Anne-Marie Connolly'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
Whether the opening line contains a hashtag
5x more signature
Average character length of hashtags
3x more consistent
Closing paragraph length vs body average
3x more Proportion of hashtags in the opening
4x more Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags
11x more Hook lines relative to total lines
1.3x more consistent
Percentage of words that are prepositions
1.3x more consistent
Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Percentage of very short lines (<5 words)
rarely consistent
Whether any emoji are used in the post
rarely consistent
Variety of different emoji used (unique/total ratio)
rarely consistent
Whether the ending includes emoji
rarely consistent
Negation words in the hook
rarely consistent
Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words
rarely consistent
Usage of 'as' per 1000 words
rarely consistent
Signature = unique to you
| Distinctive = stands out from average
| Consistent = reliable pattern
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn't realize, but you start five times more of your LinkedIn posts with a hashtag than the average user. Not only that, but when you do use hashtags, they're three times longer than everyone else's - and four times as likely to appear in your opening line. It's not just a quirk; it's a signature move, and it's everywhere once you see it.
Here's why it lands: hashtags in the hook instantly signal focus, confidence, and a willingness to break the LinkedIn "rules" - you pull people in with the unexpected. Now try briefing this to a ghostwriter. Tell them to make hashtags eleven times more likely to appear inline than at the end, and make your closing paragraph three times longer than your body copy. They'd think you were joking. This isn't something you could reverse-engineer from a style guide - it's instinct. Even if you tried, you couldn't fake your own fingerprint.
You post less than once a week - just 0.1 times, over 151 weeks. But 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
23 Oct 2019 - 07 Sep 2022
0.1 posts/week avg
6/151 active weeks
145 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 | 23% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs include hashtags | 38% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average position of CTAs in the post | Near top | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs are concentrated at the end of the post | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether CTAs include emoji | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| CTAs using command verbs (Click, Share, Comment, etc.) | 8% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any call-to-action exists | 54% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Emoji Usage 5
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emoji count per 1000 words | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of different emoji types used | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of emoji in the post | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Variety of different emoji used (unique/total ratio) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether any emoji are used in the post | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
Formality & Tone 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of negative contractions used | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of positive contractions used | 15% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of different contraction types | 15% | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 39% | LOW | VARIES |
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | balanced | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of contractions | 15% | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 39% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 15% | LOW | VARIES |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 3 - 29 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| 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 'by' per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0-10 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | 0-4 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'which' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'who' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 116 - 272 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 0 - 29 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 5 - 56 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0-17 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 0 - 40 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 0 - 35 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0-26 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0-23 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 12 - 64 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 0 - 69 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of function words used | 30% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Hashtag Usage 12
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average character length of hashtags | 10 - 16 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags | 56% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in the opening | 63% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase | 44% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags woven into the text | 20% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 0 - 669 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 69% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Whether the opening line contains a hashtag | 89% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in ALL CAPS | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0.4 - 6.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags placed at the end | 17% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of hashtags | 0.2 - 3.8 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Negation words in the hook | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the hook | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the hook contains emoji | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the hook starts with a conjunction | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether there's a blank line after the hook | 8% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 15% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Character count of the hook | 149 - 364 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 149 - 364 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook length relative to total post | 89% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 88% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 89% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the hook contains a question | 15% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spacing between blank lines | 46% | LOW | VARIES |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 33% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of visual text blocks | 0.8 - 3.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | 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 |
| Variation in block sizes | 8% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 364 | LOW | VARIES |
| Average characters per line | 90 - 235 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average lines per text block | 0.9 - 1.2 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per line | 15 - 36 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 0 - 37 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Proportion of blank space | 18% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Spacing between content-rich lines | 100% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
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 |
| How often three-word phrases repeat | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 0.0 - 3.0 | LOW | VARIES |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 62% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of words used only once | 16 - 61 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of unique words used | 17 - 71 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 90% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 4% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Unique words divided by total words | 87% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Sentence Openings 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of sentences starting with There is/It is | 0.0-0.4 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with conjunctions | 0.0-0.5 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | 0.0-0.4 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with subordinate clauses | 0.0-0.5 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with time words | 0.0-0.7 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with 'There is/are' or 'It is' (%) | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with Actually, Basically, etc. (%) | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with -ing verbs | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with adverbs | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with -ing verbs (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-1.4 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 0 - 31 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 69% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the closing | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 8% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Character length of the closing | 153 - 401 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing length relative to total post | 92% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 46% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending is a question | 15% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 62% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 0.9 - 1.6 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Closing paragraph length vs body average | 2% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 0.7 - 2.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of paragraphs | 0.8 - 3.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 1.3 - 2.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 1.3 - 2.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 3 - 96 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much paragraph length varies | 98% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 1.6 - 3.5 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 98% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 1.1 - 2.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 67% | 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 | 3% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adjectives | 9% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adverbs | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are determiners | 8% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are nouns | 17 - 26 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 8 - 18 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 6% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 5 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total sentence count | 0.9 - 6.7 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total syllables in the post | 26 - 148 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total word count of the post | 16 - 89 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.4 - 1.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 3 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 34 - 70 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 10 - 28 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 0 - 39 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with exclamation | 2 - 59 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-72 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Colon usage per 1000 words | 0-31 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 0-29 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 |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 0-12 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 |
| Parentheses usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Exclamation marks per 1000 words | 3-45 per 1k words | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use of story transitions | 18% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average length of quoted passages | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.0 - 0.8 | LOW | VARIES |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total characters in quoted content | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Lines using past tense | 45% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.5 - 1.8 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 31% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the post tells a story | 31% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 28% | LOW | VARIES |
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 1.3 - 3.0 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average number of words per sentence | 10 - 19 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 10 - 19 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 60% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 13 - 35 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 3.5 - 9.2 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Overall sentence complexity | 12 - 55 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 24% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 27% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 8 - 17 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 0.0 - 4.2 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 3 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of shortest sentence | 2.8 - 9.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 13 - 35 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
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