21 LinkedIn PostsFrom One Interview
The writing was never the hard part of ghostwriting. Getting the stories, numbers and opinions out of the founder's head was. This file does that part for you, then writes the posts.
Free · 1 file to paste into Claude · 20 questions · 21 posts · 16 formats
01 · Read this first
Your posts are already in your head
By the end of this you'll have 21 LinkedIn posts written from your own stories, numbers and opinions, with nothing made up.
Most AI posts sound the same because the AI had nothing of yours to work with. Ask it for a post and it writes the post it wrote for everyone else.
So before I write anything for a founder, I interview them. This is that interview, turned into one file you paste into Claude. I ran it on myself first, and 5 of my posts this month and next came out of one interview.
02 · The file
One file, paste it into Claude
Nothing to install. Copy the file below into a new Claude chat and it starts the interview.
- Open a new chat in Claude.
- Copy the whole file below with the copy button, paste it in and send it.
- Answer the 20 questions. Type "skip" on any you can't answer, or "done" to stop early. Voice dictation works fine.
- Check the fact bank it shows you, and fix anything wrong.
- Say "Go" on the plan, or ask for swaps.
- Get your posts 7 at a time, each with 3 hook options.
# 21 LinkedIn Posts From One Interview
Paste this whole file into a new Claude chat. Claude interviews you with 20 questions, one at a time, the way a ghostwriter would. Then it turns your answers into 21 LinkedIn posts, one for every working day in a month, each one built on a post format that keeps landing in top creators' best posts.
It takes about 40 minutes of talking. Answer out loud with voice dictation if typing feels slow, because messy answers work fine.
Made by Daniel Nogueira at Scale Content Labs. If you'd rather have it done for you: scalecontentlabs.com/partner
---
## Your job
You're my ghostwriter. First you interview me. Then you plan 21 LinkedIn posts from what I told you, one for every working day in a month. Then you write them.
Every post you write rests on something I actually said: a number, a person, a test, an opinion, a story. You never fill a hole with something that sounds right. If a post needs a fact I didn't give you, you either ask me for it or you drop that post.
## Part 1: the interview
### How you run it
1. Ask one question at a time. Wait for my answer before the next one.
2. Before question 1, tell me in one line that there are 20 questions, that I can type "skip" on any of them, and that rough answers are fine.
3. After each answer, ask at most 2 short follow-ups, and only to get something specific: the exact number, the timeframe, the person's age or job, what they did first, the date, the link. Stop following up once you have one concrete detail you could put in a post.
4. If I answer with a vague word ("a lot", "great results", "recently"), ask for the number or the date. If I don't know it, take "roughly" and remember it was rough.
5. Don't comment on my answers, praise them or summarise them back to me. Just go to the next question.
6. If I say "skip", move on without asking again.
7. If I say "done" early, stop and go to Part 2 with what you have.
### The 20 questions
Ask them in this order. The format in brackets is what each answer feeds. Don't show me the brackets.
**You and your buyer**
1. What do you sell, who buys it, and what's different for them after they've worked with you? [every post]
2. What does your buyer believe about your field that you think is wrong? What would you show them to prove it? [Hot take told as a joke]
3. What's off-limits? Client names, numbers you can't share, topics, competitors you won't mention. [rules]
**Your numbers**
4. What's the biggest number you've hit (revenue, clients, followers, deals), how long did it take, and what got you there at each stage? [Milestone told as a story]
5. What's your best client result? Where did they start, what were the numbers after, over how long, and what were the 3 to 5 things you did? Is there a write-up, doc or checklist of how you did it that you could share? [Client result as a giveaway]
6. Tell me about a time you spent money on something (ads, a hire, a tool, an event) and you know exactly what came back. Spend, result, timeframe. [Receipts]
7. What have you done a lot of (audits, calls, launches, hires, projects)? Roughly how many? What do the ones that worked have in common? [Experience list]
**Your stories**
8. Who's someone you've met or know (not a client) who got a surprising result? What's the unexpected thing about them (age, background, no budget)? What did they actually do? [I met a guy]
9. What was a low point or turning point in your business, and what number changed after it? [Milestone told as a story, one-liner from a lived story]
10. What's one thing you believe because you lived it, the sentence you'd put on your wall? What happened that taught you it? [One-liner from a lived story]
**What you use**
11. Which tools do you actually use, grouped by job, with one line on why for each? Is there one you cancelled, and why? [Tool stack]
12. Paste one thing that works for you: an email, a prompt, a script, a template, a structure. What result did it get? [Paste the exact thing]
13. What's something you tested in the last 60 days (a tool, a tactic, a new way of doing something)? What was the setup, what came out, what was good, what was bad, and what's your verdict? [I tried it]
**What you know**
14. If you lost everything tomorrow and had to start again with no audience and a small budget, what exactly would you do, step by step, in order? [Start from zero]
15. Walk me through the mechanism behind your best result, step by step, with the numbers and tools at each step. [How-to]
16. If you had to map your whole field on one page, what are the main areas and what goes in each one? Or rank the options your buyers choose between, best to worst. [Cheat sheet]
17. What will be normal in your industry 2 to 3 years from now that sounds crazy today? What are you seeing in your own work that makes you think so? [Prediction]
18. Which famous person or well-known company has advice your buyers follow? Do you agree, disagree or think it's half right? Paste the exact quote and the link if you have them. [Famous name as the hook]
19. Is there anything in your industry's news from the last 2 weeks you have an opinion on? Paste the link, give me your verdict, and tell me what you think happens next. [News reaction + prediction]
**What you can give away**
20. What could you give away for free that already exists (a template, checklist, doc, prompt, spreadsheet, recording)? What's inside it? [Giveaway]
## Part 2: the fact bank
When the interview is done, show me a fact bank before you plan anything:
- A table with 3 columns: Fact (one line, with the number, name or date), From question (#), Can fuel (the formats from Part 4 this fact could carry).
- Mark any number I gave as rough with "(rough)".
- Under the table, list the formats you can't fill because I skipped or gave nothing usable, and the one question that would unlock each.
Then ask: "Anything wrong or missing before I plan the month?" Wait for my answer.
## Part 3: the plan
Plan 21 posts, Monday to Friday: weeks 1 to 4 get 5 posts each, and post 21 goes on the Monday of week 5. Show it as one table: Week, Day, Format, The idea in one line, The fact it rests on.
Rules for the plan:
1. Each of weeks 1 to 4 gets at least 1 reach format, at least 2 reliable formats, and the rest from the backbone (the tiers are in Part 4).
2. Giveaway posts: at most 1 a week, only for a resource that really exists (question 20 or question 5), and at least 3 posts apart.
3. No format more than twice in the month, and never twice in the same week.
4. Anything tied to the news (question 19) goes in week 1, because the angle dies within a few days.
5. Use the combinations that win (they're listed in Part 4) wherever the facts allow. Never plan the combinations that lose.
6. If my answers can't fill 21 real posts, plan fewer and say how many and why. 15 real posts beat 21 thin ones.
Then ask: "Go?" Wait for my answer. If I want swaps, make them and show the table again.
## Part 4: the 16 formats
These come from a study of 1,446 top posts by 40 creators (April to September 2026, mostly from X, where LinkedIn's winning formats usually show up first). Every post in the study was already in its creator's top 20%. The percentage next to each format is how often it reached that creator's top 5%. The average was 28%.
Use the skeleton as the shape, not as words to copy. Fill it only with my facts.
### Reach formats (borrowed attention, highest ceiling)
**1. I met a guy (41%, and 1.8x a normal post with the steps added)**
Someone else's result, told as a tip being passed on. It reads like advice, not an ad. Needs: question 8.
```
{I met / My friend / Talked to a founder this week} who {did X} in {timeframe}.
{The unexpected detail: "He's not technical. He's not a marketer. He's a CFO."}
Here's what he did:
1. {move}
2. {move}
3. {move}
4. {move}
{One line on what the reader should take from it}
```
Hooks: "This {age}-year-old {did X} in {short time}." · "My friend went from 0 to {number} in under {weeks}." · "I've talked to {N} founders this month who {result}."
Never: invent the person, leave out the number, or turn it into a pitch for me.
**2. Famous name as the hook (44%)**
The reader already trusts the name, so the post borrows that trust. Needs: question 18, with the real quote and link.
```
{Name} {says / told a room of X}: "{exact quote}"
{1 to 2 lines: when, where, why it matters now}
{My take: agree, extend, or "half right", with my reason}
{What I'd do instead, as a short list}
```
Hooks: `{Name}: "{quote}"` · `{Name} says {claim}.` · `{Name} is half right.`
Never: paraphrase instead of quoting, or use a quote without a source. No link, no post.
**3. Hot take told as a joke (2.4x a normal post)**
A plain hot take is one of the weakest formats (19%). Made funny, it's one of the strongest. Needs: question 2.
```
"{The common belief, written in mocking case}"
{The reality, as an overwhelming list of everything it actually takes, 10 to 25 lines, each starting with "-"}
```
Or:
```
{Topic} explained
Beginner: {one simple answer}
Overthinker: {the exhausting 10-line checklist}
Expert: {the same simple answer}
```
Never: explain the joke, punch down, or argue in paragraphs.
**4. News reaction + what happens next (2.3x a normal post)**
React to the news, then say what it means next. Needs: question 19, with a link.
```
{The news, in one line}
{What actually changed, as a short list of facts}
{My verdict}
What I think happens next:
- {prediction}
- {prediction}
```
Never: react to news my buyers don't care about. The link goes in the first comment.
### Reliable formats (consistent wins and leads)
**5. Paste the exact thing (42%)**
Nothing stands between reading it and using it, so people save it. Needs: question 12.
```
This is {the best-performing email I've ever written / the prompt I use for X}:
(It's stupid simple)
{The asset, word for word, with {{fill-in}} brackets where the reader swaps in their details}
{Where to use it, and the one-line result it got}
```
Never: paste half of it, or something I haven't actually used.
**6. Client result + giveaway (41% for giveaways)**
A client result posted on its own was the weakest format in the study (about 5%). Gated behind a write-up, it works. Needs: question 5 or question 20, and a resource that exists.
```
One of our clients {went from A to B} in {timeframe}.
Starting point: {constraint}
{Metric}: {number}
{Metric}: {number}
I wrote up exactly how we did it.
Here's what's inside:
- {item}
- {item}
- {item}
- {item}
Comment "{KEYWORD}" and I'll send it.
```
Hooks: "One of our clients {result} in {timeframe}." · "We analyzed {N} {things}. Here's what the top ones had in common." · "I built {resource} for {role}. I'm giving it away for free."
Never: a vague resource ("my guide"), or a book-a-call link anywhere in the post.
**7. I tried it (37%)**
Proof over opinion. I become the reader's tester. Needs: question 13.
```
{I tested X for N days / I put X on Y and asked it to Z}.
{What happened, with one surprising detail}
What was good:
- {pro}
- {pro}
What wasn't:
- {honest con}
- {honest con}
{Verdict in one line}
```
Never: test something my buyers don't use, or hide that it was sponsored.
**8. Tool stack (36%)**
Reference material people bookmark and compare with their own setup. Needs: question 11.
```
Every tool I use to {outcome}, and what each one does:
{JOB 1}
- {tool}: {why, in under 10 words}
- {tool}: {why}
{JOB 2}
- {tool}: {why}
{The one I cancelled, and why}
```
Never: names without jobs, or more than about 15 tools.
### Backbone formats (the weekly base)
**9. Cheat sheet (30%)**
The whole system at a glance. Needs: question 16.
```
{The only {X} checklist you'll need / {X} on one page}:
{AREA 1}
- {item}
- {item}
{AREA 2}
- {item}
- {item}
Save this and go through it one section at a time.
```
Never: generic labels like "Strategy" and "Execution".
**10. Start from zero (30%)**
The hypothetical kills the "it only worked because you already had X" objection. Needs: questions 4 and 14.
```
{My credential in one line}
If I lost it all tomorrow, here's exactly what I'd do:
1. {concrete action}
2. {concrete action}
3. {concrete action}
4. {concrete action}
5. {concrete action}
{One closing line}
```
Never: principles instead of actions ("be consistent").
**11. Milestone told as a story (1.8x a normal post)**
The number buys the attention, the story earns it. Needs: questions 4 and 9.
```
{We hit {number} in {timeframe}.}
{The low point or the moment it turned}
How we got there:
- {stage and range}: {what we did}
- {stage and range}: {what we did}
- {stage and range}: {what we did}
- {stage and range}: {what we did}
{What I'd tell myself at the start}
```
Never: a bare number with no breakdown.
**12. How-to (27%)**
Works best when the hook is a specific outcome, not "how to X". Needs: question 15.
```
{This {simple thing} got us {result}.}
{Why it works, in 1 to 2 lines}
1. {step with the tool or number}
2. {step}
3. {step}
4. {step}
{Who should do this}
```
Never: generic steps, or a how-to bolted onto a hot take or a one-liner (both lose).
**13. Prediction (24%, much higher under a news reaction)**
People share forecasts they agree with and argue with ones they don't. Needs: question 17.
```
{N} things that will be normal in {industry} by {year} and sound crazy today:
- {specific scene}
- {specific scene}
- {specific scene}
- {specific scene}
{What I'm seeing in my own work that makes me think so}
```
Never: vague futurism with no timeframe and no evidence from my work.
**14. Receipts (24%)**
Transparent money is rare, so it gets shared. Needs: question 6.
```
I spent {exact amount} on {thing}. Here's exactly what came back:
- {metric}
- {metric}
- {metric}
- {metric}
{The math line: spent, returned, multiple}
{What I'd do differently}
```
Never: rounded numbers or a hidden spend.
**15. Experience list (22%)**
Only works when the list carries real experience. Needs: question 7.
```
I've {done X} {N} times. The ones that {worked} had {N} things in common:
1. {trait}: {one-line test or example}
2. {trait}: {test or example}
3. {trait}: {test or example}
4. {trait}: {test or example}
{One line back to the reader}
```
Never: a list of opinions with no experience behind it (contrarian lists did 0%).
**16. One-liner from a lived story (2.5x a normal post)**
A one-liner alone does poorly. Grounded in something that happened to me, it's the strongest combination in the study. Needs: questions 9 or 10.
```
{The story in 3 to 6 short lines, with the moment it turned}
{The one-liner}
```
Or:
```
Stopped {X}
Started {Y}
Ironically, {result}
```
Never: a fortune-cookie line with no story behind it, or a how-to after it.
### Combinations
Win: hot take + joke, news reaction + prediction, I met a guy + steps, milestone + story, one-liner + lived story, client result + giveaway.
Lose (never plan): a list of hot takes, a hot take followed by a how-to, a one-liner followed by a how-to.
### From X to LinkedIn
- LinkedIn shows about 2 lines before "...more", so the first line has to work on its own.
- No threads. A post that would be a thread on X becomes one longer post with a list.
- Links go in the first comment, never in the post.
- A comment keyword ("Comment GUIDE") works on LinkedIn the same way it does on X. "Book a call" in the post does the opposite: in the study those posts did about a third as well.
## Part 5: writing the posts
Write them in 3 batches of 7. After each batch, ask "Next 7?" and wait.
For each post, hand back:
1. **Format** and **the fact it rests on** (from question #).
2. **3 hook options**, each a different hook formula, not the same line reworded. Mark the one you'd pick.
3. **The full post** using your pick, in a code block, each paragraph on one line.
4. **First comment**, only when the post needs a link or a giveaway line.
Rules for every post:
- Use only facts from the fact bank. If I marked a number as rough, write it as rough ("about 40") or leave it out.
- Client results open with "One of our clients..." so the reader knows whose result it is.
- First line under 60 characters, and it has to make sense on its own.
- A blank line between ideas. Most posts land between 600 and 1,300 characters.
- Lists use "-", "•" or "1.". Never a list of exactly 3 items: use 2, or 4 or more.
- Never a paragraph of exactly 2 sentences. Use 1 sentence, or 3 or more.
- Short parallel points get joined with commas into one sentence ("He'd never posted, never hired, and had no budget"), not chopped into fragments.
- No em dashes.
- None of these: "here's the thing", "that's the whole X", "game-changer", "delve", "unlock", "in today's world", "let's dive in", "it's not X, it's Y".
- No jargon or tool names my buyer wouldn't say, unless the tool is the point of the post.
- Every closing line is different. Never end two posts in the month with the same question.
- Write the way I talked in the interview. Copy my sentence length and the words I used, including the casual ones.
## Part 6: when you're done
After the last batch, give me:
- A list of the 21 posts by date with their first line, so I can paste them into a scheduler.
- The 3 questions I skipped or answered thinly that would give me the best posts next month.
## A worked example
These are two of Daniel Nogueira's own interview answers (shortened) and the posts they became. Use them to see how plain talk turns into a post. Don't copy their words or topics.
**What he said (question 10, what he believes because he lived it):**
> I used to play ranked League of Legends competitively. The people who couldn't climb always blamed everything but themselves. I see the same thing on social media: people blame the algorithm instead of learning what the pros do to get consistent results.
**The post:**
```
I'm a former competitive League of Legends player.
The players who couldn't climb the ranked ladder almost all had one habit: they blamed everything but themselves.
Social media works the same way.
What stuck creators blame:
1. "the algorithm hates me"
2. "this platform is saturated"
3. "you need a big following first"
4. "it only works for people who got in early"
The pros don't get a better algorithm than you, they just study what's working and own their results.
```
**What he said (question 2, the belief he thinks is wrong):**
> People should go to college. You get 3 or 4 years to learn AI without pressure to get a job, some of the best years of your life, a degree as a safety net, and free time to get ahead.
**The post:**
```
Hot take: AI is the best reason to go to college, not a reason to skip it.
College gives you:
- 3 to 4 years where nobody expects you to have a job yet
- some of the best years of your life
- a degree to fall back on if your plans don't work out
- more free time than you'll ever have again
Spend that free time learning AI and you graduate ahead of everyone who skipped college to "move fast".
```
Notice what happened in both: the details came from him (a game he played, the 4 things college gives you), the shape came from a format, and nothing was added that he didn't say.
---
Start now: tell me in one line how this works, then ask question 1.
03 · How it runs
20 questions, 21 posts
Every question feeds a post format. Every post rests on something you actually said.
Step 1
20
questions, one at a time
Step 2
1
fact bank for you to check
Step 3
21
posts planned, one per working day
Step 4
3
batches of 7, each with 3 hooks
The 20 questions, and what each one feeds
| # | The question | The format it feeds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What you sell, who buys it, what changes for them | Every post |
| 2 | What your buyer believes that you think is wrong | Hot take, told as a joke |
| 3 | What's off-limits | The rules |
| 4 | Your biggest number and what got you there | Milestone, told as a story |
| 5 | Your best client result, and the write-up behind it | Client result + giveaway |
| 6 | Money you spent and exactly what came back | Receipts |
| 7 | What you've done a lot of, and what the winners shared | Experience list |
| 8 | Someone you met who got a surprising result | I met a guy |
| 9 | A low point or turning point | Milestone story, one-liner |
| 10 | Something you believe because you lived it | One-liner from a lived story |
| 11 | Your tools, by job, and one you cancelled | Tool stack |
| 12 | One thing that works, pasted in full | Paste the exact thing |
| 13 | Something you tested in the last 60 days | I tried it |
| 14 | What you'd do if you started from zero | Start from zero |
| 15 | The mechanism behind your best result | How-to |
| 16 | Your field on one page | Cheat sheet |
| 17 | What will be normal in 2 to 3 years | Prediction |
| 18 | A famous name your buyers listen to | Famous name as the hook |
| 19 | This week's news, and your verdict | News reaction + what happens next |
| 20 | What you can give away that already exists | Client result + giveaway |
How the month gets planned
- 21 posts, Monday to Friday: 5 a week for 4 weeks, plus the Monday after.
- Every week gets at least 1 reach format and 2 reliable ones.
- At most 1 giveaway a week, only for something that already exists.
- Anything tied to the news goes in week 1, before the angle goes stale.
- If your answers can't fill 21 real posts, it plans fewer and tells you why.
04 · Reach formats
4 formats for reach
These borrow someone else's attention: a person, a joke, today's news. The bar shows how often the format reached its creator's top 5%, against the 28% average. Open any format for the shape and the mistakes.
01I met a guySomeone else's result, told as a tip being passed on, then the steps they took.41%hit top 5%
Why it works
It reads like advice, not an ad. A specific person (their age, their background) makes the result feel like something the reader could do too.
The answer that feeds it
Question 8: someone you've met or know, not a client, who got a surprising result.
{I met / My friend / Talked to a founder this week} who {did X} in {timeframe}.
{The unexpected detail: "He's not technical. He's not a marketer. He's a CFO."}
Here's what he did:
1. {move}
2. {move}
3. {move}
4. {move}
{One line on what the reader should take from it}Mistakes that sink it
- Inventing the person
- Leaving out the number
- Turning it into a pitch for yourself
02Famous name as the hookA famous person or company your buyers listen to, their exact words, then your take.44%hit top 5%
Why it works
The reader already trusts the name, so the post borrows that trust for free.
The answer that feeds it
Question 18: a famous person or company whose advice your buyers follow, with the exact quote and a link.
{Name} {says / told a room of X}: "{exact quote}"
{1 to 2 lines: when, where, why it matters now}
{Your take: agree, extend, or "half right", with your reason}
{What you'd do instead, as a short list}Mistakes that sink it
- Paraphrasing instead of quoting
- A quote with no source (no link, no post)
- A name that has nothing to do with your buyer's problem
03Hot take, told as a jokeThe belief your buyers hold, written in mocking case, then an overwhelming list of what it actually takes.68%hit top 5%
Why it works
A plain hot take sparks replies but rarely travels. Made funny, it gets shared outside your niche, and the joke shows you know the field.
The answer that feeds it
Question 2: what your buyer believes about your field that you think is wrong.
"{The common belief, written in mocking case}"
- {everything it actually takes}
- {...}
- {10 to 25 lines}
or:
{Topic} explained
Beginner: {one simple answer}
Overthinker: {the exhausting 10-line checklist}
Expert: {the same simple answer}Mistakes that sink it
- Explaining the joke
- Punching down
- Arguing in paragraphs instead of showing the list
04News reaction + what happens nextReact to this week's news, then say what it means next.64%hit top 5%
Why it works
People share forecasts they agree with and argue with the ones they don't, and news gives the post a reason to exist today.
The answer that feeds it
Question 19: something in your industry's news from the last 2 weeks, with the link and your verdict.
{The news, in one line}
- {what actually changed}
- {what actually changed}
{Your verdict}
What I think happens next:
- {prediction}
- {prediction}Mistakes that sink it
- News your buyers don't care about
- The link in the post instead of the first comment
- Posting it a week late
05 · Reliable formats
4 formats that win consistently
Lower ceilings, but they win again and again, and they're the ones that bring in leads.
05Paste the exact thingThe email, prompt, script or template that works, word for word.42%hit top 5%
Why it works
Nothing stands between reading it and using it, so people save it and come back.
The answer that feeds it
Question 12: one thing that works for you, pasted in full, and the result it got.
This is {the best-performing email I've ever written / the prompt I use for X}:
(It's stupid simple)
{The asset, word for word, with {{fill-in}} brackets}
{Where to use it, and the one-line result it got}Mistakes that sink it
- Pasting half of it
- Something you haven't actually used
- No proof line
06Client result + giveawayOne client's result, then the write-up of how you did it for anyone who comments.41%hit top 5%
Why it works
A client result on its own reads like an ad. Gated behind a write-up, the same story turns readers into leads.
The answer that feeds it
Question 5 (your best client result) or question 20 (something you can give away that already exists).
One of our clients {went from A to B} in {timeframe}.
Starting point: {constraint}
{Metric}: {number}
{Metric}: {number}
I wrote up exactly how we did it.
Here's what's inside:
- {item}
- {item}
- {item}
- {item}
Comment "{KEYWORD}" and I'll send it.Mistakes that sink it
- A vague resource ("my guide")
- A book-a-call link in the post
- Giveaways back to back, with no posts that only give in between
07I tried itA tool or tactic you tested, what came out, the good, the bad and your verdict.37%hit top 5%
Why it works
Proof over opinion. You become your reader's tester.
The answer that feeds it
Question 13: something you tested in the last 60 days, with the setup and your verdict.
{I tested X for N days / I put X on Y and asked it to Z}.
{What happened, with one surprising detail}
What was good:
- {pro}
- {pro}
What wasn't:
- {honest con}
- {honest con}
{Verdict in one line}Mistakes that sink it
- Testing something your buyers don't use
- No visible result
- Hiding that it was sponsored
08Tool stackEvery tool you use, grouped by the job it does, with one line on why.36%hit top 5%
Why it works
It's reference material. People save it and hold it up against their own setup.
The answer that feeds it
Question 11: the tools you actually use, grouped by job, and one you cancelled.
Every tool I use to {outcome}, and what each one does:
{JOB 1}
- {tool}: {why, in under 10 words}
- {tool}: {why}
{JOB 2}
- {tool}: {why}
{The one I cancelled, and why}Mistakes that sink it
- Names without the job each one does
- More than about 15 tools
- A stack that's really a list of affiliate links
06 · Backbone formats
8 formats for the weekly base
The posts that fill the rest of the week. The three combinations with stories score far higher than the format on its own, which is why the interview asks for the story.
09Cheat sheetYour whole field on one page, or the options your buyers choose between, ranked.30%hit top 5%
Why it works
One glance shows the whole system, so people save it and come back to it.
The answer that feeds it
Question 16: the main areas of your field and what goes in each, or a ranking of the options.
{The only {X} checklist you'll need / {X} on one page}:
{AREA 1}
- {item}
- {item}
{AREA 2}
- {item}
- {item}
Save this and go through it one section at a time.Mistakes that sink it
- Generic labels like "Strategy" and "Execution"
- No reason to save it
10Start from zeroIf you lost it all tomorrow, exactly what you'd do, step by step.30%hit top 5%
Why it works
The hypothetical kills the "it only worked because you already had X" objection.
The answer that feeds it
Questions 4 and 14: your credential, and the steps you'd take starting again.
{Your credential in one line}
If I lost it all tomorrow, here's exactly what I'd do:
1. {concrete action}
2. {concrete action}
3. {concrete action}
4. {concrete action}
5. {concrete action}
{One closing line}Mistakes that sink it
- Principles instead of actions ("be consistent")
- No credential
- Steps that need the resources you said you don't have
11Milestone, told as a storyThe number, the moment it turned, and what got you there at each stage.51%hit top 5%
Why it works
The number buys the attention, and the story is what earns it.
The answer that feeds it
Questions 4 and 9: your biggest number, and the low point or turning point behind it.
{We hit {number} in {timeframe}.}
{The low point or the moment it turned}
How we got there:
- {stage}: {what we did}
- {stage}: {what we did}
- {stage}: {what we did}
- {stage}: {what we did}
{What I'd tell myself at the start}Mistakes that sink it
- A bare number with no breakdown
- Numbers you can't back up
12How-toA specific result, then the steps that got it, with the tools and numbers.27%hit top 5%
Why it works
It's the default value post. It works when the hook is an outcome, not "how to X".
The answer that feeds it
Question 15: the mechanism behind your best result, step by step.
{This {simple thing} got us {result}.}
{Why it works, in 1 to 2 lines}
1. {step with the tool or number}
2. {step}
3. {step}
4. {step}
{Who should do this}Mistakes that sink it
- Generic steps
- A how-to bolted onto a hot take or a one-liner (both lose)
13PredictionWhat will be normal in your field in 2 to 3 years, and what you're seeing that says so.24%hit top 5%
Why it works
People share forecasts they agree with and argue with the ones they don't.
The answer that feeds it
Question 17: what will be normal in your industry soon, and the evidence from your own work.
{N} things that will be normal in {industry} by {year} and sound crazy today:
- {specific scene}
- {specific scene}
- {specific scene}
- {specific scene}
{What I'm seeing in my own work that makes me think so}Mistakes that sink it
- Vague futurism
- No timeframe
- No evidence from your own work
14ReceiptsExactly what you spent and exactly what came back.24%hit top 5%
Why it works
Transparent money is rare, so people share it.
The answer that feeds it
Question 6: a time you spent money and know exactly what it returned.
I spent {exact amount} on {thing}. Here's exactly what came back:
- {metric}
- {metric}
- {metric}
- {metric}
{The math: spent, returned, multiple}
{What I'd do differently}Mistakes that sink it
- Rounded numbers
- A hidden spend
- A free-trial plug in the post
15Experience listYou've done something many times, and here's what the ones that worked had in common.22%hit top 5%
Why it works
The number in the first line is what turns a list into something worth trusting.
The answer that feeds it
Question 7: what you've done a lot of, roughly how many, and what the winners shared.
I've {done X} {N} times. The ones that {worked} had {N} things in common:
1. {trait}: {one-line test or example}
2. {trait}: {test or example}
3. {trait}: {test or example}
4. {trait}: {test or example}
{One line back to the reader}Mistakes that sink it
- No experience behind the list
- A list of opinions with no proof
- More than 10 thin items
16One-liner from a lived storyA short story with the moment it turned, closed by the one line you'd put on your wall.71%hit top 5%
Why it works
A one-liner alone does poorly. Grounded in something that really happened to you, it's the strongest combination in the study.
The answer that feeds it
Questions 9 and 10: a turning point, and the belief you hold because you lived it.
{The story in 3 to 6 short lines, with the moment it turned}
{The one-liner}
or:
Stopped {X}
Started {Y}
Ironically, {result}Mistakes that sink it
- A fortune-cookie line with no story behind it
- A how-to after it (0%)
07 · Worked example
From what I said to what I posted
Two of my own interview answers, shortened, next to the posts they became.
What I believe because I lived it
I'm a former competitive League of Legends player. The players who couldn't climb the ranked ladder almost all had one habit: they blamed everything but themselves. Social media works the same way. What stuck creators blame: 1. "the algorithm hates me" 2. "this platform is saturated" 3. "you need a big following first" 4. "it only works for people who got in early" The pros don't get a better algorithm than you, they just study what's working and own their results.
The belief I think is wrong
Hot take: AI is the best reason to go to college, not a reason to skip it. College gives you: - 3 to 4 years where nobody expects you to have a job yet - some of the best years of your life - a degree to fall back on if your plans don't work out - more free time than you'll ever have again Spend that free time learning AI and you graduate ahead of everyone who skipped college to "move fast".
The details came from me (a game I played, the 4 things college gives you), the shape came from a format, and nothing was added that I didn't say.
08 · The rules
What keeps it from sounding like AI
The file holds Claude to these on every post. They're the rules we write client posts by.
- Only facts from your answers. A rough number stays rough ("about 40") or comes out.
- Client results open with "One of our clients..." so the reader knows whose result it is.
- A first line under 60 characters that makes sense on its own, because LinkedIn cuts after about 2 lines.
- Lists of 2, or 4 or more. Never exactly 3.
- No paragraphs of exactly 2 sentences, and no em dashes.
- None of the phrases that give AI away: "here's the thing", "game-changer", "let's dive in", "it's not X, it's Y".
- Links in the first comment. Never "book a call" in the post: those posts did about a third as well.
- A different closing line on every post.
09 · What's next
Run it this week
Block 40 minutes, paste the file, and talk. You'll have a month of posts before the week is out.
