Imported from halt-catch-fire/mutiny (guides/social/linkedin-content/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add halt-catch-fire/mutiny --skill linkedin-content. Copyright stays with the author.

Install the belt CLI skill: npx skills add belt-sh/cli

LinkedIn Content

Write high-engagement LinkedIn posts via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions

belt login

# Research trending LinkedIn content patterns
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "LinkedIn viral post examples 2024 high engagement patterns"
}'

# 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:

Comment method: Post without link, add link as first comment, edit post to say "Link in comments"
No-link method: Summarize the content in the post itself, mention "DM for link"
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&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

Browse all apps: belt app list

linkedin-content

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