Nicky Hjerpe'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
Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags
4x more signature
Average character length of hashtags
3x more signature
Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis
18x more distinctive
See example from 13 May 2024
Hook lines relative to total lines
1.5x more consistent
Proportion of hashtags in the opening
4x more Opening paragraph length vs body average
2x more consistent
Unique words divided by total words
1.1x more consistent
Does Less Of...
Patterns you use less often - that's part of your style too!
Blank lines per 100 total lines
rarely consistent
Proportion of blank space
rarely consistent
Average spacing between blank lines
rarely consistent
Length of longest repeated phrase
rarely consistent
Whether the ending has a call-to-action
rarely consistent
How often two-word phrases repeat
rarely consistent
Whether there's a clear opening hook section
rarely consistent
Signature = unique to you
| Distinctive = stands out from average
| Consistent = reliable pattern
Your AuthorDNA Profile
You probably didn't realize, but 18 times more of your sentences trail off with an ellipsis than the average LinkedIn writer. That's not a typo - eighteen times. It's like you can't help leaving thoughts hanging, inviting the reader to fill in the blanks, or maybe just letting the conversation linger in a way nobody else dares.
It works because it’s magnetic - your audience is pulled into the pause, compelled to lean in and finish the thought themselves. Now try briefing that to a ghostwriter: “Hey, drop ellipses at 18x the normal rate, but make it feel natural.” Good luck. That’s not a style guide - that’s hardwired. You couldn’t force it if you tried.
You post less than once a week - just 0.1 times, in fact - but your fingerprints are all over every line. 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 Apr 2018 - 17 Apr 2020
0.1 posts/week avg
8/104 active weeks
96 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 | 12% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average position of CTAs in the post | Near top | LOW | STEADY |
| 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 |
| Whether any call-to-action exists | 12% of posts | LOW | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of words that are contractions | 2% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Ratio of negative to positive contractions | 125:1 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of negative contractions (don't, won't, can't) | 45% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of positive contractions (it's, I'm, we're) | 1% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Count of positive contractions used | 25% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of different contraction types | 38% | LOW | VARIES |
| Total number of contractions | 38% | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of negative contractions used | 12% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Variety of different contractions used | 38% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Function Words 21
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage of 'as' per 1000 words | 0-21 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'by' per 1000 words | 0-17 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'for' per 1000 words | 0 - 66 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'of' per 1000 words | 0 - 65 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'that' per 1000 words | 0 - 33 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Usage of 'at' per 1000 words | 0-12 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'because' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'if' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'is' per 1000 words | 0-25 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'on' per 1000 words | 0-11 per 1k words | LOW | VARIES |
| Usage of 'so' per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Usage of 'to' per 1000 words | 0 - 49 | 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 |
| Variety of function words used | 19% | LOW | STEADY |
| Overall grammatical word usage | 88 - 269 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Usage of 'a' per 1000 words | 0 - 65 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'and' per 1000 words | 0 - 48 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'but' per 1000 words | 0-12 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'the' per 1000 words | 0 - 64 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Usage of 'with' per 1000 words | 0-29 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Hashtag Usage 12
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average character length of hashtags | 13 - 16 | HIGH | STEADY |
| Hashtag density per 100 words | 0 - 12 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Proportion of all-lowercase hashtags | 100% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in the opening | 75% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags woven into the text | 12% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Whether the opening line contains a hashtag | 75% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags in ALL CAPS | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Proportion of hashtags placed at the end | 12% | LOW | VARIES |
| Proportion of hashtags using CamelCase | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Ratio of inline hashtags to end hashtags | 12% | LOW | VARIES |
| Total number of hashtags | 0.0 - 3.3 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether any hashtags are used | 50% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Opening Hooks 14
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the hook contains a question | 38% of posts | HIGH | VARIES |
| ALL CAPS words in the hook | 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 | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether there's a clear opening hook section | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Character count of the hook | 64 - 251 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Character position where the hook ends | 64 - 251 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook length relative to total post | 100% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Hook lines relative to total lines | 100% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Negation words in the hook | 0.0 - 0.7 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Use of 'you/your' in the hook | 2% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Where LinkedIn's 'see more' cuts off | 100% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Line Structure 18
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spacing between blank lines | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Blank lines per 100 total lines | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Lines containing exactly one sentence | 31% | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of visual text blocks | ~1.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of single-word lines | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of very short lines (<5 words) | 6% | LOW | VARIES |
| Predictability of line length pattern | Very consistent | LOW | VARIES |
| Proportion of blank space | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| 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 | 12% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in block sizes | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Variation in line lengths | 0 - 29 | LOW | VARIES |
| Average characters per line | 50 - 247 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average lines per text block | 0.8 - 1.5 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per line | 7 - 37 | 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 |
| Count of words used only once | 8 - 33 | LOW | STEADY |
| How often three-word phrases repeat | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| How often two-word phrases repeat | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Length of longest repeated phrase | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of unique words used | 8 - 35 | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of words used only once | 94% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Ratio of meaningful words to grammatical words | 6% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Unique words divided by total words | 94% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Sentence Openings 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of sentences starting with adverbs | 0.0-0.7 per post | HIGH | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with adverbs (%) | 9% | 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 |
| Count of sentences starting with conjunctions | ~0.0 per post | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with pronouns | 0.0-0.7 per post | LOW | VARIES |
| Count of sentences starting with time words | ~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 |
| Sentences starting with And, But, Or, So (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with pronouns (I, You, We, They) (%) | 7% | LOW | VARIES |
| Sentences starting with time words (%) | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with discourse markers | ~0.0 per post | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Count of sentences starting with subordinate clauses | ~0.0 per post | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with Actually, Basically, etc. (%) | 0% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Sentences starting with subordinate clauses (%) | 0% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Closing Patterns 11
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the ending is a question | 38% | HIGH | VARIES |
| ALL CAPS words in the closing | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Character length of the closing | 64 - 250 | LOW | STEADY |
| Number of emoji in the closing | ~0.0 | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the closing has a signature phrase | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the closing has emoji clusters | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the ending has a call-to-action | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether the ending includes emoji | 0% of posts | LOW | STEADY |
| Whether there's a clear closing section | 38% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Closing length relative to total post | 100% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Whether the ending includes hashtags | 50% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Paragraph Structure 13
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening paragraph length vs body average | 2% | HIGH | STEADY |
| Consecutive long paragraphs | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Consecutive short paragraphs | 88% | LOW | STEADY |
| How much paragraph length varies | 50% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total number of paragraphs | 0.8 - 1.5 | LOW | STEADY |
| Variation in length changes between paragraphs | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Average change in length between paragraphs | 100% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| 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 | 50% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How frequently new paragraphs start | 24 - 111 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer paragraphs (80th percentile) | 1.1 - 3.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical paragraph length (median) | 1.0 - 3.1 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Parts of Speech 9
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balance/distribution of different word types | Fairly consistent | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of auxiliary/helper verbs | 6% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adjectives | 8% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are adverbs | 4% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are determiners | 7% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are nouns | 16 - 48 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are prepositions | 5 - 15 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of words that are pronouns | 8% | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Percentage of words that are verbs | 9 - 24 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Post Basics 7
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count of complex words (3+ syllables) | 1.7 - 8.3 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total sentence count | 1.2 - 3.3 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total syllables in the post | 16 - 69 | LOW | STEADY |
| Total word count of the post | 9 - 37 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average word complexity (syllables per word) | 1.4 - 2.3 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How easy the text is to read (higher = easier) | 5 - 76 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of complex words (3+ syllables) | 10 - 33 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
Punctuation Style 17
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellipsis (...) usage per 1000 words | 0-75 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences ending with a question | 0 - 40 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Percentage of sentences trailing off with ellipsis | 0 - 60 | HIGH | VARIES |
| Question marks per 1000 words | 0-56 per 1k words | HIGH | VARIES |
| Colon 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 |
| Exclamation marks 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 ending with exclamation | 4% | LOW | VARIES |
| Quotation mark usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Semicolon usage per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Comma usage per 1000 words | 0-57 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Hyphen usage per 1000 words | 0-35 per 1k words | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Quotes & Narrative 10
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use of story transitions | 25% | HIGH | VARIES |
| Average length of quoted passages | 0 - 10 | LOW | VARIES |
| Lines starting with quotation marks | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Lines using past tense | 25% | LOW | VARIES |
| Presence of dialogue attribution patterns | 0% | LOW | STEADY |
| Total characters in quoted content | 0 - 10 | LOW | VARIES |
| Whether the post tells a story | 12% of posts | LOW | VARIES |
| Number of narrative/story signals | 0.1 - 1.9 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Number of quotation blocks | 0.0 - 1.0 | TYPICAL | VARIES |
| Whether the post contains quotations | 50% of posts | TYPICAL | VARIES |
Sentence Rhythm 16
| Feature | Your DNA | vs Others | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| How often paragraphs contain just one sentence | 31% | LOW | VARIES |
| Overall sentence complexity | 7 - 32 | LOW | STEADY |
| Parenthetical breaks per 1000 words | ~0 per 1k words | LOW | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences over 20 words | 10% | LOW | VARIES |
| Variation in clause count across sentences | 0.0 - 2.5 | LOW | VARIES |
| Word count of the longest sentence | 8 - 22 | LOW | STEADY |
| Average number of clauses per sentence | 1.1 - 2.5 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average number of words per sentence | 7 - 13 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Average words per sentence | 7 - 13 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| How much sentence length varies (normalized) | 55% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your longer sentences (80th percentile) | 8 - 22 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Length of your shorter sentences (20th percentile) | 2.2 - 9.0 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Percentage of sentences under 8 words | 38% | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Typical sentence length (median) | 7 - 13 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Variation in sentence lengths | 1 - 10 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
| Word count of shortest sentence | 2.2 - 9.0 | TYPICAL | STEADY |
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