How to write a LinkedIn post, starting from something that happened

What makes a good LinkedIn post?

A good LinkedIn post says one specific thing that happened, what it means, and nothing else. It sounds like you talking, not like a press release.

The difference shows up before you write a word: a topic gives you nothing to say, while an event gives you your first three sentences.

Starting from a topic	Starting from an event
Thoughts on pricing	I raised my day rate on [date]. [What happened next].
Why onboarding matters	A client got stuck on step 2 of my setup. Here's what I changed.
Lessons from building in public	My launch post on [date] got [result]. Here's what I'd keep.
Tips for remote work	I moved my client calls to mornings. [What changed].

Every row on the right is a post you can only write if it happened to you.

That's the point: nobody else can publish it.

How do you write a LinkedIn post, step by step?

Pick one event, write the middle, write the first line last, cut, then format and read it out loud. Each step below is walked on a real event: LitPost started publishing to Mastodon on November 8, 2026.

Step 1: Pick one thing that happened

Look at your week, not at trending topics: something you finished, a number that moved, something you learned, or a question someone asked you, whether in a call, a DM or a comment. Pick one. If you have three, you have three posts.

If nothing comes to mind, the LinkedIn post ideas guide lists 30 places to look.

For the example, the event is simple: you can now post to Mastodon from LitPost.

Step 2: Write the middle first

Answer three questions in plain sentences: what happened, what changed for someone, and one detail only you know.

For the example, the changelog entry covers all three. What happened: Mastodon publishing went live. What changed: people can post there from the same editor as X and LinkedIn. The detail: character limits can differ from one Mastodon server to another, so LitPost uses your server's own limit and turns a long post into a reply chain you can preview.

That detail is the best line in the post, because it's specific, it's true, and most readers didn't know it.

Step 3: Write the first line last

Now that you know what the post says, write the opening, keeping in mind that it's the only part most people see before "see more", so it has to carry the point on its own.

Three candidates for the example:

• "LitPost now publishes to Mastodon." Clear, but it's an announcement. Nobody outside LitPost's users cares yet.
• "Big news! 🚀" Says nothing. Delete on sight.
• "Mastodon doesn't have one character limit. That shaped how LitPost posts to it." Leads with the detail, and anyone who posts on Mastodon wants the next line.

The third one wins. It comes from the material, not from a hook template.

Step 4: Cut it to the point

Delete everything that doesn't serve the one thing: warm-up sentences ("I'm excited to share..."), a recap of your career, a second idea. A second idea is a second post.

Then cut inside the sentences you kept: if a sentence still works without an adjective, a qualifier or a "really", drop it and read the line again.

Step 5: Format for the fold and read it out loud

Give each idea its own short paragraph, with a blank line between them. Then check where "see more" falls: the LinkedIn post formatter previews it on desktop and mobile.

Last, read the post out loud, and wherever you stumble or sound like a brochure, rewrite the line the way you'd say it to a friend across the table.

Here's the example, assembled. It's a draft written for this guide from the changelog entry, not a published post.

Mastodon doesn't have one character limit. That shaped how LitPost posts to it.

As of this week, you can connect a Mastodon account on any server and post to it from the same editor as X and LinkedIn.

LitPost reads your server's own limit instead of assuming one number. If your post runs longer, it becomes a reply chain, and you see the whole chain before anything goes out.

If you post on Mastodon, which server are you on?

To reuse the shape, fill the brackets with something that happened to you this week:

[The detail or the result, in one line]

[What happened, in one or two sentences, with the date if it matters]

[What it changed for someone: a client, a user, you]

[What you'd tell someone about to do the same thing]

[A question only people with real experience can answer]

How do you start a LinkedIn post?

Start with the most specific thing in the post: a result, a detail, or a before and after. If your first line could open anyone's post, it's the wrong line.

Three openers that come straight from the event:

Opener	Built from	Shape
The result	What changed, with a number if you have one	[Number] [what] since [date].
The detail	The one fact a reader didn't know	[A surprising true fact about your work].
Before and after	What you did then, what you do now	I used to [old way]. Since [date], I [new way].

Whichever you pick, the second line has to pay it off right away. A strong first line followed by three lines of warm-up wastes the only part people see.

How long should a LinkedIn post be?

As long as the point needs. LinkedIn's help center says posts can contain up to 3,000 characters (LinkedIn Help). The length that matters more is the opening above the fold.

A common claim needs correcting here. La Growth Machine's guide says "only the first 210 characters will be displayed before the 'see more' option". LinkedIn publishes no such number.

The feed cuts a post at about three lines, so what fits depends on screen width and on where your line breaks fall. A short first line followed by a blank line shows less text than one long sentence, and a phone fits fewer words per line than a laptop, so the same post can fold in two different places.

Check both before you publish.

How do you format a LinkedIn post?

Use short paragraphs with blank lines between them, and plain lists when you have steps. That's most of it. LinkedIn has no bold button, so formatting is mostly white space.

For bold or italic, formatters swap your letters for Unicode look-alikes. They paste fine, at a cost. Screen readers "will most often skip them, or read something that sounds very long", and search won't match them to normal words (Per Axbom, August 2023).

Keep styled text to a word or two, and keep it out of your first line. The formatter from step 5 counts styled characters and warns you when they land there.

Can AI write LinkedIn posts that sound human?

Only when the material is yours. AI is good at cutting, formatting and translating a draft. It's bad at knowing what happened in your week, so when it has to invent the substance from a topic alone, it reaches for the same safe phrases everyone else's posts already use.

Split the work like this:

• Keep for yourself: the event, your opinion about it, the detail only you know, the final read-through.
• Hand off: finding events you forgot, a first draft from your notes, cutting, formatting, a version for X.

That split is how LitPost works. It reads your GitHub, Stripe, Plausible and past posts for events, shows you the event behind each idea, and drafts in your voice. Its AI Check flags vague claims and filler before you publish. You still write the version that goes out.

Posts worth skipping

Some posts are easy to write and still not worth publishing. Skip these four:

• The announcement with nothing in it. "Excited to share something big soon!" If you can't say what, wait until you can.
• The question you don't care about. "Agree?" at the end of a post asks for comments. It isn't a question.
• The lesson you didn't learn. A story built to land a moral reads like one. If it didn't happen, don't post it.
• The weekly post for its own sake. A week with nothing to say is fine. Post when you have something.

Do this this week

1. Write down three things that happened in your work this week.
2. Pick the one with a detail nobody else knows.
3. Write the middle in three sentences: what happened, what changed, the detail.
4. Write three first lines and keep the most specific one.
5. Check the fold in the formatter, read the post out loud, and publish it.

How to write a LinkedIn post: questions

How do I write a LinkedIn post about an accomplishment?

Lead with what changed for someone else, then say what you did. "[Client] now [result]" lands better than "I'm proud to announce". Add one detail about how it happened, ideally the part that took longest or surprised you most, and thank the people who helped by name, so they can share it too. Leave out the adjectives. The result does that work.

How do I write a LinkedIn post about an event I attended?

Pick one idea you heard and say what you'll do with it. A recap of every talk reads like notes. Name the speaker, link the talk if it's online, and add your own take or a question. One idea with your opinion beats a list of ten highlights.

What should my first LinkedIn post be?

Something you're working on right now, told as a short story. Say what you do, what you're building or learning, and one specific thing that happened this week. Skip the long career introduction. People follow you for what you'll post next, so show them a sample.

How do I write bold text in a LinkedIn post?

Paste it from a formatter. LinkedIn has no bold button, so formatters turn your letters into Unicode characters that look bold. Use them sparingly: screen readers often skip or spell out those characters, and search doesn't match them to normal words. Keep bold out of your first line.