LinkedIn Post Writer#

Ship long-form LinkedIn posts using hook formulas that actually performed in 2025-2026 (verified engagement multipliers).

When to use#

• User says "write me a LinkedIn post about X"
• User has a topic + a rough angle and needs a hook + structure
• User wants to pick from known-winning formats and fill in their voice
• User wants to audit + schedule in one flow

Formulas this skill can use#

CodeFormulaReference engBest forF1Platform Risk Anaphora4,240Category/platform posts, product-as-fixF2R.I.P. Obituary3,822Era-ending claims, industry pivotsF3Year-over-Year Pivot494, 3.74xIdentity shifts, founder reflectionF4Time-Anchor Confession1,519+Vulnerability, voice reset, ICP re-targetingF5Self-Proving Meta1,082 / 435 commentsCommitment-based posts, tests in publicF6Comment-Gate Lead Magnet717-3,008List building (use sparingly, capped reach)F7Odd-Precision Money Ledger1,755, 9.4xFounder build-log, cost breakdownsF8Paid-vs-Free Reversal550, 19.64xFree framework give-awayF9Curiosity-Gap Teaser306, 4.25xEmergent behavior, behind-the-scenesF10Contrarian + Historical Receipts3,083Sacred-cow takes, AI/tech cyclesF11Emotional Cold-Openhigh-reach*Real story with emotional stakes (likes)F12Permission Slipcomment-heavy*Encouragement, reassurance (comments)F13Bait-and-Switch Reversalhigh-reach*Policy/process change that's an upgrade (likes)F14Named Gratitude / Tributerepost-heavy*Thanking mentors / team / departing colleague (reposts)F15Explain-to-Kidssave-heavy*Demystifying jargon (saves)F16Status-Strip Humilitylike-heavy*Senior voice wanting warmth not distance (likes)

\* F11-F16 reach is absolute 2026-corpus reach (often source-driven: a reshare or a famous author), NOT a baseline multiplier like the F1-F10 numbers. The two columns measure different things and are not comparable: F11's "256k" is raw reach, F8's "550, 19.64x" is a format multiplier. Do not rank formulas by putting these side by side. See ../../references/hook-formulas.md for each formula's real reference and caveats.

Full skeletons in ../../references/hook-formulas.md. F1-F10 are the long-form thought-leadership set; F11-F16 (validated against a 2026 corpus of above-average performers) skew shorter and emotional and each carries a primary engagement goal.

Pick by goal first#

If the user knows what they want the post to earn, start here, then narrow by topic. Canonical mapping: ../../references/hook-formulas.md → Engagement-goal split.

GoalReach forCommentsF4, F10, F12, F9RepostsF14, F2, F8LikesF11, F13, F16SavesF15, F7, F8

Steps#

1. Gather inputs. Topic, angle, draft ideas if the user has them, target audience (founders / operators / marketers), desired length (short 300-500 / medium 900-1300 / long 1500-1900 chars).

2. Pick the formula. First ask (or infer) the goal: comments, reposts, likes, or saves. Use the "Pick by goal first" table to shortlist, then suggest 2-3 formulas that also fit the topic and let the user pick. Show the reference engagement number next to each.

3. Draft the post. Fill the formula skeleton with user voice. Respect the 2026 algorithm rules:

   • Hook in first 210 chars (before "… see more")
   • 900-1,300 char sweet spot for text posts
   • Double line-breaks between ideas, not single
   • 0-2 hashtags, placed at end
   • No external links in body (move to first comment)

4. Humanizer pass. Strip em dashes, AI vocab, rule-of-three, generic openers. Add at least 1 specific number, 1 named entity, 1 first-person concrete detail per 100 words.

5. Run audit. Optionally invoke linkedin-humanizer --mode audit for algorithm + voice checks before showing to user.

6. Approval card. Show: formula used, full draft, char count, suggested posting window (Tue/Wed/Thu 7:30-9:00 AM local), reaction targets from likely commenters.

7. On approval. Call lib.publish(kind="post", draft_text=<approved>, target_url="https://www.linkedin.com/post/new/", platforms=[{"platform":"linkedin","platformId":<id>}], scheduled_time=<iso_or_None>, media_urls=<list_or_None>). The wrapper handles Publora / manual / diy routing.

Hard rules (from user feedback)#

Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md §Voice rules. Additional skill-specific rules:

• Never frame LinkedIn as inferior in a LinkedIn post (algo penalty).
• Don't name-drop the user's product in a way that reads as self-promo. One mention max, and only when it's the natural conclusion, not the pitch.
• Include at least one moment of real vulnerability or concrete stakes. Pure insight posts don't land in 2026.
• Vary sentence length aggressively. Mix 3-word sentences and 25-word sentences.

Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)#

• All-caps first line ("THIS CHANGED EVERYTHING."). This holds even for F11 Emotional Cold-Open: carry the intensity with word choice, never caps.
• Em dashes anywhere
• "In today's fast-paced world" openers
• Rule-of-three lists without receipts
• "Game-changer", "deep dive", "leverage", "fundamentally"
• External links in the body
• Reused engagement-bait closers ("tag someone who needs this")

Resources#

• ../../references/hook-formulas.md — all 16 formula skeletons with worked examples
• ../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md — 2026 posting rules (timing, format, length)
• references/humanizer-checklist.md — the full scrub list

Related skills#

• linkedin-humanizer — aggressive AI-tell scrubber, plus --mode audit for pre-publish review
• linkedin-hook-extractor — reverse-engineer a hook from a viral post you admire