Writing the LinkedIn Post

LinkedIn is the highest-leverage channel for B2B content in 2026. It's also the easiest to get wrong, because the default AI draft is exactly what a LinkedIn influencer coach would tell you to write in 2021. Which is why it now bombs.

The algorithm rewards: short sentences broken across lines, a specific first-line hook, one clean takeaway, and comments. It punishes: emoji openers, "Here's what I learned", numbered tips, and anything that starts with "Last week, I..."

This chapter is one prompt plus the rewrite you do before posting.

The prompt

Open Claude. Paste your voice block. Paste:

SOURCE + ANGLE:
[paste the angle you picked, plus the relevant 2-3 sentences from
the source that anchor it]

Write ONE LinkedIn post on this angle.

STRUCTURE:
- Line 1: a single hook sentence under 10 words that would make a
  smart professional stop scrolling. No questions. No "here's what I
  learned." No emoji. Just a specific, provocative statement.
- Line 2: blank.
- Lines 3-7: the core insight, broken into very short lines. Each
  line should be scannable on a phone. Use sentence fragments where
  they land. Don't use paragraphs.
- Line 8: blank.
- Line 9: one concrete takeaway the reader can act on this week.
- Line 10: blank.
- Line 11: one question that invites a reply — but it has to be a
  real question, not "What's your take?" Ask something specific that
  gets a specific answer.

RULES:
- No hashtags (I add those at scheduling time).
- No emoji.
- No "Thoughts?" or "What do you think?" at the end.
- No "Here's what I learned" opener.
- If you need to use a number, cite the source URL in parentheses.
- Target word count: 120-180 words.

Before writing, ask any clarifying questions. Otherwise proceed.

The rewrite checklist

The AI will produce a draft. Never post the first draft. Run it through this list (about 90 seconds of work):

1. Is the first line specific? If the hook contains "Most people think..." or "Everyone's talking about..." then rewrite. Replace with a specific number, name, or dollar figure.
2. Are there any tell-tale AI phrases? Search for "landscape," "paradigm," "unprecedented," "leverage," "at scale," "in today's X world." Kill them all.
3. Are there numbered lists? LinkedIn punishes them. Convert to prose.
4. Is the takeaway actually actionable? If the "what to do" instruction is "think carefully about your strategy" then rewrite. A good takeaway tells the reader to do one specific thing this week.
5. Is the closing question a real question? "What's your take?" isn't a question, it's a signal you couldn't think of one. Replace with "Has this happened to you in X context?" or "What's a number you'd add from your own work?"
6. Read it aloud. If you wouldn't say this sentence to a friend over coffee, rewrite it.

A worked example

Source angle: "OpenAI raised $122B; $35B of Amazon's commitment is conditional on AGI by 2028."

AI first draft (B+ quality, would get ~50 likes):

After the rewrite checklist (would get ~500 likes):

Same source. Same numbers. One would get 50 likes. The other would get 500 and start a comment section.

Why you never post the first draft

AI is pattern-matching against every LinkedIn post it has ever seen. The average LinkedIn post is mediocre. Therefore the AI default is mediocre-shaped.

Your job is to pull the draft one notch above mediocre. That notch is where the engagement lives.

The 90-second rewrite is the single highest-leverage thing you do all week.