John O'Sullivan'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
6x more signature
See example from 05 Nov 2025
Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags
4x more signature
Average character length of hashtags
2x more consistent
Proportion of hashtags placed at the end
3x more consistent
Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji
3x more consistent
Percentage of emoji that are 'corpspeak' type
20x more distinctive
Number of emoji in the opening hook
4x more Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Whether CTAs include hashtags
rarely consistent
Whether any list structure is used
rarely consistent
Whether CTAs include emoji
rarely consistent
Use of 'you/your' in the hook
3x less consistent
Typical paragraph length (median)
1.3x less consistent
How easy the text is to read (higher = easier)
1.2x less consistent
Average lines per text block
1.2x less consistent
Signature = unique to you
| Distinctive = stands out from average
| Consistent = reliable pattern
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn't realize, but you use neutral or functional emoji 6x more than the average LinkedIn poster, and you sneak them into 3x as many lines. It's not just emoji overuse - it's *precise*, almost mechanical, like youâre coding your tone for clarity instead of emotion. Most people drop emoji for flavor, but you deploy them like punctuation.
This works because it signals discipline and intentionality to your readers. Your posts feel engineered, not accidental - and that's what makes your style so hard to reverse-engineer. Now try briefing this to a ghostwriter: âMake every sixth emoji functional, double the average hashtag length, and stack all-lowercase hashtags at the end.â Theyâd think youâre joking. You couldnât follow your own brief if you tried - because this isnât a formula, itâs your AuthorDNA.
And the kicker? You post less than once every 10 weeks. Yet your authentic patterns are unmistakable. This is exactly what Drumbeat captures - the patterns you can't articulate but your audience feels. Your companyâs message, in each team memberâs authentic voice, at scale.
Style Evolution
How your writing has changed (Mar 2022 - Nov 2025)
Recent 9 posts since Dec 2023
vs
Earlier 15 posts before Dec 2023
Opening hashtags Declining (27% â 11%)
Less
Style patterns based on 24 posts. Recent trends may differ from overall averages shown above.
Signature Phrases
Your most frequently used words and phrases
Posting Consistency
08 Mar 2022 - 13 Nov 2025
0.1 posts/week avg
22/193 active weeks
171 inactive weeks
Deep Dive
Explore all 17 categories of writing style
Call-to-Action Patterns 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether CTAs include emoji | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether CTAs include hashtags | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Average position of CTAs in the post | Near top | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| CTAs phrased as questions vs statements | 8% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| CTAs using command verbs (Click, Share, Comment, etc.) | 10% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether CTAs are concentrated at the end of the post | 4% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any call-to-action exists | 42% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Emoji Usage 38
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average emoji per line of text | 36% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Count of negative/warning emoji | 0.0 - 0.6 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of neutral/functional emoji | 0.8 - 1.8 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji count relative to sentence count | 28% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji density in the hook section | 2 - 34 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Emoji used to replace words entirely | 17% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in call-to-action lines | 0.0 - 1.3 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the opening hook | 0.4 - 1.6 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are 'corpspeak' type | 0 - 57 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are negative/warning | 6% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of emoji that are neutral/functional | 94% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of lines containing at least one emoji | 28% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Whether the post starts with an emoji | 17% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average distance between repeated emoji | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average number of emoji appearing together in clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Balance between positive and negative emoji | -6% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of positive/celebratory emoji | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Emoji count per 1000 words | 5% | LOW | VARIES |
| How consistently emoji pair with specific words | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| How consistently the same emoji is used for bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| How often the same emoji repeats across the post | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Largest group of adjacent emoji | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of bullet point lines using emoji as markers | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of emoji clusters (groups of adjacent emoji) | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of emoji that are positive/celebratory | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of lines that contain only emoji | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Proportion of emoji appearing in clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Proportion of emoji that appear multiple times | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total count of repeated emoji across the post | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of emoji in the post | 0.0 - 1.1 | LOW | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used as bullets | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether emoji are used as bullet point markers | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Consistency of emoji bullet indentation | 0% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Emoji density in CTA sections | 0 - 47 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Emoji usage in the middle section of the post | 4% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of different emoji types used | 0.0 - 1.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of different emoji used (unique/total ratio) | 25% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any emoji are used in the post | 25% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Formality & Tone 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of positive contractions used | 83% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | 83:1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of negative contractions used | 21% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of different contraction types | 83% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 1% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Total number of contractions | 0.0 - 3.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 23% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 88% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 34% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0 - 26 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'because' per 1000 words | 0-2 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'by' per 1000 words | 0-4 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'which' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'who' per 1000 words | 0-6 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 160 - 262 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 2 - 41 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 12 - 60 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'but' per 1000 words | 0-12 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 0 - 33 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 5 - 31 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0-21 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0-14 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 9 - 53 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 12 - 49 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 0-23 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of function words used | 43% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Hashtag Usage 12
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average character length of hashtags | 8 - 15 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0 - 14 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags | 88% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags placed at the end | 73% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags woven into the text | 20% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 0 - 462 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Total number of hashtags | 0.3 - 8.8 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 83% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in the opening | 7% | LOW | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase | 8% | LOW | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags in ALL CAPS | 3% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the opening line contains a hashtag | 25% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the hook contains emoji | 21% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the hook starts with a conjunction | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether there's a blank line after the hook | 58% | HIGH | STEADY |
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 1% | LOW | STEADY |
| Character count of the hook | 198 - 388 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 198 - 388 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook length relative to total post | 68% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 57% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Negation words in the hook | 0.0 - 0.7 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of emoji in the hook | 0.0 - 0.8 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 68% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the hook contains a question | 12% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 29% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 20 - 48 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of blank space | 34% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Ratio of lines starting with quotes | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Spacing between content-rich lines | 1.0 - 2.4 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 664 | HIGH | 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 |
| Variation in block sizes | 4% | LOW | VARIES |
| Average characters per line | 103 - 200 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average lines per text block | 0.9 - 1.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average spacing between blank lines | 0.4 - 2.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per line | 15 - 33 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 56% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of visual text blocks | 1.0 - 6.3 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 10% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | 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 |
| 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 | 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 |
| Count of words used only once | 27 - 79 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How often three-word phrases repeat | 77% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 0.0 - 8.1 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 0.0 - 2.8 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Number of unique words used | 30 - 98 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 85% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 4% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Unique words divided by total words | 82% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Sentence Openings 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of sentences starting with There is/It is | 0.0-0.2 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with adverbs | 0.0-1.1 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with conjunctions | 0.0-0.9 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | 0.0-0.9 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-2.2 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with subordinate clauses | 0.0-1.2 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. (%) | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 7% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 5% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 0 - 36 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with -ing verbs | 0.0-0.5 per post | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with 'There is/are' or 'It is' (%) | 60% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with -ing verbs (%) | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 0 - 33 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 83% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 1% | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Character length of the closing | 183 - 500 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing length relative to total post | 78% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the closing | 0.0 - 0.7 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 17% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 33% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 17% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the ending is a question | 17% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 67% of posts | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 2% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 8% | LOW | VARIES |
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 100% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 1.2 - 2.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average sentences per paragraph | 1.2 - 2.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Closing paragraph length vs body average | 64% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 0.7 - 4.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 27 - 64 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much paragraph length varies | 0.0 - 2.4 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 1.4 - 3.4 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total number of paragraphs | 1.0 - 6.3 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 1.0 - 2.0 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 69% | 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 | 7% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are nouns | 20 - 32 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 8 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 8% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 7 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.5 - 2.0 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 5 - 23 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 24 - 64 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 10 - 27 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total sentence count | 2.1 - 7.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total syllables in the post | 56 - 221 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Total word count of the post | 29 - 137 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Parentheses usage per 1000 words | 0-14 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Colon usage per 1000 words | 0-16 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| En dash (â) 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 |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 4-42 per 1k words | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ellipsis (...) usage per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Em dash (â) usage per 1000 words | 0-7 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Exclamation marks per 1000 words | 0-38 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 0-23 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 6% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with exclamation | 0 - 51 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | 0-15 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average length of quoted passages | 0 - 321 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 3% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 4% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Total characters in quoted content | 0 - 582 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Use of story transitions | 19% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 67% of posts | HIGH | STEADY |
| Lines using past tense | 37% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.9 - 2.6 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.2 - 1.3 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the post tells a story | 50% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 37% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 20% | LOW | VARIES |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 1.7 - 2.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average number of words per sentence | 13 - 23 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 13 - 23 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 63% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 55% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 18 - 40 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 3 - 15 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Overall sentence complexity | 22 - 63 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | 0-16 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 9 - 22 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 0.7 - 2.8 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 5 - 16 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of shortest sentence | 2 - 15 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 21 - 45 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
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