Why the first line is most of the post
On LinkedIn roughly the first twelve words show before the "see more" cut. On X the first line decides whether anyone expands the thread. Everything after that only matters to people the opening already convinced.
The most common failure is the throat-clear: "I want to share some thoughts about…". It spends the only line that matters announcing that a post is about to happen. Deleting it and starting on the second line usually improves a post more than any other single edit.
What the score weighs
- Hook strength (25) — does the opening use a number, a question, or a concrete claim?
- First line length (15) — does it survive the fold?
- Specificity (20) — real figures, no filler vocabulary.
- Readability (15) — Flesch score and reading grade.
- Formatting (10) — short paragraphs, because most reading is on a phone.
- Length (10) — 90–220 words for LinkedIn, 20–60 for X.
- Earns a reply (5) — comment velocity in the first hour drives distribution.
Why founders and not brand pages
Founders with active profiles generate 3–5x more inbound than company pages. Personal profiles earn about 2.75x the impressions and 5x the engagement of company accounts, and LinkedIn's algorithm favours personal accounts by roughly 7x on equivalent content.
The timeline is worth setting expectations against: first signals at 3–6 weeks, sourced demos at 9–12 weeks, and a measurable CAC effect at 12–18 weeks. Posting three or four times a week is the cadence that gets there.
Questions
Does a high score guarantee reach?
No. It removes the mechanical reasons a good post underperforms. It cannot make a boring idea interesting — but a strong idea with a weak hook loses to a weaker idea with a strong one, and that is the part this fixes.
Should I really delete my first line?
If it announces the post rather than starting it, yes. Try reading your draft from the second line and see whether anything is actually lost.
How long until founder content produces pipeline?
First signals at 3–6 weeks, sourced demos at 9–12 weeks, and a CAC effect at 12–18 weeks, posting three to four times a week. It compounds slowly and then quickly.
Video or text?
Both, and low-production video outperforms polished corporate video consistently. Keep clips under 90 seconds with a clear buyer CTA.