I handed the keys to my LinkedIn over to Claude
The complete guide to B2B posts: the 3 prompts I use with Claude, 9 hook archetypes, 5 structures, the 24-check checklist and the rule of ONE.
Prompt 1 · Scan the outliers in your niche
I handed the keys to my LinkedIn over to Claude: it scans the outliers in my niche, pulls out their patterns and critiques my drafts. Most of them don't make the cut. Here are the 3 prompts, the 9 hooks, the 5 structures and the 24 checks.
It's the first of the three and the one that kicks off the system: Claude scans the posts in your niche and separates out the outliers, the ones that beat 3× their author's average. Copy the prompt and paste it into Claude.
Act as a B2B content analyst on LinkedIn. I'm going to paste posts from my niche, and for each one you have the author, the text, the likes and the comments, with several authors appearing more than once. Group the posts by author, calculate each author's average engagement by adding up likes and comments, and tell me how many posts that average is based on. Then flag as an outlier every post that beats its own author's average by more than 3×, because each post competes against its author and never against anyone else. If I have fewer than 5 posts from an author, tell me their average isn't reliable instead of calculating it anyway. If a post is missing its like or comment count, leave it out of the calculation and let me know at the end in one line. Give me back a table sorted from highest to lowest multiple, with the author, the multiple, the likes, the comments and the first two lines of the post. Don't interpret anything in this step, I just want the separation.
Full version: try it today.
Why most people are losing
This guide distills hundreds of tracked outlier posts (an outlier is a post that beats its author's average engagement by at least 3×), the patterns that repeat across B2B, SaaS and sales, plus what I've learned posting and measuring what moved pipeline and what was fluff.
Prompt 1 does that tracking: you paste in the posts from your niche with their likes and comments, and it separates out the outliers, author by author.
The pattern that keeps repeatingAlmost everyone posts blind. Hooks they think are good, structures they think work, hoping to get lucky.
LinkedIn isn't a lottery. It's a game with public rules, it's just that almost nobody studies them. The impressions in the B2B feed go to a handful of profiles that have cracked the patterns. Everyone else fights over the crumbs.
The root thesis: the win/lose test
The mental test before every draftA post wins when it does two things at once:
(a) It explains a hidden system: a mechanism, an incentive, a distribution rule, a pattern your audience doesn't see. (b) It breaks a commonly accepted belief in the first 1-3 lines.
- Wins
Hidden system + broken belief
You teach something most people don't see and you break a common belief before the reader has had time to defend theirs.
- Loses
The ghostwriter test
If you swap the author for someone else in the niche and it's just as believable, anyone could have written it. It just adds noise to the feed.
You apply the test before writing, not at the end.
Without a belief to break or a mechanism to teach, rework the idea or move on to another one.
The 3 psychological pillars · pick ONE
Every viral post fires one emotional pillar to the max. Not three. When you try to hit curiosity, fear and desire all at once, the result gets diluted: the reader doesn't know what they're feeling and doesn't act.
- 01
Curiosity
You open a loop for the reader and only close it at the end of the post (or leave it open entirely). Curiosity gap: "The real reason is…". Reversal: "It's not about X, it's about Y". Contrarian opener: "Nobody tells you about…". Insider view: "Behind the scenes of…". Open loop: hooks with `:`, `…`, `👇`.
- 02
Fear / FOMO
You signal to the reader that they're falling behind or that something will cost them dearly if they don't act. Obsolescence: "X is dead". Bandwagon: "Everyone's moving to…". Missing out: "Don't get left behind". Concrete stakes: "It'll cost you €X". Time pressure: "before it's too late".
- 03
Desire
You show the reader a desirable outcome + the concrete path to get there. Money proof: "$20K MRR", "€12K". Personal proof: "I built it in a weekend". Speed: "in 30 min", "save 10h". Named system: "my playbook". Numbered method: "5 ways to…".
RuleBefore writing, decide which of the 3 pillars you're going to max out.
The body of the post should reinforce it, not dilute it.
The 9 hook archetypes
The hook decides whether the rest gets read, because on mobile LinkedIn cuts it off around 140 characters. The example lines for each archetype are made up: they only show the shape each one takes.
You break what the reader was planning to do
If you're cold emailing manufacturers the way you did 5 years ago, you're burning money.
An order, a brake, a "stop".
You name a common belief and call it false
Everyone says outbound is dead. That's a lie. What's dead is your copy.
It lands in the first line.
A specific, surprising number
I analyzed 200 outbound emails from B2B SDRs this month. Only 3% had the one thing that matters.
Specific and small works better than big and vague.
You open a loop without spoiling the ending
The reason your best client won't reply has 3 letters. And it's not CRM.
It promises an answer without delivering it in the first line.
A concrete vulnerability that builds credibility
6 months ago I lost my biggest B2B client. What I learned changed how I sell to manufacturers.
Specific and dated, not generic.
An unpopular position in your niche, with data to back it up
Selling on LinkedIn isn't selling anymore. It's auctioning attention to the lowest bidder.
No nuance in the first line; the nuance goes in the body.
A specific number + a concrete benefit
5 mistakes I saw in 30 B2B sales calls this week.
The number has to be odd: 3, 5, 7, not "several".
You call out a specific group so they feel seen
B2B founders under $1M ARR: if you invest in marketing before direct sales, you'll burn through your round in 9 months.
The narrowest possible group that's still big.
You promise a concrete result + the path
How I went from 0 to 30 B2B meetings a month with a single email. No lead magnet.
Starting number + end number + the how in between.
Hard rules for the hook≤ 18 words. 20-140 characters, what fits in the mobile preview.
A number or proper noun in the first line drives clicks. End with :, …, 👇 or 👉 only if you're going to pay it off later. And never use empty phrases like these: "I'm excited to share", "In today's world", "Game changer", "Leverage", "Synergy".
The 5 highest-converting structures
A structure is the skeleton of the post, the order in which the blocks appear. These five are the ones that repeat most often in the outliers.
- A
Hook → List → CTA
When: you have 3-7 discrete points that stand on their own. Open with a hook that promises a list (with a number), deliver the points in a tight block, each one a standalone idea of one or two lines, and close with a single call to action. It works because the reader sees at a glance what they'll get and how much reading it'll take.
- B
Story → Lesson → CTA
When: you have a concrete anecdote with a twist. A teaser hooks them, you give brief context, build toward a real point of tension (what happened, what went wrong) and land the twist or the lesson. A concrete, dated narrative is what separates a believable story from a LinkedIn parable.
- C
Problem → Agitate → Solve (PAS)
When: you're selling a change of framework or tool. Name the problem in the hook, agitate it by showing its real cost (consequences, data, an anecdote that stings) and only then present your approach. Order matters: if you solve it before the reader feels the problem, there's no sale.
- D
Contrarian → Proof → Reframe
When: hot takes you need to defend. Reject a common belief in the first line, back it up with one or more concrete pieces of evidence and close by giving the right version of the advice. Without evidence, a hot take is just noise; evidence is what turns provocation into authority.
- E
Confession → Insight → Takeaway
When: building authority through vulnerability. Open by confessing a specific mistake (with numbers or a date), pull out the insight you got from it and explain how you do it now. Specific vulnerability builds credibility; generic vulnerability ("I've learned so much this year") gets scrolled past.
Structure rulesEach paragraph, 2-3 lines max. One blank line between paragraphs.
Lists go in a tight block: NO blank lines between items. 80-400 words total. 2-3 hashtags at the end, no more, and only niche ones.
Act as a copy pattern analyst for B2B LinkedIn. I'm giving you the posts that came out as outliers in the previous step, and I want to know what repeats across them, not what you think of them. Tag each post with three things and nothing else. The first is the hook archetype, and it can only be one of these nine: pattern interrupt, belief breaker, data shock, curiosity gap, personal confession, hot take, list promise, direct callout and how to. The second is the structure, and it can only be one of these five: hook list and close, story and lesson, problem agitate and solve, contrarian proof and reframe, or confession and insight. The third is the close, which can only be a question, a lead magnet or a final statement. Then tell me which combination repeats the most and in how many posts out of how many, plus the three opening lines that show up copied word for word most often. If a post doesn't fit any tag, set it aside instead of forcing it.
The 9 hooks and the 5 structures come out of prompt 2. Feed it the outliers from prompt 1 and it gives you the patterns that repeat in your niche.
The 5 positioning levers
Distilled from analyzing top founders in B2B AI / sales (EN + ES). Apply them when the raw idea allows it, without forcing it.
- 01
Position by contrast, not by features
"Most teams do X. We do Y because Z" always beats "We do Y very well". Start by naming what the rest of the industry gets wrong before saying what you do. Contrast switches attention on; self-promotion switches it off.
- 02
Client numbers beat self-promotion
A made-up figure like "200+ SMBs, +40% conversion" travels further than "the best AI sales platform". The number anchors. If your story has a concrete metric from a real client, move it up to the hook.
- 03
A market framework, not a product description
The recurring contrasts that work best in B2B: operative vs. operational, agentic vs. tool, signal vs. cold volume, execution vs. management. If your post opens with features, it's selling. If it opens with a market framework, it's teaching.
- 04
One repeated concept word
Reuse one term that's yours in every post. Post by post, you build a category in the reader's head. Examples: "operative outbound" (Neety), "enterprise PLG", "agent stack".
- 05
The founder's name > the product's name
The post sells the thinker, not the SaaS, so the product is mentioned only once and near the end, almost like signing off. Never in the hook, which is where it costs you the most.
The rule of ONE for the close
Your post has to end with exactly ONE of these closes. Never two.
Opinion-forcing question
Do you agree, or is this overrated?
A question that forces a stance. Lukewarm questions ("what do you think?") don't work.
Lead-magnet ask
Comment 'GUIDE' and I'll send you the full doc.
Only with a concrete resource. The trigger word comes from the resource, not something generic like "YES".
Final statement, no question
This is the system. Everything else is theater.
A memorable claim closes if the body has already done the work. Many outliers close this way.
Stacking two CTAs (lead magnet + closing question) "Click the link in bio" "Visit our website" "Check out our latest blog"
LinkedIn penalizes CTAs that take users off the platform. Keep the CTA inside the feed: comment, follow, share.
The formatting rules almost nobody follows
Small details that separate an outlier post from a mediocre one.
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| No markdown in the body | LinkedIn doesn't render ∗∗bold∗∗, # headers or `code`. The asterisks show up literally in the feed. |
| No external links in the body | LinkedIn buries posts with outbound links. Put the link in the first comment. |
| Blank lines between paragraphs | Whitespace = scannable = more read-through. Mobile punishes walls of text. |
| Lists in a tight block | Consecutive items with no blank line between them. The blank line goes before and after the block. |
| 2-3 hashtags max | More looks desperate. And only niche ones. |
| 0-1 emojis per paragraph | More looks like a community manager wrote it. |
| Short lines mixed with long ones | Visual rhythm boosts retention. A 4-word line after a long paragraph wins the reader back. |
| No ALL CAPS longer than 1-2 words | It reads as pushy selling. |
No markdown in the body
- Why
- LinkedIn doesn't render ∗∗bold∗∗, # headers or `code`. The asterisks show up literally in the feed.
No external links in the body
- Why
- LinkedIn buries posts with outbound links. Put the link in the first comment.
Blank lines between paragraphs
- Why
- Whitespace = scannable = more read-through. Mobile punishes walls of text.
Lists in a tight block
- Why
- Consecutive items with no blank line between them. The blank line goes before and after the block.
2-3 hashtags max
- Why
- More looks desperate. And only niche ones.
0-1 emojis per paragraph
- Why
- More looks like a community manager wrote it.
Short lines mixed with long ones
- Why
- Visual rhythm boosts retention. A 4-word line after a long paragraph wins the reader back.
No ALL CAPS longer than 1-2 words
- Why
- It reads as pushy selling.
Timing: when to post
After tracking B2B posts for months, these are the consistent patterns.
Best days
Tuesday · highest outlier ratio and the most outliers overall in B2B. Wednesday · Thursday · close runners-up. Monday · lukewarm (people are checking email, not scrolling the feed). Friday / weekend · forget them. Leisure feed, B2B doesn't fit.
Best times (local time zone)
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · morning peak, people between meetings. 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. · second peak, after lunch. 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. · third peak for international profiles.
Cadence
3-5 posts/week · the sweet spot for building an audience without saturating it. 1 post/day max · if you post two, the second cannibalizes the first. Don't post 2 posts on the same day · LinkedIn cuts the reach of the second one.
Golden window · first 60 minutes
If nobody reacts or comments in the first hour, LinkedIn stops distributing. After posting, ping 3-5 contacts so they comment in the first 30 min. Make sure the comment is substantive, not generic.
The 24-check pre-publish checklist
Before approving a draft, my system scores it against 24 checks split into 5 categories, each with its own weight. It's not a list of good intentions: it's a scoring system. These are the categories and a sample of what each one checks.
- Weight · 35%
Hook
Is there a specific number and does it fit in the mobile preview? Does it name something concrete, like a tool, an industry or a proper noun?
- Sí:
Contains a specific number (3×, 47%, 20K, 10 hours…)
- Sí:
≤ 18 words
- Sí:
Ends with an open loop (:, …, 👇) or a strong closed claim
- Sí:
20-140 characters (fits in the LinkedIn mobile preview)
- Sí:
Names something specific (tool, industry, proper noun)
- Weight · 25%
Structure
Are there concrete metrics in the body, not vague claims? Does it open a loop before resolving it?
- Sí:
Numbered / bulleted list with 3+ items
- Sí:
At least 2 concrete metrics in the body
- Sí:
80-400 words total
- Sí:
Opens a loop before the resolution
- Sí:
No paragraphs longer than 3 lines
- Weight · 18%
Format
Does it breathe on mobile, with short paragraphs and space between blocks? No external links for the algorithm to penalize?
- Sí:
No external links in the body
- Sí:
Blank lines between paragraphs
- Sí:
Lists in a tight block (no blank line between items)
- Sí:
Some visual anchor (→, ↳, ▶, 👉, 👇, ✅, ❌, 🔥, 💡)
- Sí:
No more than 2 ALL CAPS words of 5+ chars and ≤ 8 emojis total
- Sí:
2+ short lines (≤ 40 chars) to break the rhythm
- Weight · 15%
CTA
Is there exactly ONE, without stacking lead magnet + question?
- Sí:
CTA in the last 200 characters
- Sí:
Ends with a ? or a strong final claim
- Sí:
No "click", "click here", "link in bio"
- Sí:
Exactly ONE · don't stack lead magnet + question
- Weight · 12%
Topic fit
Niche keywords + one specific tool + something recent?
- Sí:
On-niche keywords (ai, llm, agent, sdr, outbound, sales, ventas, b2b, saas, growth…)
- Sí:
Names a specific tool (Claude, HubSpot, Clay, Apollo, n8n, Make…)
- Sí:
References something recent (this week, this month, this year)
- Sí:
0-3 hashtags max
Plus two universal testsThe win/lose test: does it teach a hidden system AND break a common belief?
The ghostwriter test: if you swap your name for someone else's in the niche and it's just as believable, it's too generic.
Act as the toughest editor on my team and don't cheer me on, score. I'm pasting a LinkedIn draft and I want you to score it from 0 to 100 with the weight split like this: 35 for the hook, 25 for the structure, 18 for the format, 15 for the close and 12 for fit with my niche. Deduct point by point, telling me what fails each time, and always deduct if the hook goes over 18 words or 140 characters, if it doesn't name any number or proper noun, if there are paragraphs longer than 3 lines, if the body goes over 400 words, if it includes an external link, if it stacks two calls to action or if the call to action doesn't fall within the last 200 characters. Below 70 the verdict is don't publish, and then you rewrite only the hook in 3 versions, each with a different archetype. And run the ghost test: if I swap my name for someone else's in the industry and the post still passes just as well, fail it even if it scores 90.
Prompt 3 does the critique: you paste in the draft, it scores it against the 24 weighted checks and shoots down most of mine.
How this works in practice
Everything above (the 9 archetypes, the 5 structures, the 24 checks) doesn't live in your head every time you write. It lives in a set of templates by structure that the system fills in with your data, your client and your angle, and then scores against the checklist before handing you the draft.
That's the difference between knowing the framework and applying it at scale: a template without your context is empty words; with your real case and a scoring system that validates it, it's outbound that closes. The system that builds those drafts and critiques them before publishing is what I'll show you in 30 minutes.
The lead magnet trap
"Comment X and I'll send it to you" is a genuinely strong close when the post gives away a valuable resource. It's a close that breaks credibility when you use it on posts that don't give anything away.
- Use it when
You have a real resource
A PDF, template, dataset or specific framework. Specific to the post, not a generic "I'll send you useful info". A trigger word from the resource, not "YES".
- DON'T use it when
The "resource" is vague
The post is an opinion with no deliverable. The resource is vague ("I'll send you useful info"). You're only doing it because you saw it work for others.
Quick testIf someone comments the trigger word and you send them 4 lines that could have been said in the post, you've broken the promise.
Next time they'll ignore you.
The step almost nobody takes: commenting > posting
Posting your own content is only half the game. The other half is commenting well on viral posts in your niche. One substantive comment on a post with big reach can bring you more impressions than your own post, and it builds authority without creating new content every day.
| Angle | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Reinforce | You reinforce the author's point with your experience or data | Posts with solid theses you want to amplify |
| Contrarian · data | You challenge a number in the post with a counter-figure | Posts that cite metrics you know well |
| Contrarian · premise | You attack the basis of the argument, not the conclusion | Posts whose framework is badly built |
| Contrarian · survivorship | You point out that the case is the exception, not the rule | Inspirational "I did it, so can you" posts |
| Reframe | You move the conversation to a more interesting angle | Posts that touch on something important from the wrong side |
| Add missing | You add item N+1 to the author's list | Posts with numbered frameworks |
| Steal phrase | You anchor your comment to an exact line from the post | Posts with memorable lines |
| Warm supportive | A short, genuine comment, no "great post" | Personal posts (milestone, event, news) |
| Better question | Instead of giving an opinion, you ask an uncomfortable, legitimate question | Posts where the conversation has stayed shallow |
Reinforce
- What it does
- You reinforce the author's point with your experience or data
- When to use it
- Posts with solid theses you want to amplify
Contrarian · data
- What it does
- You challenge a number in the post with a counter-figure
- When to use it
- Posts that cite metrics you know well
Contrarian · premise
- What it does
- You attack the basis of the argument, not the conclusion
- When to use it
- Posts whose framework is badly built
Contrarian · survivorship
- What it does
- You point out that the case is the exception, not the rule
- When to use it
- Inspirational "I did it, so can you" posts
Reframe
- What it does
- You move the conversation to a more interesting angle
- When to use it
- Posts that touch on something important from the wrong side
Add missing
- What it does
- You add item N+1 to the author's list
- When to use it
- Posts with numbered frameworks
Steal phrase
- What it does
- You anchor your comment to an exact line from the post
- When to use it
- Posts with memorable lines
Warm supportive
- What it does
- A short, genuine comment, no "great post"
- When to use it
- Personal posts (milestone, event, news)
Better question
- What it does
- Instead of giving an opinion, you ask an uncomfortable, legitimate question
- When to use it
- Posts where the conversation has stayed shallow
Comment rules + cadence3-4 lines max. Never "Great post", "Love this", "So true", "Totally agree".
Reference something specific from the post (a number, a line, a claim) to show you read it. Close with a question or your own anchor, not an emoji. 5-10 substantive comments a day on niche posts with good reach > posting your own post blind.
The system on 1 page
If you take away just one thing from this whole guide, make it this sequence.
- Before · writing
4 mandatory choices
Apply the win/lose test (hidden system + broken belief). Pick ONE emotional pillar · curiosity / fear / desire. Pick ONE hook archetype (out of the 9). Pick ONE structure (A → E).
- While · writing
Meet the hard constraints
Hook: ≤ 18 words, a number or proper noun, ≤ 140 chars. Body: 80-400 words, paragraphs ≤ 3 lines, tight lists. Close: ONE single CTA · question / lead magnet / claim. No markdown, no external links, no emoji spam.
- Before · publishing
Make the cut
Run the 24-check checklist. Apply the ghostwriter test · could someone else have written it?
- When · publishing
Make the most of the golden window
Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (your audience's local time). Ping 3-5 contacts for the first 30 min. Don't publish another post the same day.
- After · the other half
Commenting > posting
5-10 substantive comments on other posts in your niche. Measure what generated meetings, not what generated likes.
More tips and outbound's hidden secrets
This guide is a distillation. On LinkedIn I post every week what I see inside Neety: concrete tactics, what doesn't work and the invisible details that separate top teams from teams that burn out.
Iker Galarza · Founder · Neety · AI-powered B2B outboundI built the Claude system that critiques my drafts before publishing for Neety.
If your team posts blind and you want them to generate meetings instead of likes, let's talk. Follow Iker on LinkedIn
The rest of the resource opens when you leave your details.
Other resources you might like
A résumé doesn't sell. Your profile, as a landing page
As a résumé, it attracts work-anniversary congrats. As a landing page, it attracts clients. We give you the 7 pieces to convert it and analyze your profile to tell you what to change.
Your outbound makes the same 5 mistakes
What NOT to do when prospecting on LinkedIn and by email. With real data, no sugarcoating.
The 8 B2B signals with their real multiplier
The difference between a cold list and a booked meeting isn't the copy. It's when you write. Here's 1 full signal with its window; the other 7 are in the playbook.