$28

Post to X (cross-posting reference)

belt app run x/post-create --input '{

"text": "Your cross-posted version here"

}'

## Post Anatomy

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐

│ HOOK (first 1-2 lines) │ ← Visible before "...see more"

│ │

│ ...see more ─────────────────────── │ ← The click gate

│ │

│ BODY (story/value) │

│ - Formatted with line breaks │

│ - Short paragraphs (1-2 sentences) │

│ - Lists or numbered points │

│ │

│ CTA (last 1-2 lines) │ ← Ask for engagement

│ │

│ #hashtags (3-5) │

└─────────────────────────────────────┘

## Character Limits

| Element | Limit |

|---------|-------|

| Post text | 3,000 characters |

| Visible before "see more" | ~210 characters (~2 lines on mobile) |

| Hashtags | 3-5 recommended |

| Comment | 1,250 characters |

| Article title | 100 characters |

| Article body | 125,000 characters |

**The first 210 characters are everything.** If the hook fails, nobody clicks "see more."

## Hook Formulas

### What Works

| Formula | Example |

|---------|---------|

| Contrarian opinion | "Unpopular opinion: code reviews are a waste of time." |

| Personal story opening | "I got fired on a Tuesday. Best thing that ever happened." |

| Surprising stat | "92% of startups fail. But not for the reason you think." |

| List promise | "I've hired 200+ engineers. Here are 5 red flags I look for." |

| Bold statement | "Your resume doesn't matter. Here's what does." |

| Before/after | "3 years ago I couldn't get a single interview. Yesterday I turned down a FAANG offer." |

| Pattern interrupt | "Stop. Before you send that cold email, read this." |

### What Fails

❌ "Excited to announce that we are pleased to share..." (corporate speak)

❌ "In today's rapidly evolving landscape..." (cliché, says nothing)

❌ "I'd like to take a moment to..." (slow, no hook)

❌ "Just published a new blog post!" (no value proposition)

❌ Starting with a hashtag or emoji

## Formatting Rules

### Line Breaks Are Your Best Friend

❌ Dense paragraph:

"I learned something important about leadership last week. My team was struggling with a deadline and instead of pushing harder, I decided to remove scope. The result was incredible — we shipped faster and the quality was better. Sometimes less really is more."

✅ Formatted for LinkedIn:

"I learned something about leadership last week.

My team was struggling with a deadline.

Instead of pushing harder, I removed scope.

The result?

We shipped faster.

And the quality was BETTER.

Sometimes less really is more."

### Formatting Guidelines

| Rule | Why |

|------|-----|

| One sentence per line | Easier to scan on mobile |

| Blank line between paragraphs | Visual breathing room |

| Short paragraphs (1-2 sentences) | Mobile readability |

| Use line breaks for dramatic effect | Creates pacing and suspense |

| Bold key phrases sparingly | Draws eye to important points |

| Numbered lists for tips | Scannable, shareable |

| Avoid walls of text | Nobody reads them |

## Post Types (Ranked by Engagement)

| Post Type | Engagement | Best For |

|-----------|-----------|----------|

| **Personal story + lesson** | Very High | Building connection, authenticity |

| **Contrarian take** | High | Starting conversations, visibility |

| **Carousel (document post)** | High | Educational content, tips |

| **List/tips (numbered)** | High | Actionable value, saves |

| **Poll** | Medium-High | Easy engagement, data gathering |

| **Photo + story** | Medium | Humanizing, events |

| **Video (native)** | Medium | Demonstrations, personality |

| **Link post** | Low | Driving traffic (algorithm penalizes) |

| **Reshare** | Very Low | Don't bother — write original |

### Link Posts Strategy

LinkedIn penalizes posts with links (reduces reach). Workarounds:

1. **Comment method**: Post without link, add link as first comment, edit post to say "Link in comments"

2. **No-link method**: Summarize the content in the post itself, mention "DM for link"

3. **If you must link**: Put it at the very end, after strong standalone content

## Content Pillars

Every LinkedIn creator should have 3-5 pillars they rotate through:

| Pillar | What It Covers | Example |

|--------|---------------|---------|

| **Expertise** | Industry knowledge, how-tos | "5 database patterns every engineer should know" |

| **Stories** | Personal experiences, failures, wins | "The hardest feedback I ever received" |

| **Opinions** | Takes on industry trends, contrarian views | "AI won't replace engineers. Bad managers will." |

| **Behind the scenes** | Building in public, process | "Here's our actual sprint retrospective format" |

| **Curated insights** | Trends, data, research summaries | "I analyzed 500 job postings. Here's what changed." |

## Algorithm Signals

| Signal | Impact | How |

|--------|--------|-----|

| **Dwell time** | Very High | Longer posts that people read fully |

| **Comments** | Very High | Ask questions, create discussion |

| **Saves** | High | Actionable, reference-worthy content |

| **"See more" clicks** | High | Strong hook that makes people expand |

| **Shares** | Medium | Relatable, quotable content |

| **Reactions** | Medium | Easy to get but weighted less |

| **External links** | Negative | Reduces reach — put links in comments |

| **Editing after posting** | Negative | Don't edit within first hour |

| **Posting frequency** | 3-5x/week | Daily is fine, more than 1/day hurts |

## Posting Schedule

| Day | Best Time (your audience's timezone) |

|-----|------|

| Tuesday-Thursday | 7-8 AM, 12 PM, 5-6 PM |

| Monday | 8 AM (people catching up) |

| Friday | 7-8 AM (before checkout) |

| Weekend | Skip or light content |

**Engage in comments for 30-60 minutes after posting** — this is more important than the post itself.

## Visual Content

Generate a visual for a LinkedIn post

belt app run infsh/html-to-image --input '{

"html": "<div style=\"width:1080px;height:1080px;background:#0f172a;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;padding:80px;font-family:system-ui;color:white;text-align:center\"><div><h1 style=\"font-size:56px;font-weight:900;line-height:1.2;margin:0\">The best code is the code you don&#x26;apos;t write</h1><p style=\"font-size:22px;opacity:0.5;margin-top:24px\">— Every senior engineer</p></div></div>"

}'

Generate a professional photo for a personal post

belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{

"prompt": "candid professional photo, person speaking at a conference podium, audience in background blurred, natural stage lighting, authentic moment, corporate event photography",

"width": 1200,

"height": 900

}'

## CTA Formulas

End every post with engagement driver:

CTA Type
Example

Question
"What's the worst career advice you've received?"

Agreement check
"Agree or disagree?"

Share request
"Repost if this resonates ♻️"

Save prompt
"Save this for your next [situation] 🔖"

Recommendation ask
"What would you add to this list?"

Experience ask
"Has this happened to you?"

## Common Mistakes

Mistake
Problem
Fix

Weak hook
Nobody clicks "see more"
Use hook formulas above

Wall of text
Unreadable on mobile
One sentence per line, blank lines between

Links in main post
Algorithm reduces reach
Put links in first comment

Too many hashtags
Looks spammy
3-5 relevant hashtags max

Corporate jargon
"Leveraging synergies" = instant scroll past
Write like you talk

Only self-promotion
Audience stops engaging
80% value, 20% promotion

No CTA
No engagement direction
Always end with a question or ask

Resharing without adding
Near-zero reach
Write original posts, quote instead

Posting and disappearing
Kills comment momentum
Engage for 30-60 min after posting

Being generic
"Hard work pays off" = invisible
Specific stories and data

## Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@social-media-carousel

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@content-repurposing

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@twitter-thread-creation