Tom Ball'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
Emoji count relative to sentence count
12x more signature
Percentage of emoji that are neutral/functional
5x more signature
See example from 01 Oct 2025
Number of emoji in the opening hook
8x more signature
Average character length of hashtags
3x more consistent
Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji
5x more consistent
Proportion of hashtags placed at the end
3x more consistent
Count of neutral/functional emoji
6x more Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Typical paragraph length (median)
1.5x less consistent
Average sentences per paragraph
1.4x less consistent
Average sentences per paragraph
1.4x less consistent
Signature = unique to you
| Distinctive = stands out from average
| Consistent = reliable pattern
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn't realize, but your emoji game is off the charts: you use 12 times more emoji per sentence than the average LinkedIn poster, and a full 5 times more of those are neutral or functional - not just decorative. Even your opening hooks are stacked, dropping 8 times more emoji than most. If someone tried to reverse-engineer your posts, they'd think you were running an emoji A/B test with every line.
Here's the kicker: this isn't just noise. All those emoji - and the way you sneak them into short, punchy, one-sentence paragraphs (median 1.5x shorter than average) - signals immediacy and accessibility. It shortcuts formality, draws the eye, and makes your posts feel like a personal ping, not a broadcast. Now try briefing that to a ghostwriter: "Hey, make sure 41% of my lines have a neutral emoji, and keep every paragraph to a single hit." They'd think you're insane. Because this isn't a style guide - it's muscle memory. You couldn't script it 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.
Signature Phrases
Your most frequently used words and phrases
Posting Consistency
27 Sep 2018 - 06 Oct 2025
0.2 posts/week avg
57/368 active weeks
311 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.) | 22% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs include emoji | 21% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| CTAs phrased as questions vs statements | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether CTAs include hashtags | 6% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs are concentrated at the end of the post | 6% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any call-to-action exists | 76% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Emoji Usage 38
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average distance between repeated emoji | 18% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average emoji per line of text | 54% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Average number of emoji appearing together in clusters | 54% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Balance between positive and negative emoji | 20% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of negative/warning emoji | 0.0 - 0.2 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of neutral/functional emoji | 0.0 - 6.1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of positive/celebratory emoji | 0.0 - 2.0 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji count per 1000 words | 0 - 69 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji count relative to sentence count | 1% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji density in CTA sections | 0 - 89 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji density in the hook section | 0 - 124 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji usage in the middle section of the post | 0 - 152 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Emoji used to replace words entirely | 15% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How consistently emoji pair with specific words | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How consistently the same emoji is used for bullets | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How often the same emoji repeats across the post | 13% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Largest group of adjacent emoji | 50% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of different emoji types used | 0.0 - 4.1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji clusters (groups of adjacent emoji) | 0.0 - 0.6 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in call-to-action lines | 0.0 - 1.7 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the opening hook | 0.4 - 3.3 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are 'corpspeak' type | 0 - 39 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are negative/warning | 0% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are neutral/functional | 79% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are positive/celebratory | 20% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji | 40% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of lines that contain only emoji | 1% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of emoji appearing in clusters | 10% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of emoji that appear multiple times | 9% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Total count of repeated emoji across the post | 0.0 - 3.1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Total number of emoji in the post | 0.0 - 5.8 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used (unique/total ratio) | 60% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Variety of different emoji used as bullets | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether any emoji are used in the post | 70% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Whether emoji are used as bullet point markers | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the post starts with an emoji | 17% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of bullet point lines using emoji as markers | 0.0 - 0.2 | LOW | VARIES |
| Consistency of emoji bullet indentation | 0% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Formality & Tone 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 46% | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 8% | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 38% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of negative contractions used | 18% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Count of positive contractions used | 38% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of different contraction types | 50% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | 30:1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of contractions | 56% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 22% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'because' per 1000 words | 0-1 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0-26 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 119 - 232 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 0 - 32 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 9 - 42 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0-13 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'but' per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'by' per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 0 - 33 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 0 - 29 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0-20 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | 0-6 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0-13 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 8 - 55 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 7 - 40 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'which' per 1000 words | 0-3 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'who' per 1000 words | 0-10 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 0 - 26 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of function words used | 42% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Hashtag Usage 12
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average character length of hashtags | 9 - 16 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags | 48% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags in ALL CAPS | 6% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags placed at the end | 74% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase | 46% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags woven into the text | 11% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 0 - 255 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 74% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0.0 - 8.4 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags in the opening | 15% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of hashtags | 0.6 - 4.2 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the opening line contains a hashtag | 20% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of emoji in the hook | 0.0 - 2.4 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the hook contains emoji | 53% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 52% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the hook starts with a conjunction | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Character count of the hook | 137 - 350 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 137 - 350 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook length relative to total post | 54% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 51% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Negation words in the hook | 0.0 - 0.7 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 54% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the hook contains a question | 12% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a blank line after the hook | 15% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spacing between blank lines | 1.0 - 3.3 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 24 - 48 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of blank space | 36% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Spacing between content-rich lines | 1.2 - 2.2 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Variation in block sizes | 0.0 - 6.7 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of lines starting with ALL CAPS | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Ratio of lines starting with quotes | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average characters per line | 56 - 150 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average lines per text block | 0.8 - 1.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per line | 8 - 25 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 76% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of visual text blocks | 2.0 - 8.2 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 1% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 17% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with numbers | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Ratio of lines starting with punctuation | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 374 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
List Patterns 15
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average items per emoji list | 18% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Variety of emoji used as bullets | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether emoji bullet lists are used | 6% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Consistency of emoji bullet indentation | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Use of fraction-style numbering (1/, 2/) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average items per dash/bullet list | 24% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Consistency of numbered list formatting | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Nesting depth of numbered lists | 20% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of dash/bullet list sections | 0.0 - 0.3 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of emoji bullet list sections | 0.0 - 0.3 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of numbered list sections | 0.0 - 0.2 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of inline enumeration | 1% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether any list structure is used | 12% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether dash/bullet lists are used | 3% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether numbered lists are used | 3% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Vocabulary & Phrases 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common idioms and expressions per 1000 words | 3% | LOW | VARIES |
| How often three-word phrases repeat | 62% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of idiomatic expressions | 0.0 - 0.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Count of words used only once | 21 - 114 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 0.0 - 6.6 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 0.0 - 2.8 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of unique words used | 22 - 143 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 85% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 6% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Unique words divided by total words | 81% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Sentence Openings 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of sentences starting with -ing verbs | 0.0-0.8 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with There is/It is | 0.0-0.6 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with adverbs | 0.0-1.3 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with conjunctions | 0.0-1.3 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | 0.0-0.8 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-3.5 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with subordinate clauses | 0.0-1.1 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with time words | 0.0-0.5 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with 'There is/are' or 'It is' (%) | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with -ing verbs (%) | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with Actually, Basically, etc. (%) | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 6% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 7% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 0 - 39 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of emoji in the closing | 0.0 - 1.9 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 8% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 50% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 68% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 11% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Character length of the closing | 150 - 450 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing length relative to total post | 60% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 38% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending is a question | 11% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 92% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closing paragraph length vs body average | 94% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 2.0 - 6.2 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 4% | LOW | VARIES |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 0.7 - 1.8 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 63% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 0.9 - 1.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 0.9 - 1.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 29 - 93 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much paragraph length varies | 88% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 0.8 - 2.8 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 1% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total number of paragraphs | 2.0 - 8.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 82% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Parts of Speech 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balance/distribution of different word types | Moderately varied | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs | 4% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adjectives | 7% | 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 | 15 - 29 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 7 - 14 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 7% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 8 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.5 - 1.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 6 - 33 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 13 - 65 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 11 - 28 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total sentence count | 0 - 12 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total syllables in the post | 32 - 338 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total word count of the post | 11 - 215 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellipsis (...) usage per 1000 words | 0-35 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 0-48 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 7% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Em dash (—) usage per 1000 words | 0-0 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| En dash (–) usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| 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 |
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 4% | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with exclamation | 9% | LOW | VARIES |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Colon usage per 1000 words | 0-39 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 5-60 per 1k words | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Parentheses usage per 1000 words | 0-8 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | 0-12 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | 0-2 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average length of quoted passages | 0 - 65 | LOW | VARIES |
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total characters in quoted content | 0 - 91 | LOW | VARIES |
| Lines using past tense | 29% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.2 - 2.0 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.0 - 1.4 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of story transitions | 8% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 39% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the post tells a story | 30% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average number of words per sentence | 11 - 36 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 11 - 36 | HIGH | STEADY |
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 73% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 12 - 63 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 2 - 24 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Overall sentence complexity | 4 - 141 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 41% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 10 - 32 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 0.0 - 7.4 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 0 - 27 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Word count of shortest sentence | 0 - 22 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 13 - 73 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | 0-8 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 18% | LOW | VARIES |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 1.6 - 3.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 57% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
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