
Emoji density in the hook section
13x more ↓ declining
Average character length of hashtags
2x more consistent
Number of emoji in the opening hook
6x more ↓ declining
Lines containing exactly one sentence
1.6x more consistent
Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Average characters per line
1.8x less Average words per line
1.8x less Typical paragraph length (median)
1.6x less consistent
Average sentences per paragraph
1.5x less consistent
Average sentences per paragraph
1.5x less consistent
Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile)
1.5x less Signature = unique to you
| Distinctive = stands out from average
| Consistent = reliable pattern
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn’t realize, but you weave hashtags into your text 8 times more than the average LinkedIn author - not tacked on at the end, but embedded right in the flow. It’s not just more frequent, either: your hashtags are twice as long, and you drop neutral, functional emoji into your hooks at 13 times the typical density. You’re not following a playbook - you’re bending the platform to your own rhythm.
This works because it signals control and intentionality to your readers. You’re breaking up the feed with compact lines (1.8x shorter than average), punchy paragraphs, and a barrage of visual signposts, making complex points feel effortless. Now try briefing a ghostwriter: “Hey, embed 8x more hashtags than normal, but blend them into every thought, keep your sentences short, and drop emoji in every hook - but make them neutral, not expressive.” They’d think you were joking. You couldn’t reverse-engineer this style if you tried.
You post less than once a week, but every post is unmistakably yours. 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 (Sep 2023 - Dec 2025)
Recent 57 posts since Dec 2023
vs
Earlier 18 posts before Dec 2023
Opening hashtags Started recently (19% in last 2 years, was 0% before)
New
Emoji usage Declining (17% → 7%)
Less
Style patterns based on 75 posts. Recent trends may differ from overall averages shown above.
Signature Phrases
Your most frequently used words and phrases
Posting Consistency
12 Sep 2023 - 02 Dec 2025
0.6 posts/week avg
53/117 active weeks
64 inactive weeks
Deep Dive
Explore all 17 categories of writing style
Call-to-Action Patterns 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTAs phrased as questions vs statements | 15% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs are concentrated at the end of the post | 9% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs include emoji | 1% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs include hashtags | 7% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Average position of CTAs in the post | Upper half | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| CTAs using command verbs (Click, Share, Comment, etc.) | 9% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any call-to-action exists | 48% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Emoji Usage 38
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average emoji per line of text | 38% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Average number of emoji appearing together in clusters | 60% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Balance between positive and negative emoji | 32% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of neutral/functional emoji | 0.0 - 3.6 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of positive/celebratory emoji | 0.0 - 0.9 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji count relative to sentence count | 55% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji density in CTA sections | 0 - 118 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji density in the hook section | 0 - 243 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji used to replace words entirely | 28% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How consistently emoji pair with specific words | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How often the same emoji repeats across the post | 8% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Largest group of adjacent emoji | 60% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji clusters (groups of adjacent emoji) | 0.0 - 0.6 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in call-to-action lines | 0.1 - 1.1 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the opening hook | 0.0 - 3.7 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are 'corpspeak' type | 10% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are neutral/functional | 68% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are positive/celebratory | 32% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji | 28% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of lines that contain only emoji | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of emoji appearing in clusters | 11% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Total count of repeated emoji across the post | 0.0 - 1.0 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the post starts with an emoji | 20% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of negative/warning emoji | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Emoji usage in the middle section of the post | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| How consistently the same emoji is used for bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of bullet point lines using emoji as markers | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of different emoji types used | 0.0 - 1.0 | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are negative/warning | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Proportion of emoji that appear multiple times | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of emoji in the post | 0.0 - 1.2 | LOW | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used as bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether any emoji are used in the post | 13% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether emoji are used as bullet point markers | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average distance between repeated emoji | 5% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Consistency of emoji bullet indentation | 0% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Emoji count per 1000 words | 7% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used (unique/total ratio) | 12% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Formality & Tone 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of negative contractions used | 43% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of positive contractions used | 0.0 - 3.1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of different contraction types | 0.0 - 3.4 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | 53:1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Total number of contractions | 0.0 - 4.0 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 58% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 57% | HIGH | STEADY |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'but' per 1000 words | 0-21 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | 0-6 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0-10 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'because' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 0-24 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'which' per 1000 words | 0-1 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 125 - 263 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 0 - 61 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 5 - 52 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'by' per 1000 words | 0-8 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 0 - 36 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0 - 31 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0-31 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | 0-10 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0-14 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 3 - 60 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 0 - 52 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'who' per 1000 words | 0-9 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 0-22 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of function words used | 33% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Hashtag Usage 12
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average character length of hashtags | 6 - 14 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags | 63% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in the opening | 27% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags placed at the end | 41% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase | 34% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags woven into the text | 32% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 0 - 447 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the opening line contains a hashtag | 33% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0.0 - 7.4 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags in ALL CAPS | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of hashtags | 0.0 - 3.5 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 44% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negation words in the hook | 0.0 - 1.1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the hook contains a question | 39% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the hook contains emoji | 7% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the hook starts with a conjunction | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Character count of the hook | 94 - 267 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 94 - 267 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook length relative to total post | 65% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 63% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the hook | 0.0 - 1.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 65% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether there's a blank line after the hook | 15% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 40% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spacing between blank lines | 0.4 - 3.1 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 18 - 48 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 84% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 22% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of blank space | 33% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with quotes | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Variation in block sizes | 77% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average characters per line | 33 - 120 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average words per line | 6 - 20 | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with ALL CAPS | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Ratio of lines starting with numbers | 1% | LOW | STEADY |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 275 | LOW | VARIES |
| Average lines per text block | 0.0 - 3.8 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of visual text blocks | 1.6 - 6.8 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with punctuation | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Spacing between content-rich lines | 1.0 - 2.3 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
List Patterns 15
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 - 0.2 | LOW | VARIES |
| 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 any list structure is used | 4% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether emoji bullet lists are used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether numbered lists are used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Average items per dash/bullet list | 16% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of inline enumeration | 1% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether dash/bullet lists are used | 4% 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 | 58% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of words used only once | 16 - 62 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 0.0 - 7.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 0.0 - 2.6 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of unique words used | 17 - 77 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 86% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 5% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Unique words divided by total words | 84% | 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 conjunctions | 0.0-0.6 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | 0.0-0.6 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-2.3 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with subordinate clauses | 0.0-0.8 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with time words | 0.0-0.4 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with Actually, Basically, etc. (%) | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 6% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 0 - 42 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with -ing verbs | 0.0-0.3 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with There is/It is | 0.0-0.2 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with 'There is/are' or 'It is' (%) | 43% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with -ing verbs (%) | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the ending is a question | 40% | HIGH | VARIES |
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the closing | 0.0 - 0.5 | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 17% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 9% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Character length of the closing | 97 - 291 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing length relative to total post | 68% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 23% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 36% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 81% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closing paragraph length vs body average | 1% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 0.7 - 1.9 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 0.7 - 1.9 | LOW | STEADY |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 4% | LOW | VARIES |
| How much paragraph length varies | 49% | LOW | VARIES |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 0.7 - 2.7 | LOW | STEADY |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 0.6 - 1.7 | LOW | STEADY |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 37% | LOW | VARIES |
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 53% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 1.0 - 6.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 30 - 150 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 1% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total number of paragraphs | 1.4 - 7.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Parts of Speech 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of words that are adverbs | 5% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Balance/distribution of different word types | Moderately varied | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs | 7% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adjectives | 7% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are determiners | 7% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are nouns | 15 - 29 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 9% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 5 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 8 - 18 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 2 - 15 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.3 - 1.8 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 42 - 85 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 5 - 23 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total sentence count | 1.7 - 8.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total syllables in the post | 25 - 159 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total word count of the post | 15 - 106 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellipsis (...) usage per 1000 words | 0-42 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 0-62 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Multiple question marks per 1000 words | 0-6 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 0 - 45 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 8% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-50 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | 0-39 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Colon usage per 1000 words | 0-21 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Em dash (—) usage per 1000 words | 0-1 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| En dash (–) usage per 1000 words | 0-2 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-18 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Mixed punctuation clusters per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Multiple exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-2 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with exclamation | 7% | LOW | VARIES |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 12-75 per 1k words | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Parentheses usage per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.1 - 2.1 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Total characters in quoted content | 0 - 169 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 68% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average length of quoted passages | 0 - 85 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Lines using past tense | 34% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.5 - 2.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Use of story transitions | 7% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the post tells a story | 47% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 79% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 1.2 - 2.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average number of words per sentence | 7 - 19 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 7 - 19 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 63% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 9 - 36 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 1 - 13 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Overall sentence complexity | 4 - 55 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 20% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 36% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 6 - 17 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 0.0 - 3.9 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 2 - 15 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of shortest sentence | 1 - 11 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 11 - 40 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
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