Deborah Coggins'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
See example from 12 Nov 2024
Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn’t realize, but your closing paragraphs are 16 times longer than the rest of your post on average. While most people wind down quickly, you ramp up - stretching that last thought far beyond what’s typical. It’s not just a signoff; it’s practically a second act, making your endings impossible to ignore.
It works because it signals gravity - the close is where you really want people to linger. But try briefing this to a ghostwriter. Tell them, “Make my conclusions 16x longer than everything else, and change paragraph lengths 58x more than average while you’re at it.” They’d think you were joking. This isn’t a formula, it’s your fingerprint. You couldn’t copy it if you tried.
You barely post - less than once a week over the last 455 weeks - but when you do, your voice 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
29 Feb 2016 - 12 Nov 2024
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 using command verbs (Click, Share, Comment, etc.) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether CTAs are concentrated at the end of the post | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether CTAs include emoji | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether CTAs include hashtags | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| CTAs phrased as questions vs statements | 6% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any call-to-action exists | 44% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
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 positive contractions used | 89% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of different contraction types | 89% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 56% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Count of negative contractions used | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | balanced | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of contractions | 89% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 0 - 107 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | 0 - 34 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0 - 54 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | 0 - 50 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0 - 36 | HIGH | 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 'by' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 0-22 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'which' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 177 - 314 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 0 - 58 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 0 - 35 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0 - 49 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 0 - 37 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | 0-8 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 9 - 47 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'who' per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 0-17 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of function words used | 36% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Hashtag Usage 4
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of hashtags | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Negation words in the hook | 0.0 - 0.4 | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the hook | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 1% | 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 | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Character count of the hook | 80 - 316 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 80 - 316 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook length relative to total post | 85% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 83% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 85% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the hook contains a question | 11% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 22% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Variation in block sizes | 0 - 33 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average spacing between blank lines | 50% | LOW | VARIES |
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 0 - 18 | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of visual text blocks | 0.4 - 2.7 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 1% | LOW | STEADY |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | LOW | VARIES |
| Proportion of blank space | 5% | 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 |
| Spacing between content-rich lines | 32% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 135 | LOW | VARIES |
| Average characters per line | 43 - 278 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average lines per text block | 0.0 - 3.2 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Average words per line | 9 - 49 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 36% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
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 |
| 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 |
| Use of inline enumeration | 1% | TYPICAL | 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 |
| Count of words used only once | 9 - 66 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How often three-word phrases repeat | 0.0 - 4.6 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 0 - 13 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 0.0 - 3.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of unique words used | 5 - 87 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 88% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 3% | 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 | 0.0-1.5 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with conjunctions | 0.0-0.7 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | 0.0-0.4 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-6.0 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 | 0.0-1.0 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with Actually, Basically, etc. (%) | 53% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 12 - 89 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 0 - 33 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with -ing verbs | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with There is/It is | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with 'There is/are' or 'It is' (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with -ing verbs (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the closing | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Character length of the closing | 64 - 318 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing length relative to total post | 85% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 11% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 33% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending is a question | 11% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 56% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 0 - 11 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Closing paragraph length vs body average | 9% | HIGH | VARIES |
| How much paragraph length varies | 0 - 87 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 0.0 - 8.9 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 2% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 0 - 102 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 78% | LOW | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 12 - 73 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of paragraphs | 0.4 - 2.7 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 0.8 - 4.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 0.8 - 4.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 11% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 1.3 - 3.3 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Parts of Speech 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of words that are nouns | 4 - 20 | LOW | STEADY |
| Balance/distribution of different word types | Moderately varied | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs | 6% | 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 | 7% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 10% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 4 - 21 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 13 - 23 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 1.8 - 10.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total syllables in the post | 0 - 193 | LOW | VARIES |
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.3 - 1.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 56 - 84 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 8 - 17 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total sentence count | 0 - 11 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total word count of the post | 0 - 150 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-76 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 0-66 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Multiple question marks per 1000 words | 0-5 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with exclamation | 4 - 84 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 0-37 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 |
| Mixed punctuation clusters per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Multiple exclamation marks per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-19 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | 0-5 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Colon usage per 1000 words | 0-64 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Parentheses usage per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 4% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use of story transitions | 23% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 56% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Whether the post tells a story | 67% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total characters in quoted content | 0 - 78 | LOW | VARIES |
| Average length of quoted passages | 0 - 78 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Lines using past tense | 46% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.3 - 2.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.0 - 1.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 29% | LOW | VARIES |
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 21% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 0.1 - 2.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 1.7 - 2.7 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average number of words per sentence | 10 - 21 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 10 - 21 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 48% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 12 - 32 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 3 - 17 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Overall sentence complexity | 17 - 56 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 30% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 8 - 21 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 0 - 13 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of shortest sentence | 1 - 17 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 14 - 38 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
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