What great LinkedIn content writers do that average ones don't

Sell in Public → B2B LinkedIn content agency → LinkedIn content writing

Specific beats clever every time

The biggest gap between good and average LinkedIn writing is specificity. A strong post is built on a real moment, such as a customer call or a decision your team argued about for a week. It says who was in the room and what you decided.

Average writers work from a content calendar of topics ("customer success", "leadership", "AI in sales") and produce posts that could sit under any name in your industry. Nothing in them is wrong, but a buyer scrolling between meetings won't stop for them.

That's why the best writers spend more time asking questions than typing. Their raw material is what you say when you explain your work to a new hire, not whatever is trending that week.

A point of view someone could argue with

Buyers follow people whose judgment they want to borrow, and that only happens if the author says what they think. A good writer pulls the opinion out of you ("You said discovery calls are too long. Too long compared to what?") and keeps it in the draft, even when it's a little uncomfortable.

An average writer sands the opinion off because a neutral post feels safer. What's left reads like a press release with line breaks.

You can hold a point of view without picking fights. "We do it this way, here's why, and here's what it costs us" is plenty.

Structure built for someone scrolling

Readers decide fast whether to keep going. Good writers build for that:

• One idea per post. If a draft makes three points, it's three posts.
• The first two lines carry the point, so the reader gets value even if they never click "see more".
• Short paragraphs and plain words. White space helps, but one-word lines for drama get tiring.
• An ending that gives the reader something to do or think about, like a test they can run on their own team. A bare "Thoughts?" gives them nothing.

Hooks that earn the click without tricking anyone

A hook is just a first line that makes the right reader want the second. Clickbait gets the click and loses the trust. These pairs are made up to show the difference:

In each earned version, the post underneath can deliver what the first line promises.

Weak vs strong: one made-up post, written twice

Both versions below are invented for illustration. The author is an imaginary Head of Customer Success at a mid-size software company. No real company, person or result is described.

What changed between the two:

• The strong version opens with a decision, while the weak one opens with a category.
• It includes details only someone who did the work would know: who attended, what replaced the call, who gets the summary.
• It takes a position some readers will disagree with.
• It admits a downside, which makes the rest more believable.
• It ends with a test the reader can apply to their own team.

Notice what the strong version leaves out: numbers it can't back up, and any "here's what happened next" cliffhanger.

Habits that give average writing away

Once you've seen these, you'll spot them everywhere:

• Opening with a definition or a statement everyone agrees with
• "3 tips" lists where each tip is a single vague verb
• Every post ending with "Agree?" or "Thoughts?"
• Hot takes borrowed from whatever's trending that week
• The same rhythm in every post, whoever the author is
• Stock photos or a block of hashtags at the bottom

How to edit a draft so it gets stronger, not safer

Drafts tend to get safer, and weaker, every time another reviewer removes something that feels risky. When a writer sends you a draft, edit it for craft instead:

1. Read only the first two lines. If the point isn't there, look for the best sentence in the draft (it's often near the end) and ask for it to move up.
2. Underline the opinion. If you can't find one, the draft isn't finished. Tell the writer what you actually think and let them rebuild around it.
3. Mark every general sentence. "Many teams struggle with onboarding" is a placeholder. Replace it with what you saw, even if it's small.
4. Cut the second idea. If the draft is making two points, keep the stronger one and save the other for another week.
5. Check the ending. It should leave the reader with something, not ask them for a comment.
6. Leave the line that makes you slightly nervous, unless it's wrong. It's usually the part people remember.

The same checks work on a writer's samples before you hire. Read just the opening two lines of five posts, try to name the opinion in each, and look at how each one ends. Then hand the writer one of your old posts and ask what they'd cut and why. Good writers cut confidently and can explain it in plain words.