Catherine Picknell'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
11x more signature ↑ increasing
Average emoji per line of text
14x more signature ↑ increasing
Percentage of emoji that are positive/celebratory
14x more signature ↑ increasing
See example from 29 Apr 2025
Balance between positive and negative emoji
15x more signature ↑ increasing
Number of emoji in call-to-action lines
10x more signature ↑ increasing
Emoji count relative to sentence count
10x more signature ↑ increasing
Count of positive/celebratory emoji
13x more signature ↑ increasing
Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Number of visual text blocks
3x less Spacing between content-rich lines
3x less Predictability of line length pattern
2x less Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs
1.9x less Percentage of words that are pronouns
1.7x less Number of unique words used
1.6x less Variety of function words used
1.4x less Signature = unique to you
| Distinctive = stands out from average
| Consistent = reliable pattern
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn’t realize, but in your LinkedIn posts, 11 times as many lines contain at least one emoji compared to the average user. That’s not a typo: your updates are practically coded in emoji, and when you do use them, 14 times more are positive or celebratory. Even your call-to-action lines are loaded - 10 times as many emoji as your peers. It’s not just a stylistic flourish; it’s a system.
This works because you’re broadcasting energy without saying a word. Your posts skip the usual filler - you use nearly twice fewer pronouns and helper verbs - and instead, you let the visuals do the talking. Now try briefing this to a ghostwriter: “Put 14x the average number of positive emoji in every line, but don’t sound forced, and dial down the pronouns.” They’d have no idea where to start. This isn’t a formula - it’s a reflex.
You only post about once every five weeks, but when you do, your signature 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.
Style Evolution
How your writing has changed (May 2018 - May 2025)
Recent 11 posts since Dec 2023
vs
Earlier 58 posts before Dec 2023
Hashtag usage Increasing (47% → 82%)
More
Emoji usage Increasing (9% → 45%)
More
Style patterns based on 69 posts. Recent trends may differ from overall averages shown above.
Signature Phrases
Your most frequently used words and phrases
Posting Consistency
25 May 2018 - 20 May 2025
0.2 posts/week avg
46/366 active weeks
320 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 | Near top | LOW | VARIES |
| CTAs phrased as questions vs statements | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| CTAs using command verbs (Click, Share, Comment, etc.) | 3% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs are concentrated at the end of the post | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether CTAs include emoji | 1% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs include hashtags | 6% of posts | LOW | 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 | 0.5 - 2.6 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Average number of emoji appearing together in clusters | 0.0 - 2.5 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Balance between positive and negative emoji | 67% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Count of neutral/functional emoji | 0.0 - 2.1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of positive/celebratory emoji | 0.1 - 3.1 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji count relative to sentence count | 98% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji density in CTA sections | 17 - 99 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji density in the hook section | 3 - 134 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji used to replace words entirely | 22% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How consistently emoji pair with specific words | 15% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How often the same emoji repeats across the post | 11% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Largest group of adjacent emoji | 0.0 - 2.5 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji clusters (groups of adjacent emoji) | 0.0 - 0.9 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in call-to-action lines | 0.7 - 2.6 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the opening hook | 0.6 - 2.8 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are neutral/functional | 33% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are positive/celebratory | 67% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji | 88% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of emoji appearing in clusters | 38% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of emoji that appear multiple times | 23% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Total count of repeated emoji across the post | 0.0 - 1.2 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the post starts with an emoji | 8% | 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 |
| Percentage of emoji that are negative/warning | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of lines that contain only emoji | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Variety of different emoji used as bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether emoji are used as bullet point markers | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average distance between repeated emoji | 8% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Consistency of emoji bullet indentation | 0% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Emoji count per 1000 words | 0 - 38 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of different emoji types used | 0.0 - 1.5 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are 'corpspeak' type | 77% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of emoji in the post | 0.0 - 1.8 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used (unique/total ratio) | 16% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any emoji are used in the post | 19% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Formality & Tone 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of negative contractions used | 6% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of positive contractions used | 25% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of different contraction types | 29% | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 42% | LOW | VARIES |
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | 15:1 | LOW | VARIES |
| Total number of contractions | 30% | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 30% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 15% | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 12% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0 - 49 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 0 - 33 | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 0 - 30 | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'because' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'but' per 1000 words | 0-1 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | 0-6 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0-21 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'which' per 1000 words | 0-1 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'who' per 1000 words | 0-3 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 124 - 242 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'by' per 1000 words | 0-13 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 0 - 32 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 0 - 37 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0 - 30 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0-16 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 1 - 66 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 4 - 70 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 0-23 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of function words used | 26% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Hashtag Usage 12
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average character length of hashtags | 6 - 15 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags | 52% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in ALL CAPS | 20% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags in the opening | 83% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Whether the opening line contains a hashtag | 83% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags placed at the end | 14% | LOW | VARIES |
| Total number of hashtags | 0.0 - 2.5 | LOW | VARIES |
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0.0 - 5.8 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase | 23% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags woven into the text | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 0 - 135 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 52% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the hook | 0.0 - 1.1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Negation words in the hook | 0.0 - 0.4 | LOW | VARIES |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the hook contains a question | 6% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether there's a blank line after the hook | 4% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 7% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Character count of the hook | 96 - 338 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 96 - 338 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook length relative to total post | 93% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 89% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 93% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the hook contains emoji | 17% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the hook starts with a conjunction | 1% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio of lines starting with ALL CAPS | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average spacing between blank lines | 12% | LOW | VARIES |
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 0 - 13 | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of visual text blocks | 0.3 - 2.2 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 8% | LOW | VARIES |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | LOW | VARIES |
| Proportion of blank space | 3% | LOW | VARIES |
| Ratio of lines starting with punctuation | 1% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with quotes | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Spacing between content-rich lines | 39% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in block sizes | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average characters per line | 67 - 303 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average lines per text block | 0.0 - 4.9 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Average words per line | 11 - 46 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 39% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Ratio of lines starting with numbers | 1% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 711 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
List Patterns 15
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average items per dash/bullet list | 4% | LOW | 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 any list structure is used | 1% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether dash/bullet lists are used | 1% 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 |
| Number of dash/bullet list sections | 0.0 - 0.8 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of inline enumeration | 1% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Vocabulary & Phrases 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| How often three-word phrases repeat | 8% | LOW | VARIES |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 80% | LOW | VARIES |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 41% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of unique words used | 5 - 72 | LOW | STEADY |
| Common idioms and expressions per 1000 words | 12% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Count of idiomatic expressions | 0.0 - 0.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Count of words used only once | 8 - 61 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 93% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 5% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Unique words divided by total words | 91% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Sentence Openings 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of sentences starting with -ing verbs | 0.0-0.5 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | 0.0-0.2 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with subordinate clauses | 0.0-0.2 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with time words | 0.0-0.3 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with -ing verbs (%) | 8% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with Actually, Basically, etc. (%) | 84% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with There is/It is | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with conjunctions | 0.0-0.2 per post | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-1.0 per post | LOW | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with 'There is/are' or 'It is' (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 5% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with adverbs | 0.0-0.6 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 84% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 30% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 7% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the ending is a question | 6% | LOW | VARIES |
| Character length of the closing | 76 - 408 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing length relative to total post | 95% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the closing | 0.0 - 1.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 23% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 19% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 52% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 51% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 0.0 - 2.2 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 2% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 4% | LOW | VARIES |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 0.0 - 4.6 | LOW | VARIES |
| Total number of paragraphs | 0.0 - 5.3 | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 16% | LOW | VARIES |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 1.0 - 3.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 1.0 - 3.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing paragraph length vs body average | 60% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 20 - 73 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much paragraph length varies | 0.0 - 3.3 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 1.1 - 3.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 1.0 - 3.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Parts of Speech 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs | 3% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 5% | LOW | STEADY |
| Balance/distribution of different word types | Fairly consistent | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adjectives | 8% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adverbs | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are determiners | 5% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are nouns | 12 - 27 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 8 - 17 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 6 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 0 - 20 | LOW | VARIES |
| Total sentence count | 0.6 - 5.2 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total syllables in the post | 0 - 165 | LOW | VARIES |
| Total word count of the post | 0 - 95 | LOW | VARIES |
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.5 - 1.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 25 - 69 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 10 - 27 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellipsis (...) usage per 1000 words | 0-42 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 0 - 38 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Em dash (—) usage per 1000 words | 0-2 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| 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 question marks per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Parentheses usage per 1000 words | 0-9 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 2% | LOW | VARIES |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-12 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | 0-2 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Colon usage per 1000 words | 0-33 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 12-83 per 1k words | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-41 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 0-31 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Multiple exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with exclamation | 0 - 47 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.0 - 1.0 | LOW | VARIES |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total characters in quoted content | 0 - 106 | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 22% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the post tells a story | 19% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Average length of quoted passages | 0 - 101 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Lines using past tense | 37% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.0 - 1.7 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of story transitions | 11% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | 0-10 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 0.8 - 2.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average number of words per sentence | 6 - 28 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 6 - 28 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 62% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 39% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 0 - 54 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 0 - 20 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Overall sentence complexity | 0 - 109 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 34% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 30% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 7 - 24 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 0 - 14 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 0 - 24 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Word count of shortest sentence | 0 - 19 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 0 - 55 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
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